South Gate, CALIFORNIA

MANDATORY REPORTERS SENTENCED
Two Los Angeles school administrators each pleaded to failing to report child abuse.
Neither will, of course, lose their teaching or administrative licenses, although there are few crimes that warrant it more.

When children are not the first concern of educators, when they act to protect colleagues rather than students, the system that does not punish them and remove them is a gross violation of the public trust.

May 1, 2008 - Prosecutors today charged two school administrators, Jesus I. Angulo, 35, principal of South East High School, and Maria Sotomayor, 36, assistant principal, with one count each of failure to report child abuse.

Angulo and Sotomayor, both of Downey, allegedly learned of a sex between a minor female student and a 30-year-old substitute teacher seven months after it took place and failed to report it. Angulo and Sotomayor now face as many as six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The teacher, Jesus Salvador Saenz, 30, was arrested in March and has been charged with a felony for having unlawful intercourse with a minor, prosecutors said.
Case No. TA095986
----------
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Press Release (dated May 1, 2008)
"The complaint alleges that the two willfully and unlawfully failed to make a report as required by law when, in their professional capacity and within the scope of their employment, they learned that a student had been the victim of child abuse."
Case No. 8CA03401

TT - Typical for Los Angeles, there are no online stories of Saenz's arrest. The arrests of the school administrators came on the same day that three girls testified against Steven Thomas Rooney, a vice-principal at a middle school who was transferred to the middle school despite allegations of sexual misconduct at a prior school. TT entry for Rooney

TWO ADMINISTRATORS REMOVED - May 7 - Two senior Los Angeles school district administrators have been removed from their jobs for failing to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against an employee and then clearing him to work at a Watts middle school, where he allegedly molested two additional students.

Local district Supt. Carol Truscott and Scott Braxton, who formerly worked for Truscott, have been relieved of duties and assigned to the central office pending further investigation into how they dealt with former Assistant Principal Stephen Thomas Rooney.

Senior Deputy Supt. Ramon C. Cortines noted that 75 current employees are on hold in "non-school" positions pending investigations into alleged inappropriate conduct.

TT entry for Truscott and Braxton.

ARGULO PLEA & SENTENCING September 4 - Argulo pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of failure to report child abuse. He was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.

SOTOMAYOR PLEA & SENTENCING November 3 - Sotomayor pleaded guilty to failing to report an alleged sexual encounter between a teacher and a student and was sentenced to a year of probation and 100 hours of community service.
See also - Los Angeles District Attorney's Office Press Release (dated Nov. 3, 2008)

Billings, MONTANA

October 31, 2008 - Billings Senior High School teacher Stacey Rambold, 49, has been charged with three counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent. (She was not 16, which is the age of consent in Montana. And Rambold was three years older.) He resigned in July after the district found evidence to support the allegations. Rambold also agreed to surrender his Montana teaching certificate.

Prosecutors allege in charging documents filed Friday that Rambold performed oral and digital sex acts on a ninth-grade female student over the course of several months, including one instance in his school office. The incidents are alleged to have happened between October and December of last year when the girl was 14 years old, the affidavit states. She turned 15 in February.

The eight-page affidavit describes a police investigation that included numerous interviews with teachers and students at Senior High. One teacher told police that several of her students told her in mid-April they suspected Rambold and the girl of having an inappropriate relationship. The teacher said the students reported that Rambold was "never in the classroom during class," and Rambold and the girl were often alone together in his office during class.

It wasn't until April 24 that the girl told a church group leader that she had been sexually assaulted by a teacher, according to court records. The church member told the girl's mother, who then called police.

Ramold has not been arrested but will be issued a notice to appear in court on the charges, said Deputy County Attorney Rod Souza.
Full Name: Stacey Dean Rambold

ARRESTED November 1, 2008 - Rambold was arrested Friday, booked in the Yellowstone County jail and released after posting $25,000 bail, Deputy County Attorney Rod Souza said. He will likely be arraigned Nov. 10

Louisville, KENTUCKY

October 30, 2008 - Ronald Borman, 61, a former English teacher at Kammerer Middle School, is due in court after being charged with federal child pornography charges stemming from an investigation two years ago.

Borman has been serving a 21-month sentence in Florida. He resigned from Kammerer after he was arrested in 2006. He was convicted after a Florida detective posing as a 13-year-old had sent the detective child porn over the Internet.

Fox 41 WDRB reported that police said he was nude, had a web cam, and performed sexual acts in front of it.
-----------------
OTHER:
Borman is on the Florida Sex Offenders List

An October 13, 2006 article on his arrest, revealed his work history. From WHAS:

Not only did Borman teach at Kammerer Middle School, but WHAS discovered that he taught at Saint Agnes and was a priest.

Borman was a priest in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. He was transferred by religious order twice and left the priesthood in 1998.

He was also a teacher in the catholic school system in Louisville. He taught at Saint Agnes from 1999-2001, at Saint Polycarp School from 1998-1999, and Holy Spirit School from 1978 to 1985.

The Louisville Archdiocese confirms he worked at those schools and wouldn't say anything else about why he left.

He also taught at Westport Middle School in Jefferson County.

Leavenworth, KANSAS

September 22, 2008 - Anthony C. Baker, 36, a Leavenworth elementary school librarian, has been charged with three counts of rape, six counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and two counts of sexual exploitation of a child.The crimes are alleged to have been committed in 2005 and 2006. The victim was 10 years old.

A preliminary is scheduled for October 29.

Baker worked for the Leavenworth public school district for 10 years, first as a teacher at Muncie Elementary School. He then spent 4.5 years as the school’s librarian. He resigned in the summer of 2007, school officials said.

Baker already has been sentenced in a federal case for a charge of producing child pornography. He was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison
-------------------------------
WE FOUND: U.S. Department of Justice Press Release (dated February 11, 2008)
At the time of the crime, Baker was a librarian at Muncie Elementary School in Leavenworth, Kan., and the victim was a 10-year-old student. Baker pleaded guilty in October 2007 to one count of producing child pornography.

In his plea, Baker admitted that he began tutoring the victim while she was a student at Muncie Elementary and that his wife objected to his having the girl over to their home and buying the girl presents. Baker’s wife began monitoring how he used the computer at home. She discovered files that indicated he was chatting over the Internet with underage girls and collecting pornography that included sexual images of children.

After she turned the computer over to law enforcement officers, investigators discovered images of Baker and girl performing oral sex on one another, as well of photos of them both naked, as well as photos of him penetrating the girl.

Baker will be required to register as a sex offender. When he is released from prison he will be required to serve 20 years on supervised release.

Garland, UTAH

Puzzling.

August 1, 2008 - Jami Lish, 27, a teacher at Bear River High School, was charged with first-degree felony rape after an investigation that began last year. The boy was 17 at the time.

Lish is in the middle of a divorce with her husband. His relatives tell us he went to authorities after finding text messages between Lish and the student on her cell phone. They say that's when Lish quit her teaching job.

Prosecutors say she will receive a summons to appear in court on Sept. 15.

"The reason she was not arrested, from our standpoint, is because we wanted to conduct a very thorough investigation and be sure the evidence supported the allegations, pretty serious allegations," Hadfield said.

The victim's mother says the allegations aren't true. She says her son, who is now 18, and Lish are just friends.
Box Elder County

Mason, OHIO

At first we thought he must have been a 20-something.

June 12, 2008 - Michael J. Crotty, a longtime assistant coach for the boys basketball program at Mason High School, was in court today in connection with a “beer pong” party at his home in January. He was charged with knowingly allowing underage persons to remain at his residence while possessing or consuming alcohol."

Crotty was photographed at the party playing a drinking game called “beer pong” with the teenagers. The incident was first brought to the attention of the school district by members of Citizens For Accountability and Results in Education, the newspaper describes as, "a citizen group frequently at odds with the school board and administration. " [TT - We like em already.]

In beer pong, participants bounce ping pong balls into cups containing beer and drink from the cup in which the ball lands. Crotty is not a teacher.

Marshall, MINNESOTA

Another band teacher in the news.

June 4, 2008 - Lori Schulz, 33, a Marshall Middle School and Junior High band teacher, was charged with criminal sexual conduct in the second degree and fourth degree.

The complaint alleges that Schulz had sexual contact with the student, a 14-year-old girl, from January to May 2003, while Schulz was the junior high band teacher, the complaint alleges. The student was in band.
Full Name: Lori Ann Schulz
----------
TT - The reason why so many band teachers have inappropriate relationships with students may be the same reason why coaches do. The best explanation was in a 2001 series in the Houston Chronicle by Danny Robbins, "Out of Bounds."

The number of coaches involved in sexual misconduct with students is generally attributed to two factors. One is the amount of unstructured time coaches and students spend together. The other is the power and stature of coaches, particularly those affiliated with successful programs.

---------
June 5 - When Marshall Police interviewed Schulz she said she was no longer teaching but working in an administrative job in a factory, the complaint said.

“First of all it’s disappointing something of this nature may have occurred,” Marshall Superintendent Klint Willert said. “It would be disappointing from anybody’s perspective.”

Willert said the allegations are especially disappointing because of Schulz’s abilities and musical work at the school.“

She was highly revered by many for her musical abilities and for what she did for the district. She had very high performing bands and musical groups,” Willert said of Schulz.

OMNIBUS HEARING July 16 - Judge George Harrelson ruled Tuesday there was probable cause for the charges against former Marshall School band teacher Lori A. Schulz.

Lyon County Assistant Attorney Tricia Zimmer filed a request for an aggravated sentence which would be an upward departure on a sentence if Schulz is convicted. Zimmer said in her request in the case where a victim is "vulnerable to age, infirmity, or reduced physical or mental capacity which was known or should have been known to the offender," an aggravated sentence is justified.

Zimmer also said Schulz "engaged in 'grooming' behavior over a period of time and used pressure, duress and threats of suicide." Schulz also "committed multiple acts" over an extended period of time, Zimmer said in her request.

Schulz's lawyer Joel Solie requested a plea hearing. Harrelson said a hearing would likely take place within three or four weeks.

Riverton, UTAH

Mandatory reporter charged for failure to report child sex abuse.

June 4, 2008 - Shelley Nordick, 46, Rosamond Elementary School principal, was charged with failing to report child sexual abuse in connection with a teacher convicted of molesting students at her school.

The abuse was perpetrated by teacher Frank Laine Hall, who last year admitted to molesting 11 of his first-grade students and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

Failure to report child abuse is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail. Nordick, 46, is scheduled for arraignment in Riverton's Justice Court on June 17 before Judge Gregory Bown. Hall committed his crimes between July 2005 and March 2007, according to 3rd District Court documents.

Deseret News (June 4): Principal in teacher abuse case charged
The date of Nordick's non-reporting was listed in court documents as "March 13, 2008." Hall was arrested by police near his house on March 15, 2007.
Nordick will be arraigned June 17.
-------------------
TT Entry for Frank Laine Hall.

From Susan K. Smith's website on Mandatory Reporting:

All states require certain professionals and institutions to report suspected child abuse, including health care providers and facilities of all types, mental health care providers of all types, teachers and other school personnel, social workers, day care providers and law enforcement personnel. Many states require film developers to report.

There are links to reporting laws in every state.

We recently came across a 2005 paper by Daniel C. Swinton, "Criminal Liability, Failure to Report Child Abuse, and School Personnel:An Examination of History, Policy and Caselaw" that concludes that "the criminal liability affixed to mandatory reporting statutes for school personnel is hardly more than window dressing, or a vague, unrealized threat."

He also notes that teachers have consistently reported a lower percentage of cases than other professionals.
------------------
MORE THAN ONE COMPLAINT June 5 - Nordick received complaints reports about Hall's behavior in August 2006 and again in March 2007. Hall was not removed from the classroom until seven months after the first complaint.

NOT GUILTY PLEA June 15 - Nordick was scheduled to have an arraignment Tuesday in Riverton Justice Court. Instead, she and her attorney, Blake Ostler, have submitted a not guilty plea in writing to the court. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for July 15.

COURT APPEARANCE July 15 - Nordick appeared in court and pleaded not guilty.

Also in attendance at the hearing were numerous teachers at Rosamond Elementary who believe Nordick is being unfairly targeted."We are all angry that the city is bringing these charges," said Jennifer Brown, a kindergarten teacher at Rosamond.

"She is a remarkable principal," added Christine Mackerell, a 3rd grade teacher at Rosamond.

Officials say that Nordick got wind of sex abuse allegations involving Mr. Hall at some point, and preliminarily investigated the reports by talking to various people and observing the teacher's behavior -- but she did not contact authorities.

After Tuesday's hearing, Ms. Nordick left the courthouse through a side door -- where she appeared visibly upset and frightened.

The Salt Lake Tribune (July 17) Riverton principal denies not reporting teacher's sexual abuse of students
Subhead: Teachers, parents angry city is making case against her, call it 'witch hunt'

TT - No attempt by these newspapers to educate the public, parents, or students about mandatory reporting laws.

TRIAL SCHEDULED September 1 - Nordick's trial is scheduled for November 20. This, reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, the story beginning in this fashion:

Rosamond Elementary School Principal Shelley A. Nordick - who some say is a pawn in a feud between the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office and the Jordan School District over the district's child-abuse reporting policy - will take her case to a jury.

TT - Who the "some say" who think it's a feud? Oh, wait, it's The Salt Lake Tribune. See What the hell is vague about ... (TT Link)

Temecula, CALIFORNIA

May 20, 2008 - Eve Pierson, 37, a special education teacher at Rancho Vista High School was charged with two misdemeanor counts of annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18.

Court documents show there were notes and text messages exchanged between Pierson and the two 17-year-old teens and that she kissed at least one of the alleged victims. Court documents show the investigation started because of a note found in a shredder that was taped back together and given to Rancho Vista's principal, who then notified Temecula police.

Pierson was placed on paid leave in February, when the accusations came to light. She was put on unpaid leave after she was charged earlier this month, the spokeswoman added.
Full Name: Eve Victoria Pierson

UPDATE June 24, 2008 - A Trial Readiness Conference is scheduled for 07/22/2008.
Case SWM075411 Defendant 1323288 Riverside County

Pewaukee, WISCONSIN

May 23, 2008 - Jacqueline Plant, 34, a kindergarten teacher at Pewaukee Lake Elementary School, was charged with two felony counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, four misdemeanor counts of possessing/illegally obtaining a prescription and one misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer.

A Waukesha doctor turned Plant in on April 15 after he thought she was making up fake names to get more prescriptions. Then on April 29, she was picked up for operating her car under the influence in Jefferson County. According to the complaint, Plant told police she used her real name to obtain prescriptions from four doctors and fake names with at least three doctors to obtain medication for pain.

She told police she was substitute teacher at Summit View Elementary School in the Waukesha district. She actually taught in the Pewaukee School District. She is on paid administrative leave.
She is due in court on June 11.

Smyrna, DELAWARE

A fine line.

April 8, 2008 - A substitute teacher at Smyrna Middle School, was accused of endangering the welfare of a 12-year-old boy in his class last month. Police charged Saulsbury with with one count each of offensive touching and endangering the welfare of a child.

A school resource officer in the school was called to a classroom for a disorderly student. An investigation determined that the teacher had grabbed the boy, upsetting him. The student had asked to go to the nurse prior to the incident and the teacher would not let him. Smyrna police spokesman Lt. Norman Wood said the teacher allegedly grabbed the student around the neck.
Full Name: Wayne A. Saulsbury
---------------------
TT - We often elect not to carry stories about coaches and allegations of physicial abuse because so many turn out to be exaggerations of what actually occurred.

For similar reasons, we often avoid stories that allege classroom violence on the part of teachers because in the overheated aftermath of a confrontation, it most often turns out no serious injury occurred, the case is eventually dropped for lack of intent or evidence of harm and is rarely pursued by prosecutors. A story now and again illustrates the difficulty of separating intentional abuse from confrontation.

Smithtown, NEW YORK

April 22, 2008 - Marc Pipitone, 31, a a substitute special education teacher in the Smithtown and Deer Park school districts, is charged with the sexual abuse of two boys. The victims are a five-year-old non-verbal autistic child and his seven-year-old brother.

The defendant was initially arrested April 10 for sending threatening emails to a friend of the victims' family.

Pipitone was providing respite care for the child and the abuse is alleged to have happened in July 2007. According to the indictment, he is charged with six counts of first degree sexual abuse and misdemeanor charges of aggravated harassment in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child.

ARRAIGNMENT At his arraignment, Pipitone pleaded not guilty.
Full Name: Marc B. Pipitone

Both Smithtown School District and the Deer Park School District are on Long Island.

Tahlequah, OKLAHOMA

April 18, 2008 - Christopher Massey, 27, a Tahlequah High School teacher and coach, was charged Thursday morning with the felony offense. Prosecutors say he had sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old female student enrolled in the local school system.

He was expected to turn himself in on second-degree rape charges. The girl told police she had sexual intercourse with Massey on three occasions.

Massey is the second Tahlequah I-35 School District employee in a month to be charged with second-degree rape after an alleged sexual encounter with a female student.

Jermell Combs, 27, a maintenance employee, was charged with second-degree rape for having sex with a 16-year-old girl.T hat girl said she reported the incident because she feared she may have become Combs faces a May 5 court appearance.
Full Name: Jermell Montrice Combs

FAKE FAKE FAKE

Remember that "Teach me to Trade" infomercial with Linda Woolfe, the teacher who claimed she made millions? She did, but not in trading.

April 1, 2008 - The SEC filed civil fraud charges against two promoters who illegally made millions selling a get-rich-quick stock trading system they touted on TV and at investor workshops at hotels in dozens of cities nationwide. Linda Woolf, 48, and David Gengler,53, both of Utah, duped seniors and others who had attended free introductory seminars into believing they would make extraordinary stock market profits if they bought expensive "Teach Me to Trade" (TMTT) classes, mentoring, and computer software.

In one infomercial, for example, Woolf told how she used to be an elementary school teacher and was able to replace her entire income after attending TMTT workshops. "I had no idea it was that easy to learn how to make money in the stock market," Woolf said. In another infomercial, Gengler claimed, "If you can simply follow steps and follow our principles, you'll make money. It's that simple."

They did make millions - in commissions. Woolf made $4 million in commissions from selling TMTT packages. She never made a profit on any trades.

For the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 2006, the complaint says, the company received $112.6 million in cash from sales of its securities workshops.

TT - No one seems to know if she was a teacher or not. For now, she's a Fake Trashy Teacher.

Blue Hill, MAINE

Decades of persistent abuse of children and finally a prosecution.

March 28, 2008 - Howard Evans, 64, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault and one count of unlawful sexual contact with a teenage male.

A former teacher at Liberty School, an alternative school that closed in December 2007, Evans had been named in two previous lawsuits filed in 2006 and 2007 that allege sexual misconduct. Both civil suits, which have since been settled, sought several thousand dollars in damages. While the financial details of the settlements have not been disclosed.

Evans had been a licensed massage therapist and acupuncturist. He voluntarily surrendered his license to practice last year after a complaint was filed against him with the state of Maine Board of Complementary Health Care Providers alleging “sexual impropriety,” according to a consent agreement.

The surrender of his license was part of the consent agreement with the board, the Maine Attorney General and the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.
His trial is scheduled tentatively for August 1.

Evans is the former chairman of the Blue Hill Planning Board.
-----------------------------
From The Working Waterfront (June 2007): A support group was formed in March in the Blue Hill community made up of parents, friends, former friends, and colleagues of the accused who also feel angry and betrayed.

The abuse goes back decades. Evans wrote parents in 1996, apologizing for the damage he had done to their son between 1984 and 1986.

In the letter, Evans admitted to “The sexualizing of a deep trust and friendship” and enclosed a check “as a way of creating a final end to the abuse and harm” he had caused. Evans wrote, “What I did to Nat will never happen again with any young person entrusted to my care.”

Seattle, WASHINGTON

March 25, 2008 - Curtis Rapp, 50, a teacher at Small Faces Child Development center, was charged with child molestation for allegedly fondling a 9-year-old girl who attended the school.

When interviewed by a detective, Rapp initially denied any wrongdoing, but court documents say he later confessed to putting his hand's down the girl's pants and fondling her. A Seattle police detective wrote in a statement of probable cause that Rapp said "I know it's wrong," after admitting the abuse. Rapp has worked as a teacher at the daycare since 2000 and supervises children ranging in age from 5 to 12.

The girl told her parents and police that Rapp fondled her several times between June and September 2007 and that Rapp told her not to tell anyone.
Full Name: Curtis Allen Rapp

Small Faces Child Development Center is a private daycare center.

ARRAIGNED Apr 1 - Rapp was arraigned on March 25 and pleaded not guilty. He is in jail on a $200,000 bond and a hearing is scheduled for April 3.

UPDATE August 14 - There was a status hearing/conference. A trial date has been scheduled for December 8, 2008.

Hermiston, OREGON

Life Lesson #4,810 for middle school students.

March 4, 2008 - Hannah Webb, 25, a sixth grade at Sandstone Middle School, is charged with dumping her newborn baby into a California landfill.

An inconclusive autopsy could not determine whether the 10-pound baby died before or after birth. The only possible charge was a single misdemeanor violation for improper disposal of fetal remains.

The baby's body was found July 23 by a worker sorting trash on a conveyor belt at the Nortech Material Recovery Facility in Roseville, California. Webb was visiting friends in the area. The baby girl was wrapped in a plastic bag, her umbilical cord still attached. A piece of mail in the plastic bag led police to a home in Roseville, where the woman was staying with friends. She was put on leave after she was arrested. She has since resigned.

A settlement conference is scheduled for March 27.

Fredericksburg, VIRGINIA

Feb 23, 2008 - Thomas Best, a Fredericksburg Christian Schools computer science teacher, was charged with six counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of taking indecent liberties with a minor.

State police received a tip in January about a sexual assault that happened between 2001 and 2007. A grand jury returned indictments that included one charge of sexual battery for each year. The girl was a juvenile in 2001, which resulted in the indecent liberties charge. Best was released on a $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 14.
Full Name: Thomas Garvin Best

Milwaukee, WISCONSIN

Feb 20, 2008 -
Matthew Pagel, 23, a special education aide (paraprofessional) and coach at Hamilton High School, was charged with eight counts of sexual assault after allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student.

In the criminal complaint Pagel admits to having a sexual relationship with the student, but he says he thought she was 16 at the time.
Full Name: Matthew A. Pagel
------------------------------------
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Feb 20) - Investigators learned of the allegations against Pagel while investigating allegations that the girl was sexually assaulted by John M. Jagla, 24, a volunteer coach at Hamilton. Jagla was arrested and charged with assaulting the girl.

In January, Timothy J. Steimel, 25, of West Allis was accused of sexually assaulting four boys while he was a volunteer coach at Waukesha West High School. He no longer coaches there. TT - entry.

In late November, Todd J.Huth, 57, now of Kenosha, was charged with five counts of sexual assault of a student by a school staff member. The then-girls varsity assistant basketball coach at Mukwonago High School was accused of having sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old Mukwonago girl. TT - entry.
--------------------------
HEARING SCHEDULED for May 27, 2008.

Pittsburgh, PENNSYLVANIA

Jan 30, 3007 - Regis E. Kirby, 48, a Carrick High School art teacher, was was arraigned Wednesday charged with two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, three counts of selling or furnishing liquor to minors and one count each of indecent assault, corruption of minors and terroristic threats.

Kirby is accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy in June. A preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday.