Tampa, FLORIDA

October 24, 2007 - Christina Butler, 33, a special education teacher at Middleton High School, was arrested and charged with having sex with a ninth grade student.

Butler faces charges of lewd and lascivious battery after detectives say she had sex with a 15-year-old boy who is reportedly one of her students.

She was arrested after police officers stopped teenagers in a car belonging to the teacher.

According to Tampa Police, they pulled over a Jeep Cherokee on 22nd Street after it was spotted driving erratically. Officers say the Jeep was occupied by a group of six teenage boys.

Once officers stopped the vehicle, they determined it belonged to Butler. The driver stated that he did not have a license and his friend Christina let him use the Jeep.

Butler was called to the scene to pick up her vehicle.

While waiting for Butler to arrive, officers spoke with one of the kids, who said the driver was in a relationship with the teacher.

When asked what type of relationship, police say the boy just smiled and said, "I don't ask what they do, they are just good friends," and smiled again.

The officers became suspicious of the possible relationship. According to police, when Christina Butler arrived, she first stated her relationship with the victim was platonic, but then admitted to having a sexual relationship with the student.

Butler has been suspended with pay.

Charge Report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Oct 26 - The school was notified TWICE about Butler's inappropriate relationship with the boy, but the school dismissed the girl's reports as "rumor" and suspended her. TT - Link

Oct 31 - Butler has been hospitalized because of "emotional stress, " according to her lawyer.

[Her attorney, Tom] Fox did not discuss the allegations but said there could be problems with statements Butler made to police last week based on her "long history of mental disorders."

GUILTY October 23 - Butler pleaded guilty today in a Tampa courtroom to all of the charges against her. The charges included contributing to the delinquency of a minor and two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. The boy was borderline mentally retarded. Prosecutors say there was no plea deal in the case and Butler could get nearly 30 years in prison when she is sentenced December 10.

Reminder: When another student came forward to report Butler, the student was ignored and later suffered a school suspension. School officials have since apologized for the suspension.

Montgomery, GEORGIA

This has got to be the Outrage of the Week.

Convicted in 1991 and sentenced to prison for sexual abuse of special education students, he received tenure at the College of Education at the University of Georgia.
-- until they found out.

October 24, 2008 - The University of Georgia fired a newly-tenured associate professor in the College of Education when they learned of his criminal sex crime conviction.

Cecil Fore III, 50, was convicted Jan. 16, 1991, on multiple counts of sexually abusing three special-education students in Montgomery junior high schools where he was a teacher. He was sentenced to serve three years in a sex offenders’ unit of the Alabama penal system, followed by five years’ probation.

The victim was in the eighth grade in a special-education program at Floyd Junior High School in Montgomery at the time of the abuse.

Alabama records show that Fore’s teaching license was revoked by the state in 1991. Despite that,

after his release from prison, Fore worked from fall 1995 to May 1996 as assistant principal at the small private nonprofit McInnis School, affiliated with the Montgomery Association for Retarded Citizens. The school serves students with IQs of less than 70, said agency executive director John Morris.

Fore finished his doctorate at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale from 1997-1999.

He came to the University of Georgia from Troy State University in Alabama, where the human resources department confirmed that he taught in the department of psychology and education from 1999 until resigning in 2001.

As of Jan. 1, 2008, the university began full background checks for anyone being appointed or promoted, but Fore was granted tenure shortly before that policy took effect.

New Britain, CONNECTICUT

October 23, 2008 - Michelle Campbell, 36, a special education teacher at Chamberlain School, has pleaded not guilty to charges of abusing her autistic students.

She was arrested October 9 and charged with three counts of risk of injury to children and four counts of cruelty to persons. Police said there are three victims in the case, all of whom are 5 to 7 years old. The warrant has been sealed by the court.

A spokesman for the parents said that the allegations were substantiated by the Department of Children and Families, but that the district never notified the families about the allegations.

The alleged abuse was reported by Campbell's co-workers at the Chamberlain School.

Campbell is due back in court November 21st.

St. Louis, MISSOURI

Oct 2007 - Judge recuses himself because a retired judge asked him not to send her to jail.
Nov 2007 : Judge allows guilty plea to be withdrawn.
June 2008:Trial: Her lawyer says Heminghaus was forced into sex acts in her classroom and elsewhere and too humiliated to report it.
July 2008 - Guilty of three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, two counts of a teacher having sex with a student and two counts of plying minors with alcohol.
Sept 2008 - Sentenced to to six years in prison.




When she's old enough to be your mother grandmother.

July 9, 2007 -
Cathy Heminghaus, 47, special needs teacher at Ferguson Middle School, pleaded no contest to performing oral sex on four of her students at the middle school.

Besides the 21 counts of statutory sodomy, Heminghaus also pleaded no contest to two counts of a teacher having sex with a student and two counts of plying minors with alcohol.

Quarenghi said the victims told police that some of oral sex acts took place in a classroom at the middle school while one boy would serve as lookout for another. The prosecutor said the victims were under Heminghaus' jurisdiction for minor behavorial problems, and school officials have described them as basically good kids. They ranged in age between 13 and 15 when Heminghaus performed oral sex on them, police said.

TT - Ferguson Middle School is 79% black. It rates a 2 from Greatschools.com

SENTENCING DELAYED: Sept 14 - Heminghaus pleaded no contest to 25 counts, 21 including statutory sodomy with boys ages 13 to 15. The encounters with her Ferguson Middle School students allegedly took place in 2005.

JUDGE RECUSES HIMSELF Sentencing was delayed when the judge recused himself.

Judge David Lee Vincent III decided to remove himself from the case because his predecessor, retired Judge Kenneth M. Weinstock, wrote a personal letter to Vincent asking the judge to not impose jail time for Heminghaus.

Weinstock wrote the letter supporting Heminghaus because he is friends with the former teacher's husband. After a pre-hearing conference in the judge's chambers, Vincent said from the bench that the letter "doesn't look good," and it called into question whether he could fairly sentence Heminghaus. A new judge will take over the case for sentencing

WITHDRAWS GUILTY PLEA Nov 16, 2007 - St. Louis County Circuit Judge Michael T. Jamison ruled this afternoon that Cathy Heminghaus, 47, of Ferguson, could withdraw the plea she had entered on July 9 before Judge David Lee Vincent III. A trial date is set for Dec 13.

TRIAL June 25 - The trial opened today. The trial of a former Special School District teacher at the Ferguson-Florissant Middle School -- accused of being a sexual predator -- began in St. Louis County Circuit Court this morning with widely diverse opening statements by prosecutor John Quarenghi and defense attorney Susan Roach.

TRIAL June 26 - Heminghaus' lawyer told a St. Louis County jury Wednesday that Heminghaus was forced into sex acts in her classroom and elsewhere and too humiliated to report it.

A friend and fellow teacher testified that Heminghaus never mentioned intimidation or force in confessing that she had performed oral sex on two boys at Ferguson Middle School. She said Heminghaus told her the night of Jan. 11, 2006, of participating in the sex acts in 2005-06. The friend reported it at 7:30 the next morning to supervisors at the school.

The witness said Heminghaus told her she performed oral sex on one teen while the other stood watch at the classroom door, then the boys switched places. Prosecutor John Quarenghi alleged in opening statements in court in Clayton that Heminghaus had sexual encounters with four teens, 13 to 15, in her classroom, her car and a park near her home. Quarenghi said Heminghaus had performed oral sex not only on two students but on two other boys outside of school. All four teens are listed as state's witnesses.

Best line: Heminghaus' upper-middle-class background left her unprepared for dealing with the "behaviorally disordered" students, her attorney said.

June 28, 2008 Principal: Teacher showed no change Trial continues

TRIAL CONTINUES July 2 - Heminghaus took the stand and told a jury Tuesday that one teen forced her into oral sex once in her classroom at Ferguson Middle School.

She feared that the teen who forced her into the classroom incident would harm her son or daughter so she did let him and his friends drive her car, she said.

During the rides, she said, the teens forced her to sit in a back seat that folded down into the trunk, put her coat on top of her, played music as loudly as they could and drove for hours around north St. Louis County.This happened about 15 times, she estimated.

She said she had given them money, bought them food and hid in the trunk when they stopped to visit friends, to avoid being forced to perform sex acts.

She said she had given them money, bought them food and hid in the trunk when they stopped to visit friends, to avoid being forced to perform sex acts.

GUILTY VERDICT July 3 - The jury found Heminghaus guilty of three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, two counts of a teacher having sex with a student and two counts of plying minors with alcohol. She was found not guilty on a charge of first-degree statutory sodomy and on 17 other statutory sodomy counts..

Her husband is a senior vice president at Heartland Bank.

RECOMMENDATION July 3 - AP story says that the jurors recommended Thursday that Heminghaus receive two years for each of five three counts involving sexual misconduct.

A judge set a sentencing hearing for Heminghaus on Aug. 20. The judge will decide whether the two-year sentences will be served at the same time or back-to-back.

SENTENCED September 3 - Following the jury recommendation, the judge sentenced Heminhaus to six years in prison for performing sex acts on teenage students.

Harvard, ILLINOIS

He testified he did not believe he did anything improper.

May 31, 2008 - A jury found Matthew Konetski, 32, a substitute teacher, guilty of unlawful restraint and aggravated battery for taping an two boys, including an unruly 8-year-old to his chair and taping their mouths. Both charges are felonies.

Konetski was a substitute in a special education class at Jefferson Elementary School. In the four-day trial, Konetski testified that the actions were necessary to control his special education classroom.

"It was not to scare them or make them feel uncomfortable," he said. "It was to get the point across, in a fun way, without yelling at them."

A first-year substitute with no training in special education, Konetski testified he did not believe he did anything improper.

During closing arguments his defense told jurors state law grants teachers parent-like rights when dealing with students, including authority to restrain a child when necessary.
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TT - When a fully-trained, 20-year-veteran special education teacher in Florida deliberately chose to abuse children despite her training and the parents complained, the teacher's union sent a "cease and desist" [your complaining] letter to the parents. The district then moved Kathleen Garrett to another school where the pattern of abuse of other students continued .

She was eventually convicted by a jury. TT entry

Special education students are some of the most vulnerable in our society and in our schools. Their parents are, just as other parents are, wholly dependent upon a caring and competent administration to oversee the teachers they hire and the substitutes they allow in a classroom.

Cameras in every classroom would mean no great expenditure, but they are resisted by both administrators and unions. And some, but not all, teachers. It's very tempting to conclude that administrators who fail to adequately supervise now, just don't want the responsibility of doing just that.

At the same time, teachers who need recognition of the difficulties in the classroom sometimes can't get the attention of those in charge and the resources they require that could be documented by a camera. How much easier would it be to justify expelling a student with that kind of evidence, leaving the rest of the school population without that disturbing presence?

How much easier would it be if teachers who cross boundaries with their students could be curbed before the relationships become unhealthy? How much easier would it be to document a poorly-performing teacher? Ignorance isn't an excuse. Not when there are tools available that could prevent criminal activity or eliminate bad teachers.

The same administrations that have no trouble installing cameras to watch students on campus ought to have have cameras to protect them in the classroom as well.

SENTENCED July 16 -Konetski was sentenced to two years' probation. In addition to probation, Konetski has been ordered to pay a $1,500 fine and perform 80 hours of community service.

Richmond Hill, NEW YORK

Crisis intervention teacher charged with assault.

June 27, 2008 - A crisis intervention teacher at Public School 54 in Queens, was accused of punching a 12-year-old student in the head and putting him into a choke hold.

Scott Antwork, 58, pleaded not guilty to charges of third-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment. Prosecutors said the veteran teacher also grabbed the student's right arm and pushed him onto a table during the incident last week. The student suffered a cut on his chin and neck, and his arm and leg were bruised.

Antwork is to appear in court again July 31.
Full Name: Scott M. Antwork
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Queens District Attorney Press Release (dated June 26, 2008)

July 3 - 2 Richmond Hill Teachers Head To Court This Month

Antwork’s next court date on July 31, the first thing his lawyer, Andrew Stoll, intends to do is “explore whether this student is even competent to swear out an affidavit and take an oath.”

According to sources familiar with the case, Lopez is an emotionally disturbed special education student who has been suspended from the school for various offenses at least five times. Apparently, [the boy] bit Antwork two days prior to the alleged assault, forcing him to obtain medical attention, one source said.

Stoll believes that the authorities are “rushing to judgment” in this case. “Mr. Antwork acted appropriately in trying to defuse this situation, and it’s a pity that the authorities blindly made an arrest out of fear and self-preservation,” he said. The fear, he added, is of lawsuits and headlines that could result if they don’t take action.

“This is really punishing a teacher for doing his job,” Stoll said. “He’s a professional: he stepped in to calm a situation, to calm and deal with an out-of-control student, which is exactly what his job is.” Stoll is calling on the prosecutors to “reconsider their prosecution of a good teacher on the word of a bad student,” as well as to “demonstrate that Lopez understands the nature of an oath and the significance of the statements he’s made.”

TT - Since when do newspapers name a 12-year-old boy???!!! And why do you get the feeling those "sources" are the lawyer and the teacher?

Clayton, OHIO

Plea agreement called for Tier III Sex Offender for life.

July 17, 2007 - Jason Simmons, 36, a special education teacher at Northmont Middle School, was arrested, accused of having sex with a 14-year-old female student on three separate occasions. Formal charges are pending.

Police were contacted by the family of the victim.
Source: WHIO Tv

From the Dayton Daily News: Police heard rumors of a teacher-student sexual relationship. A female relative of the victim helped gather enough information for search warrants for Simmon's home and apartment. Simmons' personnel file indicates he is married with children.

BOND SET July 18 - Bond was set at $500,000.

ARRAIGNED July 19 - Simmons was arraigned yesterday on three counts of sexual battery, three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a person under 16 years old and one count of importuning. While he did not teach the student he is alleged to have sexual contact with, he worked in one of her classes. He remains in jail.

NOT GUILTY PLEA Oct 18 - Simmons pleaded not guilty.

GUILTY PLEA May 12, 2008 - Simmons pleaded guilty to three felony counts of sexual battery. He will be sentenced June 12. Three other charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor were dropped in exchange. He will be designated a Tier III Sex Offender(explained here) - meaning he will have to report to the sheriff in the county in which he resides every three months for the rest of his life.

"He also faces permanent revocation of his Ohio Teaching License." Simmons' personnel file indicates he is married with children and taught in Fairborn before coming to Northmont.

SENTENCED June 19, 2008 - Simmons was sentenced to one year in prison for sexual battery after pleading guilty sexual battery of a 14-year-old girl.

Trussville, ALABAMA

Authorities say a former Clay-Chalkville Middle School teacher had sexual relationships with at least eight male high school students ages 15 to 19 between February and April. - Birmingham News

June 20, 2008 - Julie Pritchett, 34, a Clay-Chalkville Middle School special education teacher, was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of Sodomy 2nd Degree and one count of Sexual Abuse 2nd Degree. Those charges involve two boys under the age of 16.

Birmingham News: Authorities say a former Clay-Chalkville Middle School teacher had sexual relationships with at least eight male high school students ages 15 to 19 between February and April. Charges are not being brought in the other identified incidents because the boys are of consenting age or unwilling to cooperate with authorities

The investigation began May 2 when a parent filed a complaint with the sheriff's office claiming his son was sexually abused by one of the school's teachers. Pritchett resigned in May after the investigation began.

Pritchett was the sponsor for the high school's Diamond Dolls, the hostesses for the baseball team. It was through that position, Jefferson County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Randy Christian said, that she came into contact with some of her former students who were involved in the high school sports program.

Christian said Pritchett started a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old former student. That relationship led to sex acts with his friends.
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Jefferson County Sheriff's Office website. There is no press release at this time.

Milton, FLORIDA

It will be interesting to see if she gets more for the cruelty to animal charge than she would if she had sex with a student or abused a special needs student.

June 13, 2008 - Brenda Gradia, 41, a special education teacher at King Middle School, was arrested in Alabama and charged with arson and misdemeanor animal cruelty for shooting her show horse to death, burning a barn in May with the animal inside and insurance fraud for attempting to collect $100,000 in insurance on the horse named Abby.

Flomaton Police Chief Mike Lambert says she has admitted both incidents. Gradia also collected $30,000 in insurance in December on after she reported that another horse had died of a snake bite. Investigators are now looking into that case

Reminder: the location is for the school. The case is in Alabama where she lives. A press conference is scheduled for this afternoon in Flomaton.

Buffalo, NEW YORK

School officials failed to inform law enforcement officials or the boy's parents until more than three four months after a teacher witnessed the abuse and reported it.

May 28, 2008 - John Colazzi, 60, a teacher's aide at Discovery School, Public School # 67, was indicted on charges of sexual abuse in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child for fondling a four year-old autistic boy in the bathroom in November 2007.

The boy is unable to testify about the incident, but a teacher who witnessed the abuse reported it to the principal shortly after the incident occurred. School officials failed to inform law enforcement officials or the boy's parents until more than three months later.

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR FIRED Joy Trotter, the human resources director who initially ruled the allegation "unfounded," was dismissed by Superintendent James A. Williams for mishandling the investigation.

CERTIFIED LETTER The teacher who witnessed the abuse sent a certified letter outlining her allegations to school superintendent James Williams. The superintendent admitted signing for the letter, but said he passed it on to a staff member without reading it.

The district attorneys office is preparing a report on where school officials "failed to respond properly" to the teacher's allegations. (Update: June 27, 2008 entry on Final report)

NOTABLE QUOTES
Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore said, "[The teacher] was also told not to contact the parents, that she'd be insubordinate if she contacted the parents. She was told that by the principal, according to the teacher."
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Buffalo School Board Member Ralph Hernandez, who asked the State ethics Committee to examine why this case was not turned over to District Attorney Frank Clark until March, says the scary part is this case could have been swept under the rug. "We don't know where the verdict will go, but if they must have some evidence. I think we did the right thing here, and hopefully it will be behind us."
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UPDATE June 27, 2008 entry on Final report)

Greenwood, ARKANSAS

Convicted and sentenced in 2006 to two six-year prison terms to run consecutively, she has yet to serve a day while her case was being appealed.

May 28, 2008 - the appeals court upheld the conviction and rejected her appeal.

Oct 27, 2006 - Deanna Bobo, 38, found guilty in September on two counts of first-degree sexual assault for having sex with a minor male student is set to go to trial again in January on two counts of violation of a minor in connection with alleged sexual activity with another student.

APPEAL Sentenced to 12 years, she is appealing the first conviction. She taught special education at Wells Jr. High School at the time of her arrest. Fast Facts from local news outlet. Smoking Gun names her as " the 3,496th teacher to be arrested this year on charges that she had sex with an underage student." She is the mother of five children.

UPDATE: Thanks to a poster, have corrected image.

UPDATE: Jan 3, 2007 - Charges in the second trial have been dropped at the request of the accuser. "Her accuser is serving in the military in Iraq and doesn’t want to come home to testify, court records show."

CONVICTION UPHELD May 28, 2008 - The Arkansas Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld Bobo's conviction. The appeals court rejected Bobo's argument the judge at her trial erred in allowing the testimony of witnesses who said they saw the student touch Bobo's breast at school. The court said the touching demonstrated an intimacy between the two."This antecedent sexual conduct further corroborated (the boy's) testimony that he and Bobo were later sexually involved," Judge Larry Vaught wrote for the appeals court.

They also rejected her contention that the e-mails presented at trial were not authentic.

REHEARING DENIED June 26 - The Arkansas Court of Appeals on Wednesday denied a rehearing request for a rehearing without explanation.

LOSES APPEAL October 31, 2008 - Deanna Bobo is back in police custody after losing her second appeal. After her appeal was denied, a mandate was issued Thursday to the Sebastian County Circuit Clerk's office asking for Bobo to be taken into custody immediately.

Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA

Sentenced to three years in prison for oral copulation of an incompetent person involving a 14-year-old boy, child abuse involving a 17-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl and battery on a mentally disabled 19-year-old male.

August 21, 2007 - Fred Johnson, 60, a John Marshall High School special education teacher, was arrested and and booked on suspicion of lewd acts with a child.

Johnson had been reassigned to a non-school site pending the outcome of the investigation.

NBC4 reported that some suspicious photos were found by school employees, who notified police. A woman told Channel 4 that her 17-year-old autistic son saw the teacher taking pictures of "naked kids -- his friends."

Another woman told the station that the photos showed students ages 14 to 19 posing with swim trunks and towels.

"They were just holding them up in the front, covering their private parts," the woman said. "They were naked."

She told the station another photo showed a school staffer kissing a 15-year-old female student on the lips.

From ABC7 : They spoke to the father of a boy who is one of four special education students ages 14-19 who it is alleged have been sexually assaulted by Johnson. The father went to the school to figure out exactly what was going on. He says that recently his son had confessed to him that he was being molested by his special education teacher for years.

My son came home one day and said that the teacher was saying it was OK to be gay. And then we went back and spoke to the teacher's aide there, and she's the one who broke the news to the principal, and then the investigation started," said Herrera.

"What's worse is that these kids are disabled. Some can't even speak. Luckily my son can speak a little bit. That's a bad situation. He [Johnson] was taking advantage of these kids that are disabled," said Herrera.

From Associated Content: Detectives say they still have reason to believe that there are more victims out there and are hoping that more people come forward with information about Fred Johnson and his past.

Anyone who has such information is advised and encouraged to immediately call Los Angeles Detectives Carlos Monterroso or Traci Noggle at 213-847-5358. On weekends or during off-hours and non-business hours, anyone can call the 24-hour toll free tip line number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

CHARGED August 23 - Los Angeles Daily News: Johnson is charged with one count each of oral copulation of an incompetent person, oral copulation of a person under 16 and lewd act on a child, all felonies. In addition, he is charged with four counts of misdemeanor child molesting and two misdemeanor counts of battery on a dependent adult, who was 19. There are three males (ages 14, 18 and 19) and one female victim (age 17).

NOT GUILTY PLEA: Sept 6 - Johnson pleaded not guilty. His next court date is Oct. 16 for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.

PLEA Feb 1, 2008 - Johnson pleaded no contest Wednesday to sexually molesting three special- education students. He will be sentenced April 29.
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Press Release (dated Jan 30, 2008)

SENTENCED May 22 - Johnson was sentenced by Superior Court Commissioner Henry J. Hall to three years in state prison. Johnson pleaded no contest in January to oral copulation of an incompetent person involving a 14-year-old boy, child abuse involving a 17-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl and battery on a mentally disabled 19-year-old male.

Santa Monica, CALIFORNIA

Deputy district superintendent has resigned in a "mutually agreed upon" settlement.

May 7 - Last Thursday, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education approved (6-0) what the district called "a mutually agreed upon settlement" between the district and the district's deputy superintendent that resulted in his resignation. His handling of the special education department drew fierce criticism from special education parents with claims being made of harassment and intimidation from SMMUSD officials toward special education parents..

Board president Oscar de la Torre said this week those changes could not be made with [Tim] Walker in the administration. An example he gave of this is that last year when the district placed a moratorium on confidentiality clauses in agreements with special education parents, 28 were still made.

[Previous story in April suggest the special education parents were 'coerced' to sign the IEP agreements and that Santa Monica officials criticized the school district's lack of cooperation since last year's agreement to enact a moratorium on confidentiality agreements with special education parents.

Santa Monica officials last summer voted to withhold a $530,000 increase to the city's annual contribution to the district unless it had an independent review done of its special education program and agreed to the moratorium. The independent review criticized the agreements.

The district has defended confidentiality agreements in the past as a method to keep costs down. The idea is that it prevents parents from learning about what education programs other parents' children are receiving, and then demanding it for their children, when their children might not need them.

The Lou Barber report acknowledges that settlement agreements are done in other districts, but it says most districts do it up to 15 times per year, while the SMMUSD has had 140 during the past three years.]
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It hasn't been a good week for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. First there was the arrest of longtime middle school teacherThomas Beltran on molestation charges only to find out he was investigated, but not charged, in 2006 on similar charges. TT Entry.

Socastee, SOUTH CAROLINA

July 22, 2007 - Ralph Hough, 31, a special education teacher's aide and Socastee High School Step Team coach at the school, was arrested, charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor. (Age of victim unspecified but later turned out to be 15.)

Full Name: Ralph Marcelle Hough

DRUG CHARGE ADDED July 23 - Hough remained in custody. Monday afternoon, Horry County Police charged Hough with possession of less than one gram of crack cocaine. Jail officials say the drug charge is Hough's second offense. [Article is no longer online at paper but was at the time of the posting. Sentencing story does not repeat allegation of drug abuse.]

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING April 24, 2008 - Hough pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday for lewd acts against a minor less than 16 years old. Hough will have to register as a sex offender.

Assistant Solicitor Scott Graustein said Hough "simulated sexual conduct between himself and the victim" and "simulated performing oral sex on the victim." The 15-year-old boy suffers from a form of autism.

April 23 - Former special needs teacher sentenced in sexual molestation case

Smithtown, NEW YORK

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

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

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

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

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

Carbondale, PENNSYLVANIA

March 25, 2008 - Jane Forgione, 62, a special education teacher at Carbondale Elementary School, was sentenced to 18 months' probation after pleading no contest to hitting her autistic students last year.

Teacher's aides working in the back of the classroom saw the incident and reported it to school officials. Forgione was also accused of biting an autistic student and pinching and twisting anothers' cheek.

PA School Watch Journal entry on Forgione arrest in 2007.
Forgione received the 2006 Teacher of the Year award from the autism support group Parents Loving Children Through Autism.

Camarillo, CALIFORNIA

The judge criticized letters of support for the defendant — letters that downplayed the theft, particularly one that called it "an unfortunate incident."

"This is predatory criminal conduct. It's not an unfortunate incident," the judge said.

Nov 20, 2007 - Kristen Santoyo, 37, a para-professional (teacher's aide) at Camarillo High School, was arrested for stealing lunch money from a special needs student. She was arrested on suspicion of burglary and petty theft with a prior conviction.

Once campus security got word that someone was taking lunch money from a student's bag, they set up a camera in the area.The mother of the little girl says she began getting worried when her child returned home hungry.

A review of the videotape showed that Kristen Rene Santoyo stole money from the student's property in a classroom on at least one occasion. Santoyo possessed a glass smoking pipe and was under the influence of a controlled substance when arrested.
Full Name: Kristen Rene Santoyo

SENTENCED March 5, 2008 - Santoyo was sentenced to six months in jail - not prison - for stealing lunch money from a disabled student at Camarillo High School, followed by four years' probation. In addition, Santoyo was ordered to pay $285 restitution to the student and to attend at least one year of weekly child abuse counseling sessions.

Santoyo was charged with stealing the victim's lunch money on 57 separate occasions between September and November. Her attorney said that Santoyo suffered from a drug abuse problem that resulted in bad judgment. Santoyo pleaded guilty Jan. 16 to felony petty theft and misdemeanor cruelty to a child by inflicting injury

CRIMINAL RECORD School officials said Santoyo, who worked for the district for about 12 years, was fingerprinted and underwent a background check before she was hired in 1996.

One year later, a new electronic database called "Live Scan" went online to keep track of employee fingerprints and alert school officials to any new criminal charges. So although Santoyo was convicted in 2001 of theft at a Mervyn's department store and sentenced to 15 days in jail, the district never learned of the criminal record because she was not in the system, said Roger Rice, a district official.

Willimar, MINNESOTA

Feb 23, 2008 - The headline explains it all: Licensing board, teacher agree to monitoring

A Minnesota special education teacher will be monitored for the next two years because of allegations that she has mistreated students.

A stipulation agreement with the Minnesota Board of Teaching says no disciplinary action will be taken against her teaching licenses. The agreement also includes the provision that new allegations could lead to a reopened investigation and possibly to proceedings seeking to suspend her license.

Van Der Heiden has been the subject of complaints from two families in the past year. According to documents filed in federal court, she has been investigated by the state or school district five times in the past three years.

Links from the West Central Tribune:

Collection: Willmar special needs teacher case

PDF: Stipulation agreement on Lisa M. Vander Heiden's teaching license

tt - From the agreement: Van Der Heiden was represented by an Education Minnesota lawyer. Education Minnesota is an affiliate of the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and AFL-CIO.

Venice, FLORIDA

Feb 22, 2008 - Diana Z. O’Neill, 45, a special education teacher at Venice Middle School, was arrested Thursday for abuse of mentally handicapped students in her classroom.

In January, police received information from the Department of Children and Families regarding of abuse allegations. As the investigation progressed, two teacher's aides for O'Neill, corroborated the allegations. [Clarification from other stories: The aides took their concerns to the school principal who contacted the Department of Children and Families who then contacted police.]

In interviews, both aides reported they saw O'Neill lash out at the children and maliciously punish them by hitting, kicking and improperly restraining them. The witnesses reported that they had seen numerous acts of violence toward the children during the school year and they felt the incidents were increasingly dangerous to the health of the children.

The four victims in the case are all younger than 11 years old.

Tampa 10 reports that O'Neill is charged with four counts of Aggravated Child Abuse by Torturing, Punishing or Caging.

Tampa 10 provides a link to the Probable Cause Affidavits. PDF

CHARGED July 26 - The state attorney is charging O'Neill with four counts of child abuse, a lesser offense than the aggravated child abuse charges the Venice Police Department arrested her on in February.

Police records also indicate that O'Neill, 45, had been "talked to" in the past for similar behavior. But there is no record that any concerns were ever reported to the police or the school district to investigate. Arraignment is scheduled for August 8.

PRIOR CONCERNS August 12 - An investigative report released Monday by the school district details instances dating back to 2005 involving O'Neill. Concerns about O'Neill never triggered a formal investigation or a call to the state abuse hot line.

Some teachers who suspected abuse and reported it to Baus were reprimanded for spreading gossip. And O'Neill stayed in the classroom, responsible for the well-being of a handful of the most vulnerable students in the district.

The school's principal, Theresa Baus, warned O'Neill to watch her behavior, and passed complaints about the teacher on to district officials who left it up to Baus to handle.

The district's investigation was done by a private investigator hired to look into the most recent allegations against O'Neill and determine whether she can still work for the district.

According to the private investigator's report, Baus said that O'Neill's aides may not have come forward sooner with their complaints about the teacher because they were afraid of the union.

"Diana is a senior union representative," Baus told investigators, the report says. "They were probably a little afraid of Diana, afraid of losing their jobs."

The union, the newspaper reported, was paying O'Neill's defense attorneys after she was arrested. Gardner would not say whether the union continues to pay O'Neill's legal bills.

Peoria, ILLINOIS

Sentenced to seven years in federal prison and lifetime court supervision.

ARRESTED: Mar 5, 2007 -
Jodi Church, 26, a special education teacher at Manual High School, was arrested on criminal sexual assault charges involving a 16-year-old male student.

She has been placed on paid administrative leave. She was released from jail after posting bail. A preliminary is scheduled for Mar 29.

From a Department of Justice press release. We just know her parents are going to treasure this moment forever.

Mar 8 - Jodi Church, 26, a behaviorial teacher at Manual High School, was arrested and made her initial appearance in federal court. A judge ordered Church to remain detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending the preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for March 15, 2007.

Church is alleged to have engaged in an Internet chat with a minor on Dec. 9, 2006. Church allegedly attempted to solicit a minor for sexual activity on MySpace.com.
Full Name: Jodi Elizabeth Church

Hoi 19 News reports that on federal charges. Hoi 19 says that according to the federal charge, the student said he was not interested but Church continued to discuss sex with him. They also looked at background checks.

Mar 28 - Church will remain in jail until her trial.

SETTLEMENT OF TEACHER CONTRACT Mar 30 - Jodi Church and District 150 have reached a settlement for the early termination of her teacher contract. Church will receive $9,000 and health benefits through the end of May as part of the agreement. She resigned.

PSYCHIATRIC EXAM: May 4, 2007 - A Federal judge ordered a psychiatric examination for Church after her attorney said he would be planning a using an insanity defense. There was no objection from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

What will likely happen now is that Church, who is in custody, will be sent to undergo the exam, which will determine whether she is competent to stand trial. After about two or three months, the results should be back and a fitness hearing will be scheduled.

Church also faces charges of criminal sexual assault in Peoria County Circuit Court for allegedly having sex with another Manual student earlier this year.

TRIAL DATE SET: August 3 - A trial date has been scheduled in Federal court for November 5. Without objection from the prosecution, the defense submitted an insanity defense.

She is also charged in state court with having a sexual relationship with another student.

GUILTY PLEA: August 18 - Church pleaded guilty to chatting online with a student last December and attempting to entice him to have sex with her. Her insanity defense fell apart after a psychiatric examination showed she was competent to stand trial.
She will be sentenced November 30.

She faces charges of criminal sexual assault in Peoria County Circuit Court for allegedly having sex with another Manual student. That is scheduled for December 3.

Oct 21 - Peoria Journal Star: She still awaits trial in Peoria County court for the first charge, which accuses her of engaging in a months-long relationship with the first 16-year-old boy.

SENTENCED Feb 21, 2008 - Church was sentenced to seven years in federal prison this afternoon after being convicted of using the internet to attempt a sexual encounter with a teenage boy.

Prosecutor Tom Keith said he believed Church's tearful apology helped her cause. Keith says Church also helped herself by giving information to prosecutors about convicted child pornographer Anthony Fletcher who was also held in the Tazewell County Jail.

Church still faces state charges involving another teenage boy with whom she's accused of having a sexual relationship with.

In addition to her prison term, Church was sentenced to lifetime court supervision upon her release. She must also register as a sex offender. Her attorneys have requested she serve her time at a mental health facility in Cardswell, Texas to be closer to her family. She will be in county court on Monday on charges for having a sexual relationship with a different student.

U.S. Dept. of Justice, United States Attorney Rodger A. Heaton, Press Release (dated Feb 21, 2008)

STATE CHARGES & SENTENCING Feb 25 - Church pleaded guilty to state charges today, admitting that she had sex with a student. She was sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars, concurrent with a separate seven-year sentence for sexual solicitation over the Internet that she was sentenced last week in federal court.