Bad Axe, MICHIGAN

Something here just doesn't feel right.

Feb 29, 2008 - David M. Williams, 24, a Bad Axe junior varsity boys basketball coach, was arrested for speeding while transporting several students from a basketball game. Police discovered he had a suspended driving license and had two outstanding warrants out of Saginaw County for embezzlement.

He retained attorney Walt Salens to represent him in the matter. Only, Salens is the president of the Bad Axe Public Schools Board of Education. Salen said he feels representing Williams is “not a conflict of interest.”

Buhler, KANSAS

Nov 21, 2007 - Anthony Coker, 26, football coach at Buhler High School, was arrested and charged with having unlawful sexual relations with a 17-year-old female student at the school.

Coker also was charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana. He resigned from the school.

Under Kansas law, unlawful sexual relations occurs when a teacher or person in a position of authority engages in consensual sex with a 16- or 17-year-old student at the school where the offender works. His first court appearance is scheduled for Nov 30.
Full Name: Anthony William Coker

SENTENCED Feb 29, 2008 - Coker was sentenced to 12 months in community corrections. If he violates the terms of his community corrections sentence, he could face 6 months in jail. [No other information available]

Dardenne Prairie, MISSOURI

Parents the student discovered during routine monitoring of his e-mail that a teacher sent their son topless photos of herself.

Feb 29, 2008 - Melissa R. Moss, 27, a first-year teacher who taught English at the independent Catholic high school, was charged in St. Charles County Circuit Court for furnishing pornographic material to a minor for sending topless photos of herself to a 15-year-old male student.

The school put Moss on administrative leave in November. She was fired two weeks later.

Moss graduated in May with a bachelor's degree from Lindenwood University in St. Charles and began teaching at Barat, a new school that opened last year.
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Case Activity:
DISPOSITION HEARING SCHEDULED for July 7, 2008 at 9:00 am in Division 8 before WILLIAM T LOHMAR.

Waunakee, WISCONSIN

School District and teachers' union agree to keep findings about teachers' assistant secret from state officials.

Feb 29, 2008 - In Wisconsin, a 32-year-old special education teacher's assistant was arrested by the FBI for possession of child pornography. A local television outlet discovered that in 2006 Anthony J. Hirsch, 32, was allowed to resign under a Memorandum of Understanding after touching a girl. He was working at a similar job at La Follette High School in Madison at the time.

According to Madison police reports, on April 6, 2006, a LaFollette student alleged Hirsch unexpectedly placed his hand on the top part of her exposed leg as he told her “your legs are sexy.”

The girl also alleged Hirsch touched her buttocks with rolled up papers as they passed in a stairwell. Hirsch claimed his actions with the papers were innocent, but did not recall if he had touched the girl’s leg as he tried to boost her self esteem. Hirsch was not arrested. But reports show Hirsch was suspended from school on that date.

In the agreement with the Madison school district, Hirsch was allowed to resign and the Madison school district agreed to keep their findings about him a secret from the state.

The agreement also stated that the district would provide a "neutral reference" - providing only name, SS #, dates of employment and salary - for Hirsch to allow him to access to children at other schools. The agreement was signed by Hirsch, Madison Teachers [a union that represents teachers, substitutes, educational assistants, supportive educational employees and school security assistants] Executive Director John Matthews, and District Director of Labor Relations Duane McCrary.

Since Hirch's arrest, he has been charged with the repeated sexual assault of another LaFollette student in 2003 during her freshman and sophomore years, when she was 14. Authorities say Hirsch’s past actions with the girl were uncovered during the child pornography investigation.

How's that for protecting children?

TT entry for Hirsch.

Days Creek, OREGON

Those character reference letters from teachers may not be all that reliable. Not when the teacher and his wife launder money for the drug dealer.

Feb 29, 2008 - The News-Review in Roseburg, Oregon, has been following the case of former teacher John “Phillip” Keyser who, along with his wife and son Jerod, pleaded to money laundering charges in federal court. TT entry for Keyser.

They report that teacher Keyser once wrote a character reference letter to a federal judge asking for a lighter sentence for alleged drug ringleader Kent Allen Jones. Jones pleaded guilty in a case where he had been accused of distributing 200,000 pounds of marijuana between 1978 and 1981. He was sentenced to five years' probation, but it didn't deter him.

Prosecutors said Jones met with the Keysers in 1998 or 1999 in Priest River, Idaho, where they resided, to discuss real estate purchases and investments. Later, the Keysers used the diner they owned to launder profits from the drug ring led by Jones.

Fascinating account of how drug dealers launders money.

Pompano Beach, FLORIDA

Sentenced to 13 years in prison and 50 years of sex offender probation.

Feb 29, 2008 - Adrian Valdez, 31, pleaded no contest to several counts of lewd and lascivious molestation, lewd and lascivious conduct and lewd and lascivious exhibition.

He was sentenced to 13 years in prison. After his prison sentence is up, he must serve three years of house arrest and then 50 years of sex offender probation. He will be a registered sexual offender.

He was arrested in October 2005 after a 12-year-old male student at Crystal Lake Middle School told his parents that Valdez had taken him to his Deerfield Beach home and performed a sex act on him. Two other students came forward after Valez's arrest with similar allegations.
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Broward County Sheriff's Office Press Release (dated October 17, 2005)

Flagstaff, ARIZONA

School District: We did a background check.

Feb 28, 2008 - Police are recommending that charges be filed against a 29-year-old female teacher who taught at Flagstaff High School for five years. She hasn't taught this year, but it didn't stop the rumors.

Officers say three former students admitted to having sex with their former teacher. Two students were 18 but police say one male student was underage. She has not been arrested or charged. Yet.

See video at site.

Chesapeake, VIRGINIA

Arrested for 1st Degree Murder

Feb 28, 2008 - Wesley Earnest, assistant principal at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, has been arrested and charged with murdering his wife, Jocelyn. He faces charges of charged him with 1st Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony.

Dr. Earnest's estranged wife, Jocelyn Branham Earnest, 38, was found dead in her home in Forest on Dec. 20, 2007.

Investigators with the Bedford County Sheriff's Department say the scene was set up to look like a suicide. There was a typed suicide note, which is now being analyzed at the state crime lab. They also say the bullet entered Mrs. Earnest through the back of her head.

Bottom photo Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.

Earnest and his wife were going through a bitter divorce and reportedly had taken out restraining orders against each other. Earnest has been suspended without pay.

He was a geometry and computer teacher at Jefferson Forest High School from 1993 to 1997. He was also an assistant principal at Heritage High School until 2005
Full Name: Wesley Brian Earnest

Online memorial for Jocelyn Branham Earnest

Documents- from The Virginia-Pilot
Case information (PDF)
Warrant of arrest (PDF)
Letter sent home with students

PRELIMINARY HEARING April 21 - At the preliminary hearing, prosecutors said the victim knew she was going to die, and she named her killer in a journal.

In an August 2005 entry, she wrote "If you read this he killed me, because I would never kill myself. He being my cheating husband Wesley Earnest." Investigators say Jocelyn wrote several entries where she feared her husband might try to hurt or kill her.

Prosecutors introduced a suicide note that was found next to Jocelyn at the crime scene. They call it a "homicide note," and say fingerprints link that note to Wesley.

Prosecutors say Wesley's partial fingerprints were also found on the .357 revolver used to kill Jocelyn. Investigators say they found the case for the murder weapon at the home of Wesley's girlfriend, Shameka Wright, who lives in Rustburg.

In a twist, the woman who found Jocelyn dead testified that she was in a romantic relationship with Jocelyn before her death. A grand jury will hear the case in May.

INDICTED May 7 - A Bedford County grand jury indicted Wesley Earnest Tuesday on charges of murder and use of a firearm in the slaying of his estranged wife. Earnest's trial has tentatively been scheduled to start July 29.

BOND May 30 - Earnest was granted bond of $200,000 cash bond or a $400,000 real estate bond, Judge James Updike ordered.

TRIAL SCHEDULED July 25, 2008 - Earnest's trial was scheduled to begin Monday, but no pre-trial motions have been filed or heard yet. It is expected to be delayed.

Lake Oswego, OREGON

LAWSUIT

Feb 28, 2008 - In what is a case designed to change the law, three men are suing the Lake Oswego School District and a former teacher Thursday, seeking $6.3 million in damages on grounds the teacher allegedly sexually abused them more than 30 years ago.

There is no statute of limitations for private organizations such as the Boy Scouts or churches, but there is for suing the state. Under Oregon law, victims of sexual abuse have only two years to file a suit against a government agency.

Dallas, TEXAS

Internet solicitation.

Feb 28, 2008 - William Catterson, 61, described as "an employee" of the Hockaday School, an elite all-girls academy in Dallas, was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of felony online solicitation of a minor.

He thought he was having online conversations with a 13-year-old girl. It turned out to be a police officer. Officials with the District Attorney's Office said that Catterson was actively chatting online with the agent when police entered his office area.

Catterson was director of the girls' school's audiovisual services and had worked there for 25 years. Catterson has been fired.
AKA: Bill Catterson

Bargain Favors

The cost of teacher misconduct gives you a clue why districts desperately want resignations rather than pursue criminal charges, and why teachers are often given plea bargain favors not extended to any other class of citizens accused of the same crime.

Feb 28, 2008 - West Boylston (MA) is reeling over budget woes that include the salary expenses following the arrest and paid administrative leave of high school teacher Scott Simoncini.

At the School Department, Superintendent Thomas Kane said he was hoping that Mr. Simoncini’s situation would be resolved soon so that they would continue to pay for two teachers.

Mr. Simoncini has been on paid administrative leave since Jan. 22, following his arrest for allegedly giving obscene material to a minor. A retired teacher has been hired as a half-time teacher to cover Mr. Simoncini’s two U.S. history classes.

The School Department is also responsible for the $3,500 cost for a substitute to cover Mr. Simoncini’s virtual high school class.

“We’re looking for a resignation from Scott, but one has not been tendered as of yet,” Mr. Kane said. “When I spoke with the assistant district attorney, he said they were trying to work out a plea bargain, and I anticipate that a resignation would be a part of the plea.”

Mr. Kane said the district attorney’s office would likely pursue an indictment if a plea bargain cannot be worked out. “At that point, we could suspend him without pay,” he said.

The school is having difficulty paying maintence expenses with a maintenance budget freeze. TT entry for Simoncini.

Sexual Exploitation

We very much doubt that teachers read this blog. They seem to live in a fortress of self-denial, besieged by false accusations. It might be sobering, however, and instructional, if teacher training classes focused on the cost of "misconduct" and sexual exploitation.

Today, a 38-year-old former social studies teacher was designated a Level 2 sex offender. He pleaded guilty to having oral sex with a 16-year-old male student. Sexual contact between the two occurred three times at different hours of the day. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail - not prison.

He will be on the registry for life. Entry

Freeland, MICHIGAN

Mar 22, 2007 - Greg Watson, 46, Freeland High School teacher, surrendered to police to face charges in a child pornography probe.

Prosecutors authorized a warrant It charges him with producing child sexually abusive material on a computer at Freeland High. Saginaw News, quotes he Freeland Community School District Superintendent told parents not to worry.

"He was downloading, not making pictures," she said. "That's an important distinction to make. There was never any indication that any students were able to see any of the material."

Watson taught English to learning-disabled freshmen, sophomores and juniors. He resigned earlier this month. Watson was released on his own recognizance. A preliminary is set for Apr 3. Full Name: Greg A. Watson

Apr 6 - Watson waived his right to a preliminary hearing. A Saginaw County circuit judge will arraign him Monday, April 30.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING Feb 28, 2008 - Watson pleaded guilty and prosecutors dismissed a charge of using a computer to commit a crime. He was sentenced to a year and three months to 20 years behind bars. Watson must register as a sex offender.

While Watson's attorney called for leniency and said that many supporters wrote letters to the court on his behalf, former Freeland Community Schools Superintendent Linda L. Sanborn was in court. She asked the judge to consider the 300 to 400 students Watson taught while he committed the crimes. Those students are wondering about the consequences Watson will face for breaking the law, she said.

Child Pornography and Educators
TT - List sentenced for child pornography.
TT - List guilty but not yet sentenced for child pornography.

Gowanda, NEW YORK

Dec 15, 2007 - Lawrence Gill, 60, a Gowanda Central School teacher, now admits he stole more than $100,000 from his students. [No other news stories so we assume he pleaded guilty.]

He took the money while teaching at the school. Gill faces up to six months in jail and five months probation when sentenced in February. He also had to surrender his teaching license and must give $10,000 back to the school.

STORY OF HIS ARREST Dec 6 -

Gill, who taught business at the school for nine years, has been charged with second-degree grand larceny for allegedly embezzling more than $100,000 over five years.

Gill had left the state abruptly after school officials confronted him about three years ago with their allegations. On Tuesday, while Gill was back on what was supposed to be a brief visit to Western New York, he was arrested at his lawyer’s office in downtown Buffalo. Wednesday night, he remained in the Cattaraugus County Jail, unable to pay the $150,000 bond that was ordered by Persia Town Justice Arnold Andolsek.

The money had gone missing from the senior class fund, the varsity baseball team, the yearbook club and the school store. Gill was an advisor to several school student organizations.

When the school audited the books, Gill was ordered to appear at a disciplinary hearing. He failed to show up and, as a result, was fired from his job in April 2005. He soon left town for Omaha, Nebraska.

The school district was able to recoup $82,000 from insurance money. It cost the district $40,000 in legal advice.

Wikipedia entry for Gowanda, NY

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING Feb 28, 2008 - Gill pleaded guilty to a charge of fourth-degree grand larceny, a class E felony. The charge denotes Gill as stealing approximately more than $50,000 from Gowanda school sports teams and organizations’ funds while employed as a business teacher and adviser. He was sentenced to six months in prison -- to be served in jail -- followed by five years probation.

The Gowanda Central School District has said that the amount stolen was closer to $106,000 and the district received $82,000 of compensation through insurance.

Additionally, as a condition of his plea, he had to surrender his New York State teaching license to the State Education Department.

Hawthorne, NEW JERSEY

Feb 27, 2008 - Joanne Graziano, Hawthorne Board of Education member and former Passaic County freeholder candidate pleaded guilty in state court Tuesday to falsifying her credentials in order to get a job as vice principal in the Paterson school system.

Graziano was a vice principal in Paterson's School 18. She presented a fraudulent document, indicating she was certified to be a supervisor, and collected $61,421 in overpayments on a salary to which she was not entitled from 2000 to 2006. She'll have to pay the money back.

The state Board of Education Board of Examiners brought legal action against Graziano in 2005, saying it had no record of her certification as a school administrator.

In response, Paterson school district officials then reassigned her from the vice principal post at School 18 to a teaching position at School 15. A year later, the Board of examiners agreed to accept her decision to surrender her elementary school and Spanish teaching licenses. She was subsequently fired from her teaching job where she had been paid an annual salary of $92,029.
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Graziano was the Democrat candidate for Passaic County freeholder, but had to drop out when her credentials came under scrutiny. Her bio from the Hawthorne Democrats web site.

She is currently president of the Passaic County School Board Association and has served as a teacher and administrator in the Paterson public schools for almost thirty years. She is a member of the National, State, and Passaic County Education Associations.

TT - Paterson schools have a state-appointed fiscal monitor, one of five school districts in that state under state control because of failing schools, rampant corruption, mismanagement, fraud, and bribery.

Sexual Exploitation

Video report from Good Morning America on classroom predators.

Waukesha, WISCONSIN

Welcome to American Schools.

Feb 27, 2008 - Larry C. Wallenslager, 50, a substitute teacher and foreign exchange host parent, was charged with disorderly conduct after he was accused of making sexual remarks and engaging in inappropriate behavior with a foreign exchange student he was hosting.

She was removed from the home in December after she complained about his behavior that included asking her if she ever had sex and whether she would feel weird taking her clothes off in front of her boyfriend. He told her that it would be OK if he saw her naked because he saw a previous female AFS student naked, the complaint says.

She told investigators that she had to be careful changing clothes because he would just walk into her bedroom. He would hold and stroke her hand and tell her that he loved her, she said.
The Waukesha man asked her what she would do if her host father ever raped her, the complaint says.

He told the girl that he could lock her in the basement and withhold food as a way of controlling her. He frightened her in October when he briefly locked the girl in a closet, the criminal complaint says. The girl is 17. Wallenslager is no longer working for the school district.

Wallenslager is scheduled to be in court on March 10.

March 5 - The Freeman reports that Wallenslager had a prior arrest. He was arrested in 1999 for an incident in which he videotaped people at the Brookfield library, police reports and court records show. [No explanation.]

Chicago, ILLINOIS

About bloody time.

Feb 27, 2008 - The Chicago Public Schools Board of Education approved today a large turnaround and consolidation plan that will replace complete staffs at eight schools, close four elementary schools, move two schools and consolidate or phase out four others.

The four high schools in the turnaround plan had fewer than 13 percent of their students meet state standards last year. At Harper, for example, less than half of students graduate, and only five percent met state standards last year.

All teachers and administrators will be eliminated in the eight schools, though they may reapply for their jobs.

TT - It would be nice if they were doing this for the good of the students, but Illinois is in the middle of a budget crisis.

• Illinois faces a deficit for the current fiscal year, conservatively estimated at $750 million.
• The state has a $1.7 billion backlog of unpaid bills -- the highest in state history.
• The state's Medicaid program requires at least $500 million in new money just to meet existing obligations.
• The state's unfunded pension liability is among the worst in the nation.
• The governor sell anticipated future revenues at a discount in order to now receive a one-time lump sum.

It's a good thing they've turned out generations of illiterates who won't know - because they can't read - what bad shape the state is in. And, happily, the illiterates won't be making enough money to worry about tax increases, either. It's a two-win for politicians.

Ewing, NEW JERSEY

Feb 27, 2008 - Robert Godfrey, 23, a a first-year Ewing High School P.E. teacher, was arrested for having a three-month sexual relationship with a a 17-year-old female student since December.

He also allegedly sent nude pictures of himself to the girl's cell phone and received nude pictures from her on his phone. He has been charged with two second-degree counts of sexual assault, one third-degree count of distributing obscene materials to a minor, and one fourth-degree count of child abuse.

He has been suspended without pay.
PDF copy of the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office news release about Godfrey's arrest.
Photo Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Ewing Township Police Tip Line at (609) 882-7530 or the Mercer County Prosecutor's Child Abuse/Sex Assault Unit at (609) 989-6568.

INDICTED August 2 - A Mercer County grand jury indicted Godfrey on Wednesday with on one count of official misconduct (second degree), two counts of sexual assault (second degree), one count of distributing obscene materials to a minor (third degree) and one count of child abuse (fourth degree) , according to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.

Mercer County Prosecutor's Office Press Release (dated July 31, 2008)

Macon, GEORGIA

Feb 27, 2008 - Victor Denson, 44, a Northeast High School teacher, accused of making sexual comments to students and showing one student pornography was arrested at his home.

He has been charged with two felony counts of sexual assault, one felony count of child molestation and one misdemeanor count of exhibiting porn to a minor. He's been on administrative leave since Feb 12. He reportedly bought condoms for a student as well.

Investigators with the Bibb County Board of Education police contacted Macon police investigators Feb. 13 after a student came forward with the allegations. The students ranged in age between 15 and 16.

Natrona Heights, PENNSYLVANIA

Dear Parents,

The school district sent home a letter to parents Wednesday. In the letter, parents are told that the school district was investigating reports of misconduct prior to Swogger's arrest. But, that Swogger resigned before it could act on the findings.

The school is offering counseling to students. It is also asking that students who say they have nude pictures of Swogger to destroy them.

TT entry for Abbie Jane Swogger.

Florence, ARIZONA

Feb 27, 2008 - An unnamed Florence High School teacher and coach resigned on Monday after being accused of sending sexually explicit text messages to a student.

No charges have been filed in the case, which is being investigated by the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.

A parent contacted the school athletic director with the allegations against a male P.E. and weight training coach. An 18-year-old female student was reportedly receiving a series of racy text messages and voicemails from the teacher.
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This is the second time in recent weeks the Florence Unified School District has had problems with teachers behaving inappropriately. A kindergarten teacher worked six months after she was arrested on suspicion of having sex with a 16-year-old who may have fathered her child. Angela Csader resigned from her position at Anthem K-8 only after the state notified the district, officials said. TT entry for Csader.

Englishtown, NEW JERSEY

A substitute teacher has admitted to drinking alcohol from a travel coffee mug during class, scaring a room full of fourth-grade students at a Manalapan elementary school with her "bizarre" behavior, authorities said today.

Feb 27, 2008 - Mary Kaminski, 54, a substitute teacher at Pine Brook Elementary School, pleaded guilty Monday to endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities learned of Kaminski's behavior from students who "became scared and concerned" as she taught the class in December, and later told the principal.

Kaminski brought the alcohol into the classroom in a travel coffee mug. She admitted she was intoxicated in the classroom, and "put the children at risk of harm by her actions," Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said in a statement.

In exchange for her plea, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office is recommending she be sentenced to serve probation and forfeit her teaching certification. She will be sentenced May 23.
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POINT OF LAW: Under New Jersey law a defendant who has not been previously convicted of a crime and who is being sentenced for the third-degree crime of endangering the welfare of a child is entitled to a statutory presumption that a probationary sentence be imposed. Source
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Days Creek, OREGON

Time to update those yearbooks.
Mr. Keyser will be in the big house for the next five years.

Feb 27, 2008 -
John “Phillip” Keyser and his wife, Texanna, admitted in U.S. District Court in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to helping conceal drug profits over a 30-year period.

The international drug dealer , Kent Jones, was a student of Phillip Keyser's in Days Creek in the 1960s when Keyser taught in Oregon. The Keysers face up to five years in federal prison under a plea agreement in which they admitted to money laundering and conducting real estate transactions involving drug proceeds. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money.The couple’s son, Jerod L. Keyser, a mortgage broker in Priest River, Idaho, was one of a dozen men arrested when the drug ring was busted in September 2006.

Altogether, Jerod Keyser and his parents were accused of laundering $1.1 million. In their pleas, Phillip and Texanna Keyser agreed to forfeit $875,000 in cash, a home, several properties in Priest River and in Pend Oreille County, Wash., along with a pleasure boat, several ATVs, trailers and boat trailers.The Keysers were listed as owners of at least 11 bank accounts in northern Idaho. In one account at Panhandle State Bank, Phillip Keyser and Kent Jones were listed as co-owners. The government also seized $43,062 from Phillip and Texanna Keyser’s residence on Sept. 13, 2006.

Sentencing for John “Phillip” Keyser and his wife, Texanna, is July 7

U.S. District Court Indictment of the Keysers. (dated Jan 8, 2008)

Plea agreements from The News-Review
Plea Agreement John ("Philip") Keyser PDF (23 pages)
Plea Agreement Texanna Keyser PDF (22 pages)
Plea Agreement Jerod Keyser PDF (22 pages)

Feb 29, 2008 - From the plea agreements, the newspaper learned that John "Philip" Keyser wrote a character reference letter to a judge asking for a lighter sentence for drug pin Kent Jones. TT entry.

Location is Oregon because that's where he taught. If you recognize the name and know the school, let us know.

GUILTY PLEA - JEROD KEYSER March 25 - Jerod Keyser pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money. The Priest River mortgage broker also agreed to forfeit cash, property and possessions totaling $225,000. Other charges against Keyser were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea. He will be sentenced July 7.

Claymont, DELAWARE

We're all for lawsuits IF the settlements were public record. That way, the public would know exactly why school districts are liable.

Because insurance companies don't pay out if they don't have to.

Feb 27, 2008 - The family of a 15-year-old Wilmington boy who was raped by his Brandywine School District teacher filed a lawsuit against the school board on Wednesday.

The lawsuit claims that the school district failed to do a proper background check when hiring Holt, 36, who had been employed at four different schools in five years before being hired as a sixth-grade science teacher at Claymont Elementary School.

The lawsuit also alleges that school officials had received several reports about inappropriate conduct by Holt in the months preceding her arrest in April 2006. The alleged conduct included kissing students, sitting on their laps in the classroom, and dancing on classroom tables.

Last month, the district settled with a former guidance counselor who claimed that she was fired after alerting the Claymont school principal to Holt's inappropriate conduct. That settlement was confidential. TT entry for that lawsuit.

Rachel Holt was sentenced to 10 years in prison. TT entry for Holt.

Niagra Falls, NEW YORK

Feb 27, 2008 - Paul Chiarella, 38, a Niagara Falls High School teacher, was charged with third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child, accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with a 16-year-old female student.

He turned himself into police. Chiarella pleaded not guilty.

The arrest came exactly two weeks after Detective Patricia McCune began an investigation into a complaint filed by Niagara Falls School District officials.

McCune lodged the charges after she found Chiarella appeared to have been involved in some "inappropriate touching" with the high school junior in November and December, [Police Superintendent John R.] Chella said.
"It took place in the school," he said. "There was no sexual intercourse involved."

The girl's mother filed the complaint with the school. "School district officials looked into it quickly and reported their findings it to police immediately," Chella said.

Chiarella has been suspended with pay.
--------------------------
March 15 - The Niagara Falls School Board found probable cause and voted to file charges, an action that could lead to "the termination of his employment."

Scottsdale, ARIZONA

CASE DISMISSED AT THE REQUEST OF THE PROSECUTOR

Apr 26, 2007 - Tom Porras, 49, a substitute teacher and athletic coach at Saguaro High School, was arrested, accused of sexually abusing a student.

The 17-year-old student alleged that Porras had invited her over to his house for an athletic massage and inappropriately touched her, police said. During the time the student was there, Porras allegedly had unwanted sexual contact with her, police said.

East Valley Tribune: While being interviewed by police, Porras made admissions to the sexual abuse incident, a Class 5 felony if convicted, and public sexual indecency, a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Apr 27 - Porras has been suspended.

Apr 28 - The girl told police she was very uncomfortable but didn’t know what to do. At one point during the massage, Porras kissed the girl on the back of her neck and her buttocks and eventually performed a sexual act on her, according to court records.

Porras is married and the father of two sons. The school district plans to fire him.

Apr 30 - Letter to parents.

INDICTED May 11 - Porras was indicted, charged with one count of sexual abuse, one count of public sexual indecency and one count of assault.

Porras will be arraigned on May 18.

June 28 - Porras is scheduled for a initial pre-trial conference on July 2. Porras violated Scottsdale Unified School district policies by inviting students to his home and was fired.

August 8 - The intial pre-trial conference will be this Thursday.

August 10 - A Sept. 13 trial-management conference has been scheduled. He has been fired by the District.

PLEA DEAL REJECTED Oct 16 - Porras’ attorney, Amy Nguyen, who appeared with Porras in Maricopa County Superior Court on Tuesday, informed Judge Helene Abrams that Porras would not be accepting the plea offer and has filed a motion to eliminate evidence which includes a confession. A judge will rule on the evidence on Nov 15.

The plea offer from Maricopa County Attorneys that would have required him to spend 30 days in jail and register as a sex offender.

EVIDENTIARY HEARING Dec 21 - A hearing to determine whether Porras' confession to police will be allowed in the case will continue Jan 4 and the next hearing on the matter will be held Jan. 22.

CONFESSIONS TOSSED Jan 22, 2008 - Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Helene Abrams ruled Friday that Scottsdale police violated Tom Porras’ right to remain silent when he was questioned by detectives in April. The two confessions he made to police cannot be used in his trial.

CASE TOSSED Feb 27 - Judge Helene Abrams tossed the case at the request of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. The prosecution ran into trouble in January when Abrams threw out Porras' confessions to Scottsdale police that he had fondled and ejaculated on the student, whom he had invited to his home for an "athletic massage."

CASE DISMISSED AT THE REQUEST OF THE PROSECUTOR

Story of the Day

STORY OF THE DAY

The story gets better and better for the Pennyslvania substitute found in a hotel room with teenagers, two of them runaways.

Abbie Jane Swogger at first refused to allow police into her home to arrest her. They had to threaten to break down the door. Police found a 17-year-old boy in her home when she was arrested. He had been at the hotel as well. It wasn't her son. Entry for Swogger.

First reports were that there was beer and one condom in the hotel room. She was arrested for cocaine, drug paraphernalia, including a digital scale, and corrupting the morals of minors. She was a former stripper.

(That last shouldn't be a problem in Oregon.)

DeKalb, ILLINOIS

Feb 27, 2008 - Robert Hursh, 56, a social studies teacher at DeKalb High School, was arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

The alleged abuse occurred over a four-year period starting in 1998, and the victim was under the age of 17 at the time.

Roanoke, VIRGINIA

Feb 27, 2008 - Alfred Lee Hannah, Jr., a social studies teacher at Hidden Valley High School, was arrested Feb. 20, and charged with soliciting prostitution.

Roanoke police would not release information about the circumstances that led to the arrest because it is still being investigated, said department spokeswoman Aisha Johnson.

TT - If he's convicted, he can always go to Oregon.

June 21 - Police use Craigslist in sex sting
The sex sting operation in which Hannah was caught is examined in the article.
Hannah pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of soliciting prostitution. A Roanoke General District Court judge postponed any decision about his guilt until his sentencing Aug. 18.

He now lives in another state, but the writer wasn't interested in following up on how the school reacted.

Kinglsey, PENNSYLVANIA

Fake credentials.

Feb 27, 2008 - Corey Gesford, 37, a English teacher in the Mountain View School District, was arrested for forging a teaching certificate and lying about his college education.

Gesford faces one count of forgery, two counts of unsworn falsification to authorities and one count of illegal use of a professional title.

According to a criminal complaint, the Pennsylvania attorney general's Bureau of Criminal Investigations alleged that Gesford "altered someone else's teaching certificate to make it appear that he was a certified teacher in Pennsylvania.

Gesford coached junior varsity basketball at Mountain View in 2003-4, and for the next two years served as a full-time substitute. Gesford served as assistant basketball coach at Lackawanna Trail High School this past season. Ge claimed a B.S. that he didn't have, either.
Full Name: Corey D. Gesford,

Baltimore, MARYLAND

JURY ACQUITS OF ALL CHARGES.

Feb 5, 2007 - Parris McGhee-Bey, 57, a technology/education teacher at Woodlawn High School, has been arrested on charges of sexually abusing a 14-year-old female student from the school.
(Photo: Courtsey of Baltimore County Police Dept.)
McGhee-Bey has been charged with sex abuse of a minor, third- and fourth-degree sex offenses and perverted practice.
Full name: Parris James McGhee-Bey

Feb 23, 2008 - Parris James McGhee-Bey was cleared of all charges. He was acquitted by a jury that deliberated for 2 and 1/2 hours.

McGhee-Bey, the father of 10 children, has been working as an engineer and project manager since leaving Baltimore County public schools.

JURY ACQUITS OF ALL CHARGES.

Boise, IDAHO

Arrested for probation violation. Amazing how many female teachers who are sentenced to probation think the rules don't apply to them because the rules never have before.

ARRESTED Apr 30, 2007 -
Lauren Palmer, 22, an assistant high school softball coach at Centennial High School, was arrested and charged with felony sexual battery of a minor for allegedly having inappropriate sexual contact with a female student.

She was found in a car with the girl. The teenager was a student at Centennial High School.

City of Boise Police News Release page. [Page last updated Apr 27. Palmer was arrested on the 28th.]

GUILTY PLEA July 10 - Palmer pleaded guilty to sexual contact with a child. She will be sentenced in August.

Correction guilty plea. Thank you, poster. Even though the prosecution agreed to the withheld judgement, the final say is with the judge.

SENTENCED: March 26, 2008 -

Fourth District Judge Deborah Bail ruled that it appears to be a relatively minor, isolated incident.

She sentenced Palmer to two years probation and withheld judgment, a 30-day jail sentenced deferred, restitution for counseling for the girl and she will be required to undergo thinking errors under one-on-one counseling.

The girl was 16-years-old.

PROBATION VIOLATION - Feb 26, 2008 - Palmer was arrested by Ada County Sheriff's deputies after Idaho Probation and Parole issued a warrant for violation of parole terms and conditions.

She has conditions of her parole which include a curfew, and changing addresses without permission of Probation and Parole. She violated these two conditions, and Probation and Parole felt that these were enough to bring her back before a judge.
[TT - Hopefully, it will not be the same judge who sentenced her.]

March 10 - Palmer denies parole violation.

Where children gather, so, too, will pedophiles

Feb 27, 2008 - Susan Campbell, writing in the Hartford Courant on a personal experience.

My mother married her second husband against the wishes of just about everyone, including her three children. Love might be blind, but a child sees all.Things got so bad at home that I broke the code. I went outside the family for help, stepped up to my fourth-grade teacher's desk and told her that my stepfather was hurting me. She looked confused, so I said it again, as loudly as I dared, considering that the kids in the front row could hear, and then know.

She quickly sent me back to my desk, where I spent the day trying to decide what would happen next. After school, I pretended to stack and restack library books in the classroom because I thought she would call me back to her desk and help me, but she pushed some papers into a satchel, waved to me and left. I went home knowing no one would save me from my stepfather, the pedophile.

The article is "When Child's Plea Goes Unheard; Another Pedophile May Go Free"

Her step-father was a respected endocrinologist. A psychiatrist and psychologist in three different evaluations gave the doctor the go-ahead to return and do what he did. His examiners might have made their tragic mistake for no reason other than Reardon was a respected doctor, and molesting children is not something respected doctors do. He died in 1998, but, as Campbell writes, the sad facts of his life were exposed when last year thousands of pornographic photos and videos were found hidden in his former home. Since then, more than 60 adults have filed suits.

Read the whole thing.

Cedarville, ARKANSAS

Cedarville School Board

Feb 26, 2008 - Tommy Baker, the Cedarville Elementary School principal, resigned. He admitted that he "keyed" a car blocking the road, scratching it with his key from from the back glass to the trunk area twice. What he was unaware of was that the owner's son was in the car at the time. Baker attributed his incident to his diabetes and the weather.
FINE EXAMPLE FOR STUDENTS.

Another Cedarville principal will be headed for trial in May. Cedarville Middle School Principal Curt Ledbetter is charged with felony second-degree battery. Ledbetter, 49, of Fort Smith, was arrested July 2, 2006, on second-degree battery charges in connection with a paddling that he administered that allegedly caused substantial pain, swelling and extreme bruising to a 12-year-old boy on Feb. 15, 2006, according to court documents.
His case is pending, and a trial is scheduled for May.
WHAT TAKES TWO YEARS TO TAKE TO TRIAL?
------------------------------------------
Three schools in the district.
The elementary school rates 4 at GreatSchools.net
The middle school rates 6 at GreatSchools.net

The high school rates 3 at GreatSchools.net

The school board, however, does make time for frivilous measures. In response to one parent's complaint, they ordered Harry Potter books removed from library shelves and restricted access unless the child got their parent's persmission. They lost a lawsuit on the issue.

Kudos

Making a difference, a story at a time.

KUDOS To the Columbus Dispatch took first place for hard-news coverage in the national Education Writers Association contest. The paper also won a special citation for investigative reporting for its series about Ohio’s teacher-discipline system, “ The ABCs of Betrayal.”

The Education Writers Association awards were announced today.

In the investigative category this year, Riepenhoff and Smith Richards were honored for “The ABCs of Betrayal,” stories that also changed Ohio law.

Less than a month after the publication of their investigation, Gov. Ted Strickland signed a bill that expanded criminal-background checks for all school employees, required that names of teachers be run through the FBI's national database every five years, ordered the state Department of Education to develop a teacher code of conduct and made other changes.

---

KUDOS Another series, "Hidden Violations", by Scott Reeder also received a special citation.

Plainfield, CONNECTICUT

Feb 26, 2008 - Duane Emmi, 51, a teacher at Plainfield High School, was arrested and charged with breach of peace for after police said he made comments about having a gun at his residence.

Police said a staff member reported to administration that Duane Emmi made comments about other staff members not respecting him and that he had a gun. Emmi made no threats against staff or students.

TT - If only school districts responded so promptly to reports that teachers had sex with their students.

Buhler, KANSAS

Feb 26, 2008 -
Richard Young, 68, (the age is not a typo) a Buhler High School debate teacher and coach was arrested today on charges that he had a sexual relationship with a foreign-exchange student in August 2007.

Young was suspended with pay Nov 1. He is the second Buhler High School employee to be charged this school year with having a sexual relationship with a student. See Anthony Coker entry.

Young is to appear in court on Wednesday, on three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and one count of indecent solicitation of a child. His bond was set at $75,000.
Full Name: Richard B. Young

POINT OF LAW: (From story) Under Kansas law, unlawful sexual relations occurs when a teacher or person in a position of authority engages in consensual sex with a 16- or 17-year-old student at the school where the offender works.

The more serious indecent liberties and indecent solicitation charges apply to cases in which a victim is 14 or 15 years old.

SUSPENDED Mar 4 - Young was suspended WITHOUT PAY. Young has an annual salary of $42,000.

"This decision, by Superintendent Dr. David Brax, was made due to the severity of the four felony charges brought against Mr. Young on Feb. 26, 2008," said Kelly Nelson, Buhler school public information officer, in a news release.

Next court appearance is Apr 2.

PRELIMINARY HEARING June 5 - Young was in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

The court heard testimony today from the 16-year-old foreign exchange student who is the alleged victim in the case.

The student recounted how Richard Young was allegedly obsessed with him, the student. The victim said that he and young corresponded via email while he was still in South Korea. At one point, he said Young asked for a photo of him without a shirt. When he arrived in Kansas, he stayed with Young beginning August 1st of last year. Within three days, the student said, Young began to get physical.

Young has a lot of support in Buhler.

June 6 - The Hutchinson News: During the preliminary, the victim testified as well as three men who say he molested them when they were about the same age as the victim.

District Judge Joe McCarville closed the hearing to the public during witness testimony about alleged prior wrongdoing by Young. Afterward, McCarville unsealed the testimony and evidence, allowing attorneys present to discuss it.

[Reno County District Attorney Keith] Schroeder presented a copy of a letter Young allegedly sent to the three men in 1994 apologizing for molesting them. The men all kept copies of the letter, which they showed to police who were investigating the matter.

"If I could tell you why I sexually abused you I would," Young wrote. At the time he was dealing with problems in his marriage, Young wrote, "but I am not trying to put the blame on anyone but me."

Kingston, NEW YORK

GUILTY PLEA Nov 6, 2007 -
Todd O'Brien, 31, a Kingston High School music teacher, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography after a federal judge overturned a ruling by a state court that the evidence was improperly obtained by law enforcement.

In December 2003, a five-judge panel of the appellate division of state Supreme Court threw out a previous guilty plea entered by O'Brien in Ulster County Court. That court ruled that Kingston detectives, working with the town of Ulster police, acted improperly in seizing a home computer on which the pornographic images were found.

[U.S. Assistant District Attorney Thomas] Spina said the U.S. Attorney's Office took up the case and in May 2006, a federal grand jury indicted O'Brien on a federal charge of possessing child pornography. On Aug. 1, 2007, Spina said, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe ruled that police had acted properly, and O'Brien subsequently agreed to enter the guilty plea, Spina said.

The 14-page plea agreement described some of the images that were found. For his prior guilty plea, he was six months in jail and 10 years probation, and was ordered to register as a sex offender. The new agreement still calls for sex offender registration, but the sentence will be determined by the ruling judge. O'Brien will be sentenced Feb 26.

From the Times-Herald Record:

In 2001, police searched O'Brien's home after a complaint by a 17-year-old Kingston High School student, who said that O'Brien had explicit online discussions with her. Police found thousands of images of children between the ages of 5 and 17 on a computer in O'Brien's bedroom.

Among other things, the children were depicted masturbating, performing oral sex and kneeling while being whipped on the buttocks, according to court papers.

TT - Every day, the men and women in law enforcement and the U.S. Justice Department work to catch child pornographers and sexual predators who choose to prey on children. It's hard not to believe that those who buy child pornography are pedophiles, who, except for being caught, could or would act on their impulses. Because child pornography is disgusting for anyone else.

As one investigator said, "Every picture is a crime scene." To which we add that everyone who buys it subsidizes the offense. Again and again and again. Perverts pay someone to sexually abuse a child to entertain them.

SENTENCED Feb 26, 2008 - A federal judge today sentenced O'Brien to 2 1/3 years (27 months) in prison for possession of child porn. After he serves his prison time, O'Brien will have three years of supervised release by the U.S. Probation Department. He'll have to register as a sex offender in New York.

Child Pornography and Educators
TT - List sentenced for child pornography.
TT - List guilty but not yet sentenced for child pornography.

Seaside, OREGON

He didn't even have to plead guilty to get probation. That means not taking responsibility for his actions. The daughter still lives out of state with a relative. The plea let the wife off scot free. He has to take anger management classes. The D.A. is investigating hundreds of thousands of dollars of expenditures. Why would a court agree to such a deal?

Feb 23, 2007 - John Seeley, 47, superintendent and principal in the Jewell School District, and his wife, Laura Seeley, a kindergarten teacher, were indicted by a grand jury on felony charges of mistreating a child in their care.

Arraignment will be Wednesday. The Seeleys were put on paid leave in the fall. Authorities have released few details of the investigation, but they have said it involves allegations of child abuse or neglect of a teenage girl in the superintendent's care.

Additional from the Daily Astorian:

The records show that John Howard Seeley, 47, faces four counts of felony first-degree criminal mistreatment, and Laura Lynn Seeley, 47, faces three counts.

Both are accused of violating their legal duties to provide care for a dependent, for withholding necessary and adequate food, physical care and medical attention from her, and for leaving her unattended for a period of time long enough to endanger her health or welfare.

John Seeley faces an additional charge that alleges he unlawfully and knowingly caused physical injury to a dependent.

Full Name: John Howard Seeley

Mar 1 - John Seeley and his wife, kindergarten teacher Laura Seeley, pleaded not guilty Thursday to multiple counts of criminal mistreatment involving their 14-year-old daughter.
They are scheduled to appear in court again on April 12.

Update May 31 - A judge upheld the indictments against the Seeleys. Next court date is Aug 17.

TRIAL SCHEDULED: Sept 28 - A trial date has been scheduled for Feb 26. The Seeley's continue to work for the school district.

PLEA DEAL (AND WE DO MEAN A BARGAIN.) Feb 26, 2008 - KATU: Seeley did not have to plead guilty under the terms of the deal.

A former principal in a rural Clatsop County district accused of mistreating his daughter has made a deal with prosecutors to serve 18 months of probation. District Attorney Josh Marquis said he accepted the deal partly to prevent more trauma for the victim, the younger of two daughters of John and Laura Seeley.

Charges against Laura Seeley were dropped as part of the deal, Marquis said.

The best part is,

"If he does everything right," the one remaining charge will be dropped, Marquis said. "Although based on the facts, if he violates, he will be found guilty. It's like a guilty plea diversion without him having to utter the words that he's guilty."

Marquis said he expects a separate, unrelated investigation of "several hundred thousand dollars" in expenditures by Seeley during his time as superintendent of the School to end in March.

The Daily Astorian (Feb 25) - Headline: Seeley strikes a deal . Seeley will spend 18 months on monitored probation, pay a $500 fine and undergo an evaluation and treatment in exchange for dismissing child abuse charges filed against him.

Now, a local counselor will monitor Seeley, essentially overseeing his probation for the court and making recommendations for treatment, "for alcohol if that's a problem, or anger-management training," said Marquis. Seeley will not be allowed contact with his daughter unless the counselor approves it.

TT - Which pretty much says they are guilty of what they were accused of - mistreating a child. The girl is no longer in their custody but lives with a relative in Washington.

Prosecuting (sorta) was District Attorney Josh Marquis
Sentencing (sorta ) was Visiting Judge Nely Johnson of Multnomah County

Campton, KENTUCKY

He may have been found not guilty by one jury, but the grand jury has indicted him again.

May 24, 2007 - Robert Brewer, a third grade teacher at Campton Elementary, has been indicted by a grand jury, accused of sexually abusing two girls under the age of twelve from September of last year to this past April. The mother of one of the victims tells us both girls were in Brewer's class.

Update June 7 - Brewer pleaded not guilty. Brewer is reportedly on paid leave. He'll be back in court in July. (Kinda cavalier coverage but there are 82 comments at the news story of his arrest with more enthusiasm for the news than the tv station.)

THIRD INDICTMENT: August 27 - Court officials say a grand jury handed down a third indictment against Brewer on Friday. Next court appearance is September.

COURT DATES: Sept 6 - Court dates scheduled - pretrial date for October 4 and his trial date for November 27.

NOT GUILTY VERDICT Nov 30 - A jury found Brewer not guilty.

INDICTED AGAIN Feb 22 - 2008 - A grand jury indicted Robert Brewer on a new felony charge of first degree sexual abuse. He has posted bond and will return to court in April.

Graduation Rate in Detroit

Feb 25, 2008 - A study by the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University states that just 31.9 percent of Detroit students graduate in four years. And Education Week study found fewer than a quarter of ninth-graders who entered Detroit Public Schools in 1999 graduated four years later.

The MU study found an even lower graduation rate for boys enrolled in Detroit Public Schools: just 25 percent, compared with 39 percent of girls.

Statewide, the new study found the graduation rate in 2006 -- 72.9 percent -- was significantly lower than the state Department of Education's 85.7 percent graduation rate for the class of 2006, the last year for which data is available.

State Department of Education spokeswoman Jan Ellis said Michigan this year began assigning identity codes to students, which will eventually be used to track them as they move through the educational system and on into college. But coordinating such a system with colleges will take time, she said.
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TT - Meanwhile the newest 'give-us-more-money' edu-buzz is the "graduation rates" or "dropout rates" crisis, figures that no one can calculate with any certainty without identifying individual students and following them through the system.

When students who do leave graduate are burdened by inability to read or write adequately and lack basic skills needed to find and keep a job, and colleges have to offer remedial classes to roughly 28% of all incoming students, why worry about a "graduation rate" or a "drop-out" rate? How about just a "well educated rate?

(The percentage of those needing remedial classes is 52.9% in Arkansas.)