Avella, PENNSYLVANIA

When you send explicit photos of yourself to a 14-year-old child, you ought to expect an arrest warrant.

October 22, 2008 - Joe Johnson, 33, the coach of the boys' basketball team at Avella Junior-Senior High School and a substitute teacher in the Washington County district, was arrested after police said they caught in a statewide Internet sex sting operation.

Police in Barrett, Monroe County, have been investigating Mr. Johnson since August. Mr. Johnson, of Hickory, "had several online conversations which were sexually explicit in nature, one of which involved Johnson sending the purported 14-year-old child explicit photographs of himself," Barrett police said in a news release.

In addition to unlawful contact with a minor, he also was charged with corruption of minors and indecent exposure.

Superintendent Wayde Killmeyer said he was unaware the investigation until police notified him about 10 minutes prior to the arrest. He then escorted Mr. Johnson out of a classroom at the Avella Elementary Center, and the arrest took place out of the view of students.

Johnson no longer works for the school, Killmeyer said.

PENNSYLVANIA Teaching Certificate Actions

TEACHING CERTIFICATE ACTIONS can be found here.

September 29, 2008 -There are twelve actions taken. They include:

James D. Frank
Susquehanna Township School District, Pennsylvania
Surrender in Lieu of Discipline
Cause of Action: Educator alleged to have sexually assaulted a female student in March 2006 by forcing her to perform oral sex on him. Educator also alleged to have inappropriately touched several female students throughout his career, beginning in 1976.
Date Action Taken: 8/8/2008

Raul A. Azpiazu
Wyalusing Area School District, Pennsylvania
Surrender in Lieu of Discipline
Cause of Action: Allegations of inappropriate relationships with students
Date Action Taken: 5/30/2008

Anthony E. Burger
McGuffey School District, Pennsylvania
Position: Superintendent
Surrender in Lieu of Discipline
Cause of Action: Allegations of harassment
Date Action Taken: 7/31/2008

Lorraine Henry
Wilson Area School District, Pennsylvania
Surrender in Lieu of Discipline
Cause of Action: Conviction: Retaliation against witness or victim; criminal conspiracy; distribution of a small amount of marijuana but not for sale.
Date Action Taken: 6/25/2008

Visit the site for the complete list.

Erie, PENNSYLVANIA

Nov 13, 2007 - Erica L. Baker, 24, (also known as Erica L. McEldowney) a student teacher at Strong Vincent High School and a substitute teacher at Pfieffer-Burleigh Elementary School, was arrested on charges that she had sexual contact with a 16-year-old female student.

Baker is accused of three counts of corruption of minors, a first-degree misdemeanor. She was suspended today.

Nov 14 - She pleaded not guilty, according to her attorney.

[lSchool district attorney Richard] Perhacs said intimate encounters between students and teachers are on the rise, even though many of the incidents do not rise to the level of criminal activity. However, many still result in faculty terminations.

"In recent years, these cases have come to light primarily because the culture has changed, and I think people, particularly young people, affected by these types of behaviors, have become a lot more likely to come forward and tell people about them and report them," Perhacs said. "Whether they're being reported more often or occurring more often, I can't say."

Baker was recently divorced. She's been suspended without pay.
News story contains list of teacher misconduct cases.

GUILTY PLEA September 3, 2008 - Baker was pleaded guilty to one count of corruption of a minor in a plea bargain that dropped two additional corruption of a minor counts. She also agreed to give up her teaching license. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23

SENTENCED October 23 - Baker was sentenced to three months to one year in jail - not prison - to be followed by four years of probation.

Though prosecutors had said they wouldn't oppose probation, Judge John Garhart said jail was warranted because Baker was in a position of authority.

The Erie Times-News reported that both the prosecution and the defense expected probation. But the judge rejected the plea agreement.

"The thing that looms large is the court's responsibility for general deterrence," Garhart said.

He said he wants his sentence of Baker to send a message: "If a teacher gets involved with a student, jail time will be served."Garhart also said incarceration was appropriate because Baker, who was teaching at Strong Vincent High School when she met the victim, was in a position of authority when she had sex with the victim in August and September 2007 at a campground near Presque Isle State Park.

"What she did was with a protected class of person -- a minor," Garhart said.

Baker's family seemed shocked, according to the article. The judge was adamant.

The commonwealth and the defense are entitled to reach any agreement they want," he said. "In the end, the decision is mine."

Baker has surrendered her teaching license.
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ONLINE RESOURCE: The Standards and Practices Commission at the Pennsylvania Department of Education maintains online list of actions taken against teaching certificates.

Phillipsburg, NEW JERSEY

Sentenced in Pennsylvania to 15 to 30 years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Still to be sentenced in New Jersey.

Jan 24, 2008 - Keri Brekne, 28, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Lopatcong Township Middle School, was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl at the teacher's home.

Brekne was arraigned on charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors. Police said Brekne drove the victim from her home in New Jersey to Brekne's residence in Pennsylvania, where the assaults happened between last July and this month.

A preliminary is scheduled for Feb 1.
Full Name: Keri Ann Brekne or Keriann Brekne

Jan 25 - Warren County prosecutors filed separate charges of sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct, aggravated criminal sexual assault and two counts of criminal sexual contact for incidents that allegedly occurred in Lopatcong Township between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2007.

Police said Brekne provided the girl with a cell phone so they could stay in contact. The girl's parents found the phone, which police said contained sexually explicit text messages. The girl told police where to find a sexual device in the bedroom of Brekne's Bethlehem home.

Brekne was arraigned Wednesday before District Judge Gay L. Elwell of Easton and committed to Northampton County Prison under $75,000 bail. On the New Jersey charges, Superior Court Judge John H. Pursel set bail at $150,000.

Location is always the school location.

SUSPENDED Feb 20 - Brekne has been suspended with pay. Her salary is $46,012.

PLEA AGREEMENT Feb 29 - Brekne agreed at a hearing Friday before District Judge James Narlesky to plead guilty to five counts of aggravated indecent assault. She may plead guilty next month to sexual assault-related charges in New Jersey in connection with the same victim.

PLEA AGREEMENT REJECTED - March 28 - Brekne rejected a plea bargain Thursday calling for a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The charges in Warren County are now set to go before a grand jury.

The victim's father has called for the maximum sentence allowed, in both states.

"It infuriates us that Brekne's attorney comments that his client wants to get on with her life and put this behind her when in fact our child, our family and our community are forever impacted by her selfish, hideous and abusive acts we want to be sure she never has the opportunity to harm another child again," the 14-year-old's father told WFMZ-TV on Thursday. His name was withheld to protect the victim's identity.

GUILTY PLEA July 31 - In Northampton County, Brekne pleaded guilty to five counts of felony aggravated indecent sexual assault and faces an unlikely maximum of 50 years in prison. She admitted molesting the girl in her Bethlehem home.

Her sentencing in Northampton County is scheduled for Oct. 3, and she will be sentenced on the Warren County conviction sometime later. (Earlier this month, she pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania to five counts of aggravated indecent assault that each carry penalties of between 22 months and 10 years in prison.) She will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.

Brekne has been in prison since a July 9 plea hearing when Northampton County Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden revoked her bail.

August 12 - Ann Brekne will officially lose her teaching position this evening during a meeting of the Lopatcong Township Board of Education.

SENTENCED October 11 - Brekne was sentenced in Pennsylvania to 15 to 30 years in prison.

''In 20 years on the bench, I have not seen a case as heinous as this one,'' Judge Kimberly McFadden said in a courtroom packed with about 85 supporters of the girl and her family and about 15 for Brekne.

Brekne will have to register as a sexual offender for the rest of her life, and she has surrendered her teaching certificate.

In New Jersey, she has also pleaded guilty to one count of sexually assaulting the girl, and faces up to five to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced in three to six months, said Kevin Brotzman, a Warren County assistant prosecutor.

Ghost Employees

No jobs for the unemployed, but plenty for family members and campaign workers.

Nov 14, 2007 - A former Democrat representative was charged with felony conflict-of-interest counts in a public corruption investigation. Frank LaGrotta was charged with hiring his sister and niece as legislative aides and paying them thousands of dollars for work they never performed.

His sister Ann Bartolomeo was a contract "education consultant" but the grand jury presentment alleges that she continued to work full-time as an Ellwood City elementary school teacher instead.

LaGrotta, whose district included parts of Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties, served 10 terms before he lost the Democratic nomination in the May 2006 primary amid voter outrage over a 2005 legislative pay raise that was later rescinded.

LaGrotta, 49, of Ellwood City, later was hired as a consultant to the House Democratic caucus, but let go July 31 after an internal review "uncovered information" about LaGrotta, House Democratic leader Bill DeWeese said last month.
DeWeese said he provided the information to Corbett's office, but would not elaborate on what it was.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, citing unidentified sources, reported last month that LaGrotta was also speaking with state investigators about the House Democratic caucus' use of legislative staffers for partisan political work.

In the late 1970s, a major scandal over the use of ghost state workers led to a guilty plea by Senate Appropriations Chairman Henry J. "Buddy" Cianfrani, D-Philadelphia, to racketeering and other charges. The man who succeeded him, Sen. Vince Fumo, D-Philadelphia, was convicted in 1979 of putting ghost workers on the state payroll, but the conviction was later overturned.

Bartholomew's daughter, Alissa Lemmon, 24, was also charged.

The charges come a day after seven top House Democratic staffers were forced out of their jobs in a move related to the bonus probe.

TT - We found a 2004 article in The Nation by LaGrotta on -- workers who want jobs. He had to tell them there are no state jobs. Go figure. There was money for other things. The "bonus probe" is some $4 million in bonuses given to House employees who worked on campaigns for Democrat incumbents.

And, OOPS, LaGotta's office papers destined for the state archives, were accidentally discarded.

SAGA CONTINUES Nov 15 - The sister and daughter were paid $25,000. Prosecutors also said that House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese co-signed with LaGrotta a June 2006 agreement that backdated by four months the hiring of LaGrotta's sister as an education consultant. DeWeese's chief of staff resigned. He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that DeWeese asked him to resign as part of a bid to distance the Democratic caucus from the bonus investigation.

EXPECTED TO PLEA Jan 31, 2008 - LaGrotta is expected to enter a plea on Monday when his trial is scheduled to begin.

PLEA and SENTENCING (Sorta) Feb 4 - LaGrotta was sentenced to six months house arrest and 30 months on probation after pleading guilty to two felony charges. His sister and his neice pleaded no contest to lying to a grand jury and received probation.

The reason we followed LaGrotta was because of his position on the Appropriations Committee where he chaired the Subcommittee on the capital budget. He also worked as a sports journalist for Gannett News Service (USA Today) in the 1980s after which he moved straight into the higher ranks in Pennyslvania state politics. These are people who oversee the state Board of Education and the Secretary of Education.

Pennsylvania Attorney General press release on indictment. (Dated Nov 14, 2007)

CONSEQUENCES (NOT) Feb 11 - Bartolomeo is still working as a teacher and the district does not plan to dismiss or discipline her, according to the Beaver County Times.

FIRED September 26 - Bartolomeo was fired. Bartolomeo surrendered her teaching license in August after a complaint was filed. The school board then suspended her, noting she couldn't teach without it.
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ONLINE RESOURCE: The Pennsylvania Department of Education lists Disciplinary Actions taken against teaching certificates. It should be noted that in Pennsylvania, to their credit, a teacher does not have to be convicted of, or even arrested for, criminal misconduct in order for their license to be revoked for inappropriate behavior with students.

Shillington, PENNSYLVANIA

She asked a student to help arrange a drug buy.

May 16, 2008 - Susan Siegel, 53, a long-term substitute teacher Governor Mifflin High School was arrested after she bought marijuana from an undercover Berks County detective in the parking lot of a Reading diner after arranging the deal with a student, investigators said today.

Detectives set up the deal after a male student reported that Siegel called him out into the hallway during the class Wednesday and asked if he could get her one-half ounce of marijuana.

Siegel said she would give him vodka for helping arrange the deal.

Siegel met the student in the diner parking lot Thursday about 4 p.m. and got into his car. An undercover detective got into the student’s car and sold Siegel the drug for $100.

PRELIMINARY WAIVED June 13 - Siegel waived a hearing in a court appearance this morning. She was charged with possessing marijuana and furnishing alcohol to minors.

According to Berks County detectives:

Siegel, a substitute business teacher, called the 18-year-old male student out into the hallway during class on May 14 and asked if he could get her a half-ounce of marijuana.
Siegel also sent text messages to the student’s cell phone later that day and the following day, pressing him to arrange a deal.

Siegel, who had been teaching the class for about a month, offered to give the student vodka for helping get the drug.

FIRED Siegel was fired by the Gov. Mifflin School Board.
Full Name: Susan Marie Siegel

TT - Firing a substitute is easier and less complicated than firing a teacher who is represented by a teachers union and has contractual protections under a labor contract.
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TT - Berks County. As of July 4, 2008, the case was active and shows a trial date is scheduled for October 27, 2008.
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GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING September 19 - Siegel pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and furnishing alcohol to a minor. She was sentenced (kinda) to one year of probation and a $200 fine.

Easton, PENNSYLVANIA

Headline: Pot bust snares rapper and teacher

April 12, 2008 - Tyson Scott, 33, a seventh-grade teacher at Easton Area Academy was arrested along with another man in New Jersey for marijuana possession.

Both men were charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession with intent to distribute, but police could not confirm whether they suspected both men were dealing drugs or whether they were making an exchange between themselves.

The second man was identified as Adrian Reed, 32, who was arrested on suspicion of dealing marijuana three years ago. Police found the drug after a motor vehicle stop. Police patrols were providing extra security for nearby developments.

Reportedly, Reed is a part-time rapper and Scott, moonlights as an independent music producer, according to Jessica Rissmiller, who has two children with Reed. Scott runs an independent music production label called Fourth Down Productions.

Scott previously worked at the Shawnee Middle School. Easton Area Academy is an alternative education school. Inexplicably, Scott is the onl y teacher without a web page.

IT'S A PERSONNEL MATTER April 15 - The school board has not suspended Scott. They are gathering more information.

"We need to follow due process," said Alan McFall, Easton Area School District solicitor.

Acting Superintendent Joseph Kish could not comment on what the district's investigation entails or whether there is any indication Scott used or possessed drugs on school property.

"The Easton Area School District is conducting an investigation into the incident," he said. "This is a personnel matter. I have no further comment."

TT - Translation: It's none of your business if he used or possessed drugs on school property. Talk about arrogance.

PLEA DEAL REJECTED June 13 - Scott rejected a plea bargain Thursday calling for a 90-day jail sentence.

The plea bargain called on Scott to plead guilty to third-degree possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Charges of second-degree possession with intent to distribute the drug within 500 feet of a public housing project in Phillipsburg and possession of marijuana would have been dropped.

Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Tara Kirkendall increased the plea offer to 180 days in jail after Scott rejected the lesser offer through his attorney.

The case will now go to the grand jury. Scott remains suspended with pay, a status that will likely not change until he appears before the grand jury.

GUILTY PLEA July 3 - Scott pleaded guilty to a third-degree charge of possessing and intending to distribute marijuana. As part of his plea bargain, Scott will receive probation and will undergo a drug evaluation. He's scheduled to be sentenced October 17.

This bit is amusing. Termination is mandatory, except, except... :

"His job status has changed as a result of his guilty plea," said Alan McFall, Easton Area School District solicitor.

The school code states any employee convicted of such charges is subject to mandatory termination of employment, McFall said.

Scott will have the right to a school board hearing if he requests one, or could contest the action by filing a grievance with his union, McFall said. Scott also would have the option of resigning.

SENTENCED Scott was sentenced Friday to 60 days in jail - not prison - and two years' probation on a charge. He was given credit for two days served.

On the Oprah.com Oprah Winfrey Show community page, Scott in June wrote that he thought he was passing along not a half-pound of marijuana, but a plastic bag full of bootlegged DVDs and CDs. He added that the $875 police found on him was his rent money.

He detailed his tough childhood in Asbury Park, his accomplishment as the first member of his family to go to college and his letter to prosecutors maintaining, "I am not a criminal, drug dealer, or drug runner. I just thought I was doing a favor for a friend or somone (sic) who I thought was my friend."

"I want to first apologize for making an egregious error in putting myself in this position in the first place," he wrote.

Pittsburgh, PENNSYLVANIA

LAWSUIT

Not, mind you, that this will change anything. School districts will still perform their own "in house investigations" and ignore mandatory reporting laws that require them to notify police or child welfare agencies when they suspect abuse.

September 9, 2008 - A teacher wants claims against her in a federal lawsuit filed by the girl's family to be dismissed. Her attorney argues that she did not cause the harm when the 14-year-old girl was raped in a stairwell at the school in February, and did not have a constitutional duty to protect the girl from bodily harm because she did not work for the school district directly.

Esther von Waldow, formerly known as Esther Haguel, was hired to work in Upper St. Clair High School's special education program. The district said it contracted with von Waldow through Wesley Institute.

The lawsuit, filed June 30, claims the unnamed girl told von Waldow in January that a male student forced her to perform sex acts on and off campus. That month, the same boy was placed on three days' in-school suspension for inappropriate sexual behavior toward two other girls.

In February, the boy was arrested on charges of raping three girls -- including the plaintiff -- over a four-day period.

In yesterday's filing, von Waldow claims she warned school officials and sought better protection for the girl, including supervised walks to the bus.

"One is left to question what more would or should be required of an independent contractor employee than to promptly notify the officials and individual defendants on whom (the plaintiff's) safety depended," defense attorney Samuel Braver wrote. "(von Waldow) is the only individual defendant who took any action to notify school officials."

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tt - Previously, the school district, in asking for dismissal of the federal lawsuit, claimed the teacher was the only one who knew about the previous assaults on other students.

In court papers filed Tuesday, lawyers for the district and its employees said only one teacher -- an independent contractor employed by Wesley Institute -- knew about reports of previous assaults; therefore, the district should be freed of responsibility.

"There are no allegations that the individual defendants, excepting defendant Esther Haguel, were personally involved in any of the alleged conduct," lawyer Anthony Sanchez wrote, adding that the student who sued failed to show "she was injured by a known but uncorrected custom of reckless indifference to her constitutional rights."

The lawsuit claims the girl told teacher Esther Haguel, now known as Esther VonWaldow, that the boy assaulted her on two previous occasions. Both the girl and her alleged attacker were in special-education classes.

Five girls were attacked by the boy, the lawsuit claims, and at least three of them reported the incidents to school officials before the February attack. The lawsuit states that the boy was placed on three days' in-school suspension after two girls reported inappropriate behavior where he was required him to write notes of apology to them while serving the in-school suspension.

She and her parents contend that Ms. Haguel engaged the victims in discussions about the assaults -- trying to alter their understanding of them -- making Jane Doe feel "very uncomfortable."

The lawsuit accuses the district and staff of failing to contact police after each report of sexual assault, as is required by law.

July 3 - The Pittsburgh Gazette interviewed a 16-year-old girl who was also victimized by the boy. She said she asked school officials to notify police more than a month before at least three of her classmates were raped in a stairwell and hallway at school. That was in December. She notified her emotional support teacher at the school, Esther Haguel, that the boy had been aggressively pushing her up against the wall and fondling her nearly every day since late October.

After talking to Ms. Haguel, she told her parents, and Ms. Haguel took her to talk to the school's assistant principals, Jace Palmer and Louis Angelo. He was given the in-house suspension.

Somerset, PENNSYLVANIA

Either they investigated and found no solid evidence, or they had no idea of the allegations when he retired.
Which is it?

September 4, 2008 - Stephen Shaffer, 55, a retired science teacher at Somerset Area Junior High School, has been charged with rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and other related crimes againsts a former student in January, February and March of 2001.

"During that time period there was activity, we’re alleging on Mr. Shaffer's part that ranged from inappropriate touching all the way through to the act of rape," Somerset Police Chief Randy Cox said.

The girl was 13 or 14 years old at the time. (Shaffer would have been 48 or so.)

Shaffer retired in 2005. In 2006 charges were filed with the PA Department of Education, alleging Shaffer’s misconduct and threatening to revoke his teaching license. Shaffer wrote to the state denying the accusations, but he agreed to no longer teach.

"I do not see myself returning to teaching and will voluntarily turn in my certificate rather than spending money defending myself," Shaffer wrote.

Oddly, the police commended the school district and superintendent David Pastrick for their help in the current investigation.

"It wouldn't have been surprising to walk into a school with a search warrant and experience resistance, but they really had the best interest of the victim at heart and showed us nothing but cooperation and openness," Cox said.

However, from wjactv: (September 4)Parents Speak Out About Former Teacher Accused Of Rape

In e-mails that WJAC obtained, Shaffer's ex-wife claimed she told the past and current superintendents about her concerns and that nothing was done. She wrote, "If you can live with yourselves knowing that you did nothing while children were at risk and continue to defend such a position, I don't know what else I can do other than to warn parents of this weakness."

WJAC learned that Shaffer took another job teaching in Maryland after his "supposed retirement" until his license was revoked.

Cumberland Times-News (Sept 4) Schools Superintendent David Pastrick said administrators had no idea of the allegations when Shaffer retired. [TT - No idea of these allegations or any allegations?]

From the Daily American (Sept 3) Pastrick said the school board responded to rumors of Shaffer’s misconduct by conducting internal investigations.He said they were unable to discover solid evidence.***
--------------------------------
TT - The above are contradictory statements. SOMEONE filed those charges in 2006 with the Pennsylvania Department of Education after learning he was still teaching. A voluntary surrender of a license is equivalent to a revocation and it is an action not lightly taken.

WJAC referred to the plural "students" found in the Dept. of Education report, suggesting there was more than one student with whom he was inappropriate.

They also report that Shaffer's ex-wife is currently working with local representatives to introduce legislation that would make schools criminally liable if they don't report potential abuse within 48 hours.

THE PROBLEM WE SEE with schools conducting their own investigation without contacting police is that the school districts don't have trained investigator or knowledge of rules of evidence. School districts are advised on the law by lawyers hired by the district whose primary purpose is to defend the school district from liability. So when school administrators find no solid evidence, it isn't surprising. What is suprising is that more people are not outraged that schools think they are exempt from reporting suspected abuse to law enforcement so child abuse can be properly investigated.

Mandated reporting laws require professionals in dozens of fields to notify police, or in some state, child welfare agencies, when they learn of or suspect child abuse. They may not have known about this 8th grader, but they knew enough to demand he retire.

Obligation

This newspaper editorial demands comment.

August 28, 2008 - "TROUBLING: Teacher acquitted in abuse case should be cleared in other areas" (from the Patriot-News)

The question of whether a Susquehanna Twp. High School teacher acquitted of sexual assault can teach again in Pennsylvania has been resolved.

But troubling constitutional rights issues remain in the case of James D. Frank.

Despite being found not guilty by a jury of his peers a year ago, Frank still had to fight for his right to teach, and he wouldn't have had a hearing until this month if he hadn't surrendered his teaching license for health reasons.

Despite the judge dismissing charges in one case and a jury acquittal in another, both the Education and Welfare departments continued investigations.

The system isn't perfect, and history shows juries and judges make mistakes in both acquittals and convictions. But the integrity of the system is contingent upon accepting their decisions.

There is also something called the U.S. Constitution. The Fifth Amendment states in part, "nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life and limb."

If Frank's case isn't in violation, it at least runs counter to the spirit of the double-jeopardy clause.

From the Patriot-News.

TT - our response can be found at the entry for Frank.

Berwyn, PENNSYLVANIA

August 28, 2008 - Jerome Bennett, 46, a seventh - and eighth-grade science at Saint Monica School, was arrested and charged with receiving and possessing images of child pornography.

Federal agents seized his computer two years ago computer on suspicion that he had downloaded child pornography. After comparing the images on his computer with photographs of the children he taught, but no link was found, said Michael Levy, chief of computer crimes with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Bennett had been with the school for nine years. His contract was not renewed. Before Saint Monica, Bennett taught for five years at Saint Bernadette Parish School in Drexel Hill.

Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA

Sentenced to 10-20 years for sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Feb 6, 2008 -
Joshua Ulrich, 30, a South Philadelphia High School special education teacher, was arrested Feb 2. He is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old female student. He faces charges of statutory rape.

Authorities began an investigation Jan. 21 after the child's mother reported the sexual relationship to police. Ulrich connected with the girl through MySpace.

GUILTY PLEA May 8 - Ulrich pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, interference with the custody of a child and corrupting the morals of a minor.

Ulrich will receive 10-20 years in state prison under a law establishing a mandatory sentence for adults having oral or anal sex with a child under 16, said James Carpenter, Assistant Chief of the Philadelphia District Attorney Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit.

He will be sentenced Aug 27. (To give the state time to determine the severity of the classification Uhrich will receive under Megan's Law, which governs sex offenders.)

SENTENCED August 27 - Ulrich was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. Ulrich was immediately taken into custody after the sentencing hearing. He will be required to undergo sexual-offender treatment while in prison.

Pittsburgh, PENNSYLVANIA

"1 thick daddy" is under arrest.

August 23, 2008 - Nicholas Salvo, 34, a Mt. Lebanon High School chemistry teacher, was arrested and charged with two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, one count of attempted unlawful contact with a minor and two counts of criminal use of a computer.

The prosecutor's office said that Salvo. sent sexually explicit messages and videos to an undercover agent whom he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
Full Name: Nicholas E. Salvo
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Pennsylvania Attorney General Press Release (dated August 22, 2008)

Corbett said that Salvo, using the screen name "1 thick daddy," allegedly used a teen chat room to contact an undercover agent from the Child Predator Unit who was using the online profile of a 14-year old girl. Within minutes of that initial contact, on July 3rd, Salvo allegedly sent a private message to the girl, asking what her measurements were and telling her, "I like younger girls."

According to the criminal complaint, Salvo told the girl that he was watching online pornography and then sent her a webcam video that showed his exposed penis. During other chats that followed, Salvo made reference to the nude video, asking the girl, "did you enjoy the other night," and telling her, "you got to see a big one, too." Salvo also allegedly sent additional webcam video showing him masturbating in front of his computer.

HEARING WAIVED October 30, 2008 - Salvo waived a hearing Oct. 21 on charges of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer.

Grove City, PENNSYLVANIA

Time to update those yearbooks.
Suspended in 2003 in Grove City.

August 22, 2008 - Daniel Konnen, 29, a former music and band teacher who was suspended in 2003 for a web site he created as a college student, was arrested August 8 in Elizaville, NY, where he was head camp counselor at Camp Eagle Hill. After his arrest, Konnan resigned from Westminster College.

He is accused of secretly taping a 15-year-old boy after encouraging the camper to masturbate in his room. The camp director asked police to investigate Konnen who was interviewed Aug. 8 and arrested. Charges include promoting the sexual performance of a child, possessing a sexual performance by a child under 16 and endangering the welfare of a child.

Suspended in 2003 from his teaching job in Grove City, he resigned in February 2004.

Konnen was a Grove City music teacher and assistant band director when school officials discovered a Web site he had created as a Grove City College student.

The Web site contained pictures of Konnen and friends at a Hickory High School band camp, a list of favorite songs, a scene from “South Park” and off-color jokes. Grove City School Board suspended Konnen in March 2003 for “immorality, incompetence, intemperance and persistent negligence.”

In New York, a second camp counselor was arrested during the investigation when investigators discovered he had had provided a Playboy magazine to a 13-year-old boy who was also at the camp. Twenty-six year old Jesse Garcia of West Harrison, NY, was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child.

Konnen lives in Hermitage, PA. The camp is about 95 miles north of New York City.
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ONLINE RESOURCE: The Standards and Practices Commission at the Pennsylvania Department of Education maintains and online list of Teaching Certificate Actions taken dating back to 2004 against teaching certificates. Also, see their FAQ
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TT - No actions found for Konnen.

April 23, 2003 - School board: Teacher's personal web site is grounds for dismissal
The state's teachers union has vowed to defend his right to free expression on the web, arguing that the site has nothing to do with his in-school behavior. The teachers union plans to file a grievance on Konnen's behalf, Park said, adding, "It may come down to a First Amendment issue."

Bethlehem, PENNSYLVANIA

What nepotism???

August 20, 2008 - The Bethlehem Area School Board approved a new nepotism form that requires a job applicant to declare a relationship with an elected official or existing employee before their employment.

And then they voted -- to hire the school board president's daughter and a relative of another school director. The board president and school director abstained from the vote.
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TT - We wondered at the $60,670 legal bill for the district's internal investigation into the work habits of drug-dealing ex-principal John Acerra. The investigation "which also led to new district policies aimed at encouraging employees to report unusual behavior by superiors." made us curious enough to ask, "Why would you need a new policy aimed at encouraging employees to report "unusual behavior" unless they didn't report it in the past?" Entry

Moon Township, PENNSYLVANIA

She sent pictures of her genitals to a 14-year-old boy.

Jan 5, 2008 - Beth Chester, 26, a 9th grade Moon High School gym teacher and volleyball coach, was arrested. She was accused of sending nude photos of herself and suggestive text messages to a 14-year-old male student.

The charges are three counts of child sexual abuse, two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count each of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal solicitation. Police said they plan to file an additional charge of statutory sexual assault against Chester.

The boy's parents found the messages and met Chester Dec 26. She resigned the next day. Police found three photos Chester allegedly sent of herself -- two of them of her genitals -- to the student, as well as a nude photo the boy allegedly sent of himself to Chester.

School district officials contacted police Jan. 3 after other staffers suggested Chester might have had inappropriate contact with a student, police said.

The school district will notify state Department of Education this week, which is required by state law.
Full Name: Beth Ann Chester

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ONLINE RESOURCE
If you are a concerned parent or taxpayer in Pennsylvania, PA School Watch.org is an excellent web site. paschoolwatch.org Along with news archives, they watch current and proposed legislation. They also maintain a blog of current affairs and concerns.

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Jan 7, 2007 - Chester could face additional charges.

The boy, who is not being identified because of the nature of the charges, has told police he fell in love with Chester during a three-month relationship, which involved sexual text messages, but he has denied they had any physical contact other than a hug on the last day of school before winter break.

Chester, however, said she had intercourse with the boy, McCarthy said.“She admitted to us quite graphically what happened,” McCarthy said. “Perhaps he wanted to protect her. We’re dealing with a 14-year-old. This is typical of someone who’s a victim. He’s in love with this person and she’s in jail now and losing her job.”

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for today.

Jan 11 - Cited in a CNN story on cellphones and e-mail used to seduce children. Preliminary now scheduled for Jan 22.

FIRED Jan 14 - Chester was fired from her teaching position as well as from extra-duty paid positions such as co-breakfast monitor, co-sophomore class sponsor and assistant volleyball coach. She had taught two years. Although she had submitted her resignation Dec 27, the school board — which had not met since her Jan. 4 arrest until last night — had not acted to accept it, keeping her on the district’s payroll until Monday.

Chester would write the boy late excuses and hall passes to allow them to spend extra time together. Since her arrest, the district has held assemblies for students and faculty to discuss student-teacher relationships.

WAIVED PRELIMINARY Jan 22 - Chester waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Barring a plea agrement, she will be going to trial. No date scheduled.

NEW CHARGES Jan 23 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Prosecutors added several charges, (actually they added five, including one count each of statutory sexual assault, indecent deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault and two counts of aggravated indecent assault) and withdrew three child sex abuse counts from the complaint.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: She faces six other charges, including two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, criminal solicitation and criminal use of a communication system.

(From the Tribune-Review:)Her attorney said she distraught and in counseling. She hid her face in a hood when she arrived and waited in a back room while her attorney met with the judge. She will be formally arraigned March 13.

LICENSE SURRENDERED April 3 - Chester surrendered her teaching license in lieu of discipline.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING August 20 - Chester pleaded guilty to statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility. She was sentenced to 1 1/2 to 3 years in jail - not prison - followed by five years of probation.

The boy's family would have agreed to a sentence that did not include jail time, had Chester not continued to contact the boy after she was arrested.

The judge also ordered she have no cell phone access and mental health counseling. He prohibited her from further contacting the student, which she had done several times after being released on bond, prompting a judge to place her on house arrest in April.

Her attorney said his client is separated and in divorce proceedings, mistakenly "looked at this group of students as her peer group."

Easton, PENNSYLVANIA

Paid $71,333 for 275 unused sick days.

August 18, 2008 - Easton Area School District reached a $39,488 settlement last month with former personnel director Karl R. Hettel. Hettel claimed the former superintendent promised him $127,380 for 275 unused sick days and sued the district for the remaining $95,000.

The district paid Hettel an initial payment of $31,845 in January 2000 after he retired in 1999 after 34 years as a teacher, principal and personnel director. He claimed the Easton Area School District owed two more payments. They settled on one additional payment, plus 6% interest.

THANK YOU, TAXPAYERS!!

Vandergrift, PENNSYLVANIA

No school board member explained why the teacher in question hadn't been fired.

August 14, 2008 - An unnamed intermediate school teacher is being considered for tenure status despite having been charged in two counties with drunken driving on two separate occasions.

The first offense occurred December 2005 and was expunged after she completed an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for one year. In addition, the teacher was required to attend an alcohol highway safety school and had driving privileges suspended for one month.

The teacher's second offense occurred less than a year later in September 2006. In May 2007, the teacher was sentenced to 90 days of electronic monitoring and six months probation following the monitoring.

No school board member explained why the teacher in question hadn't been fired.
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DISTRICT INFO: The school district is the Kiski Area School District.
The August 11 Board Member agenda is here. (PDF)

From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH FOR TEENS

Leading causes? Research shows which behaviors contribute to teen-related crashes. Inexperience and immaturity combined with speed, drinking and driving, not wearing seat belts, distracted driving (cell phone use, loud music, other teen passengers, etc.), drowsy driving, nighttime driving, and other drug use aggravate this problem.

Hazleton, PENNSYLVANIA

Failure without a price.

July 31, 2008 - STORY: "Unless the Hazleton Area School District finds a way to turn around its continuing failure to meet state education standards, local educators may begin seeing consequences that go far beyond poor test scores.

The latest round of assessment tests shows that two-thirds of the district’s schools failed to meet state benchmarks for reading and mathematics."
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A LITTLE RESEARCH reveals that the school district rates a 5 overall at GreatSchools.net for their mixed academic performance. With 7 schools and 8602 students, of the six elementary schools, three of them rate 4. Two of the five middle schools are rated 4 for poor academic performance. And the single high school is rated 4. Parent and student reviews of the high school made for interesting reading.

The test scores don't seem all that bad at first glance, but when less than 50% of the students are proficient in math- meaning, at grade level in the 11th grade as tested in 2007, there's a problem. (That's actually up from 37% in 2004.) The state average for math at grade 11 was 54% in 2007 which isn't all that thrilling either.

This is not a chronic high poverty district. Only 24% of students are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch program. The population is largely white (81%)

Pennsylvania Department of Education Academic Achievement Report for the district paints a bleaker picture. Some 31% were below basic in math in grade 11.

REFORM DELAYED In July, a proposal that would require Pennsylvania high school students to pass a battery of tests before they can graduate stalled in the legislature. Instead, Gov. Ed Rendell's administration and state lawmakers settled on a compromise that would make the tests optional for now.

The Patriot-News editorialized (July 22) on the need for statewide standardized tests after the Independent Regulatory Review Commission recommended that tests should be tailored to individual school districts rather than mandated statewide. The newspaper wrote,

The fact is, however, that we live in a global economy. Pennsylvania students need to be prepared to compete with people from other districts, states and nations where rigorous academic standards are the norm.

Schools do a disservice, indeed, an injustice, when they hand out diplomas to students who have not come close to earning them. In the process, they devalue education and the worth of a Pennsylvania high school diploma.

The Patriot-News nailed the problem: "The Education Department does bear culpability for allowing some schools to pass themselves off fraudulently for decades as institutions of learning."

Pittsburgh, PENNSYLVANIA

It's a good thing, ultimately," she said of her arrest. "I got my life back."

At a routine traffic stop, they found heroin and a syringe in her purse.
"She was coming to school the whole time and she was doing drugs," a student said. "So, it's like, 'You're a liar.'"

May 28, 2008 - Mary Steck, 51, a physics teacher at Perry Traditional Academy, was arrested a mile away from the school on charges of possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia.

According to the criminal complaint, police were in the neighborhood because citizens had reported seeing an increase in drug sales. Shortly after they arrived, narcotics detectives said they witnessed a man Steck was with purchasing the heroin.

Police said the man got out of the vehicle, purchased the drugs and got back inside. When police pulled Steck over, they said they found heroin and a syringe in her purse.

Steck was suspended.
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Perry Traditional Academy is one of ten public high schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Source: Wikipedia The school rates a 2 (with 1 being the lowest) at GreatSchools.net for their test scores.

The district pays $12,559 a year per pupil in the Pittsburgh School District. In May, the school got a rave review for their production of "Urinetown."
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SENTENCED July 10 - A judge sentenced Steck to six months of probation, without a verdict. The drug charges could be dropped if Ms. Steck, who has no prior criminal record and stays out of trouble.

Mary Steck faces losing her job after police caught her buying heroin in May. But she's grateful they caught her. After five years of using drugs, Ms. Steck, 51, said she is now clean.

"I thank the cops for helping me get my life back," the North Side woman said yesterday as she waited for a hearing to begin in City Court. "I have a disease."

She expects to lose her teaching license. But she hopes to get back into the profession some day, after serving her sentence and clearing her record.
TT - This is a woman we can respect. We wish her well with her life.