Jackson, MICHIGAN

November 3, 2008 - Jackson Community College wants to improve remedial class results.

• Nearly 70 percent of recent high school graduates take at least one remedial course at JCC. Students are placed based on their ACT/SAT scores or a course placement test, and must retake a remedial course if they fail.
• WRITING - Of those taking the remedial classes in writing — high school-level courses meant to prepare students for college-level work — 69 percent passed last year, down from 74 percent in 2006-07.
• READING - In high school-level reading, the success rate fell from 77 percent to 73 percent. Only 57 percent of students at or below an eighth-grade reading level passed their remedial course, down from 75 percent the previous year.

The college also isn't satisfied with the persistence rate of developmental education students. Only 52 percent returned the following school year. However, that was up from 2007 and slightly higher than the rate of 49 percent for college-ready students.
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TT - Developmental education students are those unprepared for college. In other words, about the same number of students who are not prepared for college and those who are do not return to JCC.

Whether they enter another college or whether they give up on the idea of college isn't known. JCC website says 63% of their students are part-time. That could be because the students work part-time or for some other reason. None of which is explained.

However, this article comes at a time when community colleges are waging a campaign to eager to "prove their worth." (Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 7, 2008) The new economic reality is that having to compete for taxpayer dollars may mean establishing standards and satisfying employers.

NEW JERSEY
November 2, 2008 - In New Jersey, surveys and statistics in April showed nearly eight out of every 10 students entering the community college system require remedial courses; only one out of every four New Jersey students earns a bachelor's degree; and 99 of 100 large state employers surveyed characterized high school students as under-prepared for the work force. In response, the The New Jersey High School Redesign Steering Committee is calling for immediate curriculum changes beginning with the current class of high school freshmen, requiring more challenging math, science and language arts literacy courses, and 10 additional academic credits, which would raise the state minimum requirement to 120.

Also see, Public Education Transition Policy Group: Final Report prepared for Governor-Elect Corzine in 2006.

COST OF REMEDIAL COURSES
Community colleges alone spend $1.4 billion annually on remedial courses for recent high school graduates, according to a 2006 report by the nonprofit Alliance for Excellent Education. The group noted that community colleges, like public schools, are subsidized by taxes. (New Jersey Herald, September 13, 2008.)

Wyoming, MICHIGAN

Doesn't look like anyone will be going to jail for fraud. The state will get back their money and have quit investigating. Local taxpayers don't seem especially angry. It is, after all, mostly state money. The media isn't really interested in following the trail. The Superintendent has pretended since June that it was an accounting error.

October 26, 2008 - The Godwin Heights School District was forced to lay off teachers and repay almost $2 million to the state after its former learning center director padded enrollment numbers.

An investigation was conducted by an independent law firm at the request of the superintendent. Their report [TT - issued in June but only recently released to the board.] accuses former center director Jerry Emde of destroying records, asking for personal favors and instructing his female staff to dress differently to distract state auditors.

The report also stated that many teachers and staff were aware' of falsehoods.

The investigation found "many teachers and staff within the school were aware of the attendance accounting irregularities and, in some cases, assisted in the furtherance of those irregularities by, among other things, signing false attendance books," Superintendent Valdis Gailitis wrote in a June 5 memo to the center's 23 staff members.

No teachers or staff were fired over the inflated attendance numbers. Principal Jerry Emde resigned. (Emde is now an adjunct math instructor teaching one class at Grand Valley State University, although university officials said his contract is for just this semester.)

The discrepancies came to light when a former student hired to work in the office raised questions. Her job was eliminated. [TT - And her story makes for fascinating reading.]

The Grand Rapids Press (Oct 26) was more critical after they received a copy of the report.

Ousted Principal Jerry Emde fabricated lists of ghost classes taught by nonteachers, had a secretary clean his home and offered to leave quietly if no legal action were taken against him, Godwin Heights school district investigators concluded in a report obtained by The Press.

The principal padded enrollments by 350 students to scam $1.8 million in state funds for the district over three years.

Emde manufactured ghost classes and attendance lists for six staffers who were not even teachers. He shredded those class lists before auditors arrived, according to the report.
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TT - No newspaper or outlet links to the report. The local aspects of the story at WZZM13 play up the cuts and is generating a lot of anger in readers wondering why the state or the federal government can't just pony up the money. So the kids don't suffer. Go figure.

Marquette, MICHIGAN

October 27, 2007 - Kevin Wilson, 49, a computer science and band teacher at Bothwell Middle School, was ordered to stand trial on accusations of having sex with an underage girl a dozen years ago.

A preliminary examination was held Monday. Marquette County District Judge Dennis Girard ruled there was sufficient evidence for a circuit court trial on both counts

He is accused of having sex with the girl twice in 1996, when she was between 13 and 16 years old.

The defense argued that the relationship - between the 49-year-old Wilson and the 15-year-old girl - was consensual. Judge Dennis Girard did not agree.

"In this case, I believe there was probable cause," the judge said. "The saying he was going to leave his wife, the saying that she was the only one, these sorts of things certainly have an impact, especially on a 15-year-old."

ARRESTED October 20 - Wilson was arrested Friday after a month-long investigation. He has been charged two felony counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct. Reportedly Wilson, a 20 year employee of the school system, also taught band at high and middle schools over the course of his career with Marquette Area Public Schools.

TV6 (October 17) - Police told TV6 an alleged victim came forward on Sept. 12 with information on Kevin Wilson. And through their investigation, police say they've now identified multiple possible victims.

Superintendent Jon Hartwig says Wilson has not been teaching at Bothwell Middle School since administrators found out about the investigation on Sept. 25.

As a tenured teacher, Wilson remains technically employed by the school district. But school administrators say they're working with the teachers union to determine if and when Wilson will resign.

Other charges have not been filed against Wilson for other alleged sexual relationships with students because of the statute of limitations, according to police.
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Google Map of Marquette (via GreatSchools.net)

Breckenridge, MICHIGAN

No contest to seven counts of gross indecency.
Fifty-year-old teacher and 15-year-old girl.

April 3, 2008 - Donita Brady, 50, a 7th grade physical education and language arts teacher at Breckenridge Middle School and Breckenridge High School, has been has been charged with seven counts of criminal sexual conduct with a 15-year-old female student.

She was arraigned Wednesday before 65th District Court Judge James Mackie. Because Brady teaches in the same district as the alleged victim, the five first-degree charges were upgraded from less serious third-degree counts and what would have been fourth-degree charges were upgraded to second-degree, Gratiot County Prosecutor Keith Kushion said.

The five counts of first degree criminal sexual complaint involve digital penetration or oral sex.

The alleged victim and her parents filed the complaint with the Breckenridge Police Department on March 2. The incidents allegedly took place between September 2007 and February.

ARRESTED April 4 - Teacher arrested on sex charges
Brady is divorced and has children. She is on leave from the school district. A preliminary is scheduled for April 16.

PRELIMINARY WAIVED April 16 - Brady waived a preliminary hearing in district court. She is scheduled to be arraigned in 29th Circuit Court on May 5. Originally on sick leave, she is now on paid administrative leave.

ARRAIGNMENT WAIVED May 6 - Brady on Monday waived her arraignment in Gratiot County Circuit Court. Official set a trial date of Wednesday, July 2. Brady, who is divorced and has children, is on administrative leave. She has taught in Breckenridge schools for 27 years.

TRIAL POSTPONED June 16 - Brady's trial has been postponed for two months. The trial scheduled for July 2 has been rescheduled for September 3.

June 23 - Gratiot County Circuit Judge Randy Tahvonen was to hear the case for Donita Brady, 50, but postponed it to Wednesday, Sept. 3, from Wednesday, July 2. Tahvonen adjourned the trial because of ''new discovery'' items about which Brady's lawyers want more information, Gratiot County Prosecutor Keith Kushion said without elaborating.

MOTION DENIED July 23 - During a pretrial hearing Monday in 29th Circuit Court, Judge Randy Tahvonen ruled against a motion filed by Donita Brady's lawyers to "obtain or have the court review confidential and privileged medical records" of the alleged victim, Gratiot County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Bakker said. Bakker called it a fishing expedition into the life of a victim.

NO CONTEST PLEA August 18 - Brady pleaded no contest to seven counts of gross indecency between females. She will be sentenced October 20. Brady remains on administrative leave from the district.

SENTENCED (Sorta) October 20 - Brady was sentenced (sorta) to one year in jail - not prison - followed by five years of probation. She will be required to register as a sex offender after her release.
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TT - Amazingly, the court had received numerous letters from supporters on both sides of the issue. Lowercase judge Randy Tahvonen from the 29th circuit court decided to stay within the state recommended sentencing guidelines of zero to 17 months for the reduced charge.

Byron Center, MICHIGAN

In Australia, they call it "upskirting."

August 1, 2007 - Steven Sanger, 40, a Byron Center High School teacher, been charged with taking pictures up the skirt of a 15-year-old student.

The student immediately told school authorities.

Police used a warrant to search Sanger's residence, including all his computers. He was then arrested after a thorough investigation.

On Wednesday, Sanger was arraigned on one count of capturing/distributing images of the undergarments, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Source: WOOD-tv 8

Also see Grand Rapids Press story.

PROBABLE CAUSE HEARING: August 16 - A probable cause hearing is underway.

Sanger smiled and nodded at his accuser as she took the stand, after which she broke down in sobs.

The girl said Sanger was her science teacher and her adviser during the past school year, her freshman year. She said she was in class June 12 when Sanger called her to the front of the room to look over a test.

She said the 40-year-old teacher positioned himself so that she was standing between his legs. She was wearing a knee-length skirt.

"I noticed while he was writing answers on the test, he would glance down at something," the girl said under questioning by Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Helen Brinkman. "So I looked down and saw him holding the camera under my skirt."

When questioned by Sanger's attorney, Daniel Watkins, the girl said she was not upset by the grades she received from Sanger and she said that as many as seven people were standing around the area where she claims the crime occurred.

The teen's friend, 16-year-old Jenna Maleport, said she was in the classroom at the time and looking over Sanger's shoulder, she saw a picture of her friend's undergarments on the camera's display screen.

Sept 11 - A judge has determined that there is enough evidence presented to meet the threshold of probable cause a crime may have occurred. Sanger will face felony charges.

June 27, 2008 - A judge has allowed the images found on a digiztal data card found in Sanger's computer bag to be used in his upcoming trial. Three of the images were, apparently, taken in a classroom. The trial is scheduled for August 4.

TRIAL COVERAGE
Aug 6 - Secretary describes teacher as distraught after allegedly taking a picture up student's skirt
She testified that she saw him wandering around distraught and muttering to himself: "I think I went too far this time." "He said he wasn't sure if he'd taken the picture or not," she said.
Aug 9 - Jury finds former Byron Center teacher guilty of taking picture under student's skirt

GUILTY VERDICT August 10, 2008 - A Kent County jury on Friday found Steven Sanger guilty of attempting to capture or distribute an image of an unclothed person. He will be sentenced Sept. 30.

SENTENCED October 7 - Sanger was sentenced to six months in jail after getting a 15-minute tongue-lashing from a Kent County Circuit Court judge Judge Paul Sullivan.

Even though the county probation department suggested no jail time, Sullivan said after sitting through the entire trial held in August, he is convinced the jury made the right decision. Capturing images of an unclothed person is a potential five-year felony and Sanger's sentencing guidelines called for between zero and six months in jail.

"The real damage to the victim in this case was, in my opinion, your maintaining of your innocence," Sullivan told Sanger. "I've got to believe that some of the tears she shed up here were not because of the act but because of the consequences of the act."

Sullivan said he recognizes that Sanger and his family have suffered, but he said it is suffering caused by Sanger's acts.

Sanger's attorney said he had lost his job, his home, his standing in the community and now works for a tool-and-die shop.

He will have to serve 30 months probation following his release.

Benton Harbor, MICHIGAN

August 27, 2008 - Carlye Bushen, 31, a Benton Harbor teacher, was arrested for assaulting a social worker who was investigating a previous assault at the home.

An officer was also there to help. He says Bushen charged the CPS worker with a closed fist and he had to stop her.
Full Name: Carlye Anne Bushen

Bushen was hired as a Benton Harbor teacher in 2006.

SENTENCED September 5 - Bushen pleaded guilty last week. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail and a year of probation. she'll have to take anger counseling, and pay about eleven-hundred dollars in fines and fees.

School district officials said that she will no longer be employed there.
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tt - Thank you for state correction.

Caledonia, MICHIGAN

August 27, 2008 - Anthony Marsiglia, 29, a fifth grade teacher at Dutton Elementary School, was placed on paid administrative leave after being arraigned for felony possession of cocaine.

Kent County sheriff's deputies arrested Marsiglia and Kevin Wright, 29, on Aug. 17 at Wright's Ada Township residence. Deputies were responding to a loud music complaint. Wright allowed police inside, where they spotted cocaine and drug paraphernalia on a table, Lt. Kevin Kelley said. Wright also is charged with possession of less than 25 grams of cocaine. He also posted a $10,000 bond.

If convicted, Marsiglia would be fired under Michigan's 2-year-old school safety legislation.

POSSIBLE PLEA September 9 - The Grand Rapids Press reports that there may be a plea deal in the works. On Monday, both men waived their rights to a preliminary hearing in 63rd District Court, sending the cases against them to Kent County Circuit Court.

Assistant Prosecutor Michelle Smith-Lowe told District Judge Sara Smolenski that she has discussed the possibility of guilty pleas with attorneys representing Marsiglia and Wright.

In exchange for the pleas, Smith-Lowe said she would not object to either defendant being considered for probation under a section of the Controlled Substance Act. Charges would be dismissed if probation is not violated, Smith-Lowe said.

Zeeland, MICHIGAN

Settlement agreement avoids tenure hearing. (And the endless reviews that would mean.)

August 26, 2008 - Zeeland Public Schools reached a settlement agreement that will allow Timothy S. Oonk, 50 to resign, avoiding a tenure hearing where Oonk planned to fight to regain his job.

The school board voted in April to fire Oonk, despite his tenure, for what administrators called unprofessional and unethical misconduct, including a violation of a "last chance agreement" Oonk signed in May 2006 after testing positive for alcohol while teaching.

The Grand Rapids Press filed a Freedom of Information request and got a copy of the agreement.

The agreement, obtained by The Press through the Freedom of Information Act, calls for the school district to continue paying Oonk his salary until Dec. 9, and his union-sponsored insurance, except for long-term disability, through May 2009, or until he obtains comparable coverage through another employer.

Oonk will have been paid $59,412 in salary from March 6, when he was placed on leave, to the date in the separation agreement, Assistant Superintendent Mary Colton said. The district also will have paid $19,119 in health benefit premiums on Oonk's behalf from March 2008 to May 2009, she said.

Nothing in the separation agreement prevents Oonk from taking a position in another school system, but Iorio said he doesn't know Oonk's plans.

A tenure hearing had been scheduled for last week, but the settlement agreement avoided it.

The reason?

"No matter how strong a tenure case is, it's in the best interest of the district to settle before it goes to a hearing," Mutch said. "The law requires the district to continue paying the teacher until there's a decision, and there's never any certainty of outcome if you go through the whole process."

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RECOMMENDED: Scott Ridder's award-winning series, "The Hidden Costs of Tenure," was the result of a six-month investigation into tenure. Some findings. It costs, on average, $219,000 to fire a tenured teacher. Few are ever fired for incompetence. Of 95,000 teachers, only an average of two are fired for incompetence. Read the whole thing. Because what he found is true in every state.
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Google Map for the district. The district rates a 7 at GreatSchools.net

Grandville, MICHIGAN

When a middle school teacher was arrested and sentenced for masturbating in a gym at Grand Valley State University, parents were somewhat concerned. However, a newspaper blogger at Michigan Live came to the teacher's defense.

August 22, 2008 - (Mind you, the writer is not being facetious.) He wrote,

Dennis James Graveldinger, 48, of Alto, a popular Grandville Middle School science teacher, was in the GVSU locker room after a workout and decided to take a shower. During that shower, Graveldinger found himself in a state of arousal. He returned to his locker and did what any normal person would do.

He began masturbating.

And,

Now, while Graveldinger may not have done anything technically wrong other than not wait for the person standing next to him to leave before auto-eroticizing, other people see the situation a bit differently.

Parents of the children who go to the school Graveldinger teaches at have become concerned that somehow this act impairs his teaching ability or that he might be a pedophile, even though there were no objects to his arousal and that no minors should be in the GVSU locker room.

He worries that the career of an otherwise good teacher could be at risk for one incident that has become blown out of proportion. And asks,

What do you think? Should he be fired, discipled or given a second chance?
Have you cast the same stone yourself?
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TT - Apparently you can't cast a stone in the writer's view because he thinks the teacher did "what any normal person" does, which is masturbate in a public place. The public place was the Grand Valley State University gym where a university student was present. In fact, next to him.

The writer asks, "Everything should be alright, right?" (Presumably an editor did not review the article because "all right" is always two words unless it's bad dialogue. Just as "all wrong" is two words. That's a mnemonic. Autoerotic is not hyphenated, by the way.) The newspaper blogger was referring to the reaction of parents to the arrest who objected to Graveldinger's continued presence in the classroom. In a middle school. With impressionable seventh graders.

Undoubtedly, the offense doesn't fall under those that mean automatic dismissal. And, thankfully, the teacher did not perform "autoeroticism" in the middle school, but amazingly, other districts and other writers might find such behavior unacceptable. Other districts might think that this teacher fails as a role model. And more earthy types might wonder why a teacher became so unaccountably aroused in the shower of a male locker room that it required instant, ah, intervention, so to speak.

We're not willing to take a poll on the subject, but we're probably safe in saying that most guys would probably prefer to "autoeroticize" in the shower rather than expose themselves (literally) and demonstrate publicly their lack of self-control to a perfect stranger. Frankly, we think parents who think the behavior sounds like a serious impulse control problem and that the inability to delay gratification should, at a minimum, call for psychological testing, aren't off the wall.

Luckily, Central Michigan University has a self-test online, Delaying Gratification Inventory in a Happiness Survey. Taking the 10-15 minute survey allows you to enter into a drawing for $100. You must be at least 18 years to participate in the survey.

Disturbingly, seventh graders have posted to the entry, one even providing her name.

As said befor mybe the student was to observent. I beleive this situation was stretched as far as it can go. He is a very popular teacher. And isnt the locker room ment for changing?

We deleted the comment because of the self-identification. But, the very fact that seventh graders are discussing the merits of the case, rests ours.

Flint, MICHIGAN

Sex with a 12-year-old boy.

August 20, 2008 - Allanah Benton-Wells, 42, a Flint Williams Elementary School teacher, was arraigned today on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under the age of 13 for her alleged relationship with a student.

She is accused of having sex with a sixth grader in her class on two occasions last year when she was supposedly helping him with her homework. The boy was 12 years old.

Benton-Wells is divorced and the mother of 19-month-old twins. She has two other sons in their 20s. She was placed on paid leave from the School in November and was fired this month

ABC12.com: (August 19) Benton-Wells turned herself in to be charged.

"The mother intercepted a phone conversation between the suspect and her son. The mother then went to the school and informed the principal of the school. The principal of the school informed Flint police, Flint police conducted an investigation, and that investigation then wound its way to our office," [Genesee County Prosecutor David] Leyton explained.

The Post-Chronicle (August 19) Wells former husband has told police that he arrived home both nights to find the two in what most would describe as engaged in inappropriate behavior.

The first time the husband arrived home at about 2:30 am to find the young man without a shirt sitting on the couch. The next time his wife was on the couch, wearing a nightgown and no bra, along with the 12-year old.

Wells was placed on administrative leave in November 2007. She was fired in August. She has since appealed her termination.
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AT THE STORY: Fashion-conscious Flint-Journal news reporter: "Benton-Wells appeared in court wearing a black skirt, white top and purple head scarf. She was relaxed and sometime smiling during the arraignment which ended about noon." A poster at the story at the Journal wondered how it was relevant to the issue. We can only guess that perhaps the reporter wanted to prove to her editor that she was really in the courtroom.

If you think the victims seem to be getting younger and younger, you aren't mistaken. In November, we started a list of Sex with Little Boys (link is to TT entry)

Media interest in female sexual predators is confined to sensational stories. Anything else would be a morality tale and of particular disinterest to them. But even when they try, it's half-hearted. See Female Sexual Predators (link is to TT entry)

St Clair Shores, MICHIGAN

Teacher accused of groping male students.

August 6, 2008 - Melissa Lavender, 33, a South Lake High School culinary arts teacher, was arraigned on two charges of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, accused of engaging in sex acts with two male students, age 15 and 16.

Police said the incident happened on a former student’s parents' boat that was docked in a St. Clair Shores marina.

He said there were eight former and current students on the boat. Lavender was the only teacher. A witness came forward just last week and told police Lavender had inappropriately touched two of the current students. The alleged victims are 16 and 17, respectively.

“Criminal sexual conduct is any unwanted touching,” said Det. Harold Bergeron. “When a person is touched for the sexual gratification of another, that’s just inappropriate.” St. Clair Shores investigators said even though the alleged victims are both of the age of consent, state law forbids teachers from having sex with students who are under 18 years old.

Lavender has been suspended with pay. She is married with two children. A pretrial conference is scheduled for August 26.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULED August 27 - Lavender (See photo at story) has a preliminary scheduled for October 10.

Grandville, MICHIGAN

Amazingly, an obscene disorderly conduct arrest is not among those a teacher must report to school districts and the Michigan Department of Education.

August 16, 2008 - Dennis Graveldinger, 48, a seventh-grade science teacher at Grandville Middle School, was sentenced to one year of probation a for obscene disorderly conduct in a public locker room.

Graveldinger was masturbating in the men's locker room in the fieldhouse at Grand Valley State University in Allendale Township at 6:20 p.m. June 12, according to a Grand Valley Police Department report and court records. He pleaded no contest Wednesday to obscene disorderly conduct.

The conviction does not fall under a 2006 state law that bars teachers from the classroom if they are found guilty of certain sex crimes, mostly felonies, according to a state police spokeswoman and Grandville Superintendent Ron Caniff, who consulted with a district lawyer.

Graveldinger did not disclose his arrest to school authorities. The misdemeanor charge is not among those a teacher must report to school districts and the Michigan Department of Education, said Jan Ellis, MDE spokeswoman.
Full Name: Dennis James Graveldinger
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Online comment at the news story: All it will take is one more "lapse in good judgment" and an innocent life can be scarred forever. A teacher who would perform this act in a public place with a younger college student nearaby has damaged his reputation beyond a mere slap on the hands. I would not allow my children to be unsupervised in Mr. Graveldinger's presence.
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August 22 - "Can you cast the same stone yourself?" a news blogger at a Michigan newspaper asks in this column.

TT - Our response.

Byron Center, MICHIGAN

When we say that students are excoriated when they step forward, we aren't kidding. Some of the most vicious remarks come from the sources you would least expect.

See comments at this story. And, especially this from a self-described "parent, child advocate, and teacher."

WOW! What about this case does make sense?
1. The charge? unclothed-NO
2. The proof? a disgruntled, failing student-well then
3. An individual with no history of questionable behavior

As a parent, child advocate, and teacher, I feel sickened by the charge and the verdict. I have witnessed "witch hunts" against both students and teachers. IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE! I believe that administrators fear public outcry and react. Children have observed situations in the media and have learned to manipulate facts to suit their purpose. And frightened (or vendictive) parents believe their children. I probably would have believed mine! Another concern is for the "victim." When she begins to consider the consequences of her lies, her mental health will suffer? Where are the morals in the prosecutor, "victim," and administrators who know this to be false.

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TT - The teacher who was convicted is Steven Sanger. A jury took two hours to find him guilty of attempting to capture or distribute an image of an unclothed person. During closing arguments in the trial, his defense attorney said witnesses were mistaken in what they saw.

Four students testified that they saw the incident. The prosecution said they found other "up-skirt" photos that were shot in his classroom. A school secretary testified that she saw him wandering around distraught and muttering to himself: "I think I went too far this time." "He said he wasn't sure if he'd taken the picture or not," she said. TT entry for Sanger.

Makes you sad that a self-described teacher can't spell vindictive when he or she is so clearly in need of understanding what the word means. But it also makes you appreciate why students hesitate to come forward to report wrongdoing. You have to be hero material to want to put yourself through that kind of viciousness.

To those students and their families, thank you for doing the right thing.

Detroit, MICHIGAN

Two essays that should be compared.

July 31, 2008 - "Education should lift all children" by Susan B. Neuman, a professor in educational studies specializing in early literacy development at the University of Michigan, is one article you don't want to miss.

But, then read "Michigan Chronicle publisher lays blame for city's problems with Detroiters" by Sam Logan.

Detroiters are scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality elected officials. The makeup of much of the school board, city council, mayor’s office and Detroit delegation in the state Legislature are proof positive, painfully reinforced by the tendency of voters to repeatedly elect candidates with little integrity or judgment about what constitutes good public service.

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TT previous coverage of the education crisis in Detroit. Here Here Here

In the past five years, Detroit Public Schools has lost more than 50,000 students. Meanwhile, charter school enrollment in the city climbed 50 percent, now standing at about 45,000.The shift is an indictment of Detroit's failure to educate its students. The failure is driving families to seek out other choices, a trend that is exacerbating the district's financial woes. Parents are giving up on the Detroit school system .

See, Here and Here and Here

TT OPINION: Ms. Neuman is right. You can't shame schools into doing a better job anymore than you can shame bank robbers. What you can do is educate parents so they know how poorly their schools are doing so they can seek out better education venues for their children. That's what NCLB does, and that's why it is a success.

No amount of social programs giving away free health care and promising all sorts of giveways will have any more quality than education from government schools that operate without oversight. It no surprise that the people who want such programs are the same ones who failed to deliver decent education.

Lansing, MICHIGAN

"Desperate (and horny) Education" Episode #841

July 17, 2008 - Carrie Denbow, 32, a Lansing school district employee, was arrested, accused of having sexual contact with a student from 2006 to 2007. The Ingham County Prosecutor's office says the student was 13-15 years old during this time.

She was arraigned on 7 counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree. Those are felony charges. Shehas been on paid administrative leave since December. She is the daughter of Terry Denbow, the head of MSU's University Relations department.
Full Name: Carrie Alice Denbow

She will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on July 25th.

July 19: Records allege teen, Hill staffer had sex at school
and a party store parking lot and on Michigan State University's campus, according to court documents. The teen has been described as a ward of the court.

Denbow also is charged with misdemeanor assault and battery involving the teen in a Dec. 3, 2007, incident at the Hill Center. No details have been released about the incident.

Denbow is a student assistance provider at the Hill Center. In her job, she helped students with anything from problems at home to problems in the classroom.

Canton, MICHIGAN

Sentenced to three to fifteen years.

Sept 17, 2007 -
Stephanie Ann Stein, 31, a Plymouth Christian Academy teacher, was arrested for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old male student over the summer.

She is charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct third degree, each a 15-year felony; one count of using the Internet to communicate with a minor to commit a crime, a 4-year felony; and one count of distributing obscene material of a sexual nature to a minor, a two-year felony.

Stein is married and the mother of two children. She resigned. A preliminary is scheduled for Sept 28. The school has hired an investigator to conduct an internal investigation “to make sure our hands are clean,” Butler said.

HEADLINE from the Detroit Free Press: Former Plymouth Christian teacher accused of tryst with former student

Sept 28, 2007 - If you think the headline is a laugh, the testimony during Stein's preliminary was equally bizarre. The 15-year-old testified HE seduced the teacher under questioning by the defense attorney.

“Under the law, it doesn’t matter whose idea it was -- he’s a minor,” Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Lora Weingarden said after the hearing.

As to a sexually explicit photo that Stein sent to the teen’s cell phone, [Defense attorney Todd] Flood asked, “Did you tell Ms. Stein to do that?”

The teen answered, "I might have.”

Flood asked, “That was your idea, right?”The teen answered, “Yes.”

TT - First you exploit the 15-year-old for sex, then you encourage him to take the blame. Nice going. If they convict this woman, they ought to throw the book at her.

TRIAL ORDERED April 2, 2008 - Newspaper: Stein is "on her way to trial" after seven months of legal wrangling and postponements left her without a plea deal.

Her attorney Todd Flood had filed a motion for a Cobbs evaluation in which Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner, who arraigned her last fall, would hear reasons why Stein, if she pleaded guilty, should have a lighter punishment than state sentencing guidelines require because of special circumstances.

“Ms. Stein’s actions were motivated by physical, emotional and psychological pain rather than a desire to do something illegal,” Flood wrote in a motion, citing a therapist’s evaluation.

Stein and her attorney had hoped for a plea deal. No trial date has been scheduled.

TRIAL June 12 - The trial is expected to take three days.

"He will tell you he was totally in love with her. He fantasized about her. He wanted her and he pursued her," Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Lora Weingarden told jurors today as Stephanie Stein's criminal sexual conduct trial opened in Wayne Circuit Court.

"She gave in and they had a sexual relationship," said the prosecutor, who explained state law doesn't allow children under the age of 16 to consent to sex.

Outrageous: Her attorney said the trial will reveal the youth's troubled background and his power over Stein. The boy was in ninth grade.

GUILTY VERDICT June 17 - After deliberating for less than two hours, a Wayne Circuit Court jury today found a former Plymouth Christian Academy teacher guilty of two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct; sending sexually explicit photographs to a minor and using a computer to send those images.

According to Stein's attorney, her two young children are being cared for by her parents and her husband, who is in the process of divorcing her.

She will be sentenced July 2.

SENTENCED July 3 - Stein was sentenced to three to 15 years in prison. In addition, she was sentenced to 30-40 months for Using computer to distribute obscene material to a minor, and 16-24 months on a second similar computer charge, both to run concurrently.

Oxford, MICHIGAN

"It is one of the more disgusting cases we have seen in some time," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. "Not only do we have a convicted sex offender plying his trade but it appears to be against a school girl with the indifference of a school employee. She should have raised some kind of alarm."

July 2, 2008 - A 64-year-old convicted sex offender and his wife are both expected to face charges Thursday in the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl who was allegedly paid money to test and rate sexual devices for the man.

The teenager, who attends Oxford schools, was introduced to the man by his wife, who is an Oxford High School teacher, in 2006 when the alleged victim was a freshman at the school, according to investigators. The wife invited her to do household chores for pay. Because of her status as a teacher, the wife is expected to be charged with failure to report child sexual abuse.

The man was sentenced to probation in 2002 for a similar offense in 2001 involving his 14-year-old foster daughter. He was initially convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct following an Oakland Circuit Court jury trial but the verdict was dismissed on appeal. He subsequently pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, was sentenced to one year in jail (with time already served) and placed on two years probation that expired in 2004.

In the recent case, the teenager has told investigators she was invited over to the house on June 26 and while they watched a movie together he sexually assaulted her. She fled the house and drove home. She later called authorities and reported the incident.

The girl has also reported the man paid her money to test sexual arousal devices and submit a report, including ranking of the items and her experience.

The names are not being released until they are arraigned on Thursday.

Roseville, MICHIGAN

You won't believe what her defense attorney said. Or maybe you will. But this is a new low in sleaze.
July 2 - Sentenced to 3 years' probation for sex with a teenage boy.

One time during their relationship, Batkins told him she was pregnant with his child and that she would "have it." "I was nervous, I was scared," he said

ARRAIGNED Sept 24, 2007 - Janelle Batkins, 42, French teacher at Roseville High, was arraigned a on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

When she's old enough to be your mother.

Police said she allegedly "had an affair" with a 17-year-old boy from last summer to the end of the school year. Batkins is married, with two children, both boys.

The boy’s mother contacted the Roseville police in July after finding evidence of the relationship on her son’s computer. The teacher was in a position of authority which makes it a criminal offense.

Detroit Free Press subhead: Disturbing trend, different stigma for male, female teachers, experts say

PRELIMINARY N0v 8 - At a preliminary, the student testified. After his testimony, the judge amended the original charge of two counts of criminal sexual conduct to nine charges. Nearly 50 friends, former students and teachers showed up in court to support Batkins. [TT - which helps to intimidate the victim.] See TT - Link

She will be arraigned Nov 19.

SLEAZE, PURE SLEAZE Nov 9 - The Macomb Daily reported on the testimony with some revealing exchanges about how a teacher's lawyer defends their client.

During [defense attorney David] [Griem's cross-examination, the man said that at one point near the end of their relationship he "was feeling horrible. I was feeling it was all my fault."

Griem retorted, "It is all your fault."

Later in questioning, was this,

The man said that he had shared text messages over the computer and his phone with three of his friends, to which Griem asked if he that made him feel "important" or a "real stud" among his friends.

"No more than I already am," he replied.

The man acknowledged that he and his mother have contacted a civil attorney in connection with the case.

It was unclear by the man's testimony when school officials first learned of the relationship. He testified that he told a male teacher, but said, "I didn't get any help there."

One time during their relationship, Batkins told him she was pregnant with his child and that she would "have it." "I was nervous, I was scared," he said.
TT - reaction.

NOT GUILTY PLEA Nov 19 - A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Dec 13. Her attorney entered a not guilty plea in the arraignment today.

GUILTY PLEA May 30, 2008 - Batkins pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. While the relationship was consensual non-coerced -- and the age of consent in Michigan is 16 -- Batkins was charged under a Michigan law that makes it a crime for teachers to have sex with students, regardless of their age. She will have to register as a sex offender [for life, we hope.] Batkins will be sentenced July 2.

SLEAZE II: Her attorney said the law is faulty, but the plea agreement was the best avenue for his client.

"If it wasn't for this statute, it would have been no harm, no foul."

TT - Anyone who doesn't see the harm in a 42-year-old woman manipulating a 17-year-old boy and then allowing her attorney to claim it was the boy's fault, is, frankly, scum.

SENTENCED (SORTA) July 2 - Batkins was sentenced to three years' probation and must register as a sex offender.

Batkins waived her right to speak at her sentencing. However, her husband, Brian Batkins, addressed the courtroom filled with Janelle Batkins' family, friends and former co-workers who primarily all wore yellow, her favorite color.

The victim's mother also addressed the court with her son at her side.

"As parents, this situation has been a nightmare," said the mother, 43. "Everyone thinks their children are safe in school. This has become an epidemic of teachers having a relationship with students. She doesn't think she did anything wrong.

"As a community, we should not tolerate this."

Prosecutor Molly Zappitell said the prosecutor's office sought "incarceration" in this case, whether it was prison, jail or a tether. She said she was "very surprised" by the sentencing because of the case's circumstances. "It wasn't a one-time incident," Zappitell said. "That is a serious offense."

TT - We will look for the name of the lowercase judge™.
The lowercase judge™ is Macomb County Circuit Court judge Mark Switalski who said,

“(She’s) an ideal candidate for probation based on her lack of record and prior history,” Switalski said. “She’s clearly made a terrible mistake. She’s been humiliated and ridiculed. She’s shamed before her sons. I don’t know what the effect has been on her marriage.”

Each count is a 15-year felony. Switalski’s decision not to sentence her to jail time or put her on a tether also came down after he earlier read a report from a doctor who evaluated her. The judge did not read the report in the courtroom. “He does not view her as a predator,” the judge said.

As for the mother, she said her son couldn’t go away to college like he wanted, electing to attend Macomb Community College.

“He can’t sleep at night. He is so irritable,” she said. “He got harassed at school, college, work.” The case attracted so much attention, the family pulled their younger son out of the Roseville Community Schools district.

TT - Picture of Batkins with her husband here. We're looking for a picture for the lowercase judge™.

A lowercase judge™ is one undeserving of the honorific capitialization of a title.

Tenure

Tenure hearing - a first.

June 25, 2008 - The first tenure hearing in the district's 50-year history begins today as veteran teacher Karl Nadolsky, 58, fights to keep his job.

Tenure hearings are relatively rare because a buyout often can be negotiated for less money, attorneys say. Only about 50 each year are held statewide and it takes an average of 10 1/2 months to resolve one, according to the State Office of Hearings and Rules.

The board voted 7-0 to fire Nadolsky in January. Fil Iorio, Nadolsky's attorney, is sponsored by the Michigan Education Association.

TT entry for Nadolsky
The school district is the West Ottawa Public School District, Holland, Michigan
Google Map

Harrison, MICHIGAN

Feb 1, 2008 - Middle school math teacher Richard Spangler, 40, was arrested after a four-month investigation and charged with one count of second-degree child abuse and one count of lewd and lascivious conduct. He was arraigned Thursday.

The investigation began when Michigan State Police received a tip in October. A a 12-year-old in the Harrison Community Schools district spoke out before other 7th graders came forward.
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There is only one middle school in the Harrison Community School District - Harrison Middle School.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING June 18 - Spangler pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct and was sentenced to 1 year of probation and ordered to surrender his teaching certificate.