CONNECTICUT

RANT OF THE DAY

July 12, 2007 - A convicted drug dealer in Connecticut will be allowed to teach.

... a math teacher at Fair Haven Middle School when he was arrested for selling cocaine to an undercover police officer in 2003. Hernandez's teaching certificate was automatically revoked when he was convicted Feb. 11, 2004. He was given a conditional discharge and a suspended sentence of three years in prison.

The state Board of Education reinstated him. With conditions:

Gesmonde proposed the conditions for his certificate, which would limit Hernandez to teach at Bridge Academy until Oct. 31, 2010, and require random drug testing.

He must also see a state licensed psychologist or psychiatrist at least twice a month until Oct. 31, 2010. Under terms of the agreement, Hernandez also would forgo confidentiality accorded to the patient-therapist relationship and authorize his therapist to give monthly updates on his progress to the state Board of Education. He must submit to random drug testing a minimum of four times a year and pay for the testing himself.

The only board member to vote against reinstatement summed it up nicely.

"I think there are certain events for which there are no second chances. We don't know if Mr. Hernandez can be trusted."

TT - Makes you wonder if the Connecticut Board of Education should be trusted. By voters.

The school rates a 3 at Greatschools.com and has 54% Blacks and 42% Hispanic students which tells you that the nearly-all white state Board of Education what they think minorities deserve.

Cocoa, FLORIDA

PLEADED GUILTY Nov 22, 2006 - Daniel Cliatt, 31, sixth grade teacher at Cocoa's Endeavour Elementary School, pleaded guilty on 13 counts of sexual battery and child molestation on a 12-year-old male student.

Cliatt was "one of 16 teachers picked to stay on at Endeavour Elementary school in Cocoa, to help the school improve its failing grade." Police say Cliatt engaged in a sexual relationship with the boy for several months in 2005. The incidents happened during after-school tutoring sessions.

Jan 15, 2007 - Florida Today interviewed friends and family and former students. Ciatt is accused of molesting a number of boys, not just the 13-year-old he was caught with. A co-worker found Ciatt and one boy together. Friends, family, and former neighbors were "they were even more stunned when he pleaded guilty in November after rejecting the state’s offer that could have set him free after 34 years in prison."

BULLETPROOF VEST Police dressed Cliatt in a bulletproof vest for his first court appearance in April 2005. A second trial involving three other students is scheduled for after his sentencing on Jan 16.

Jan 16, 2007 - Ciatt was sentenced to 70 years and lifetime probation.

WFTV reports, "Surrounding him were a number of sheriff's deputies making sure no one took justice into their own hands." Scum candidate for the year was Cliatt's attorney at one point claiming the teen was a "willing participant."

Cliatt could still face other charges of child molestation. At least five other students have come forward and the Brevard County School District faces at least two lawsuits from those students' parents.

Update June 7 - Possible second trial to be determined today.

SENTENCED July 12 - Ciatt pleaded no contest to 16 counts of sexual offenses against three children during 2003 and was sentenced to another 70 years, to run concurrently, and lifelong probation.

Denton, TEXAS

It's becoming obvious that teachers need pyschological testing before hiring and being given access to children.

July 11, 2007 - Lauren Cosgrove, 28, a 7th Grade Language Arts at Strickland Middle School, was arrested on two counts of aggravated sexual assault to a child.

Police allege Cosgrove had a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy while babysitting him during the summer. He was a former student.
The Dallas Morning News reports that she is married with two children. Cosgrove was supposed to surrender to police, but they arrested her when she tried to contact the victim.

According to the court records, the boy’s siblings told their parents they had seen him and his teacher go into his bedroom and shut the door numerous times. The boy admitted to the detective that he had sexual relations with her, the documents stated.

“He told his parents he and Lauren have plans to be together when he reaches the age of 18,” according to the document. “[The victim] said he was worried what the consequences for Lauren would be. He said he knew she was wrong for what she had done but said he was also at fault. He said Lauren had told him she was afraid she would lose her children if anyone found out about their relationship.”

Full Name: Lauren Michelle Cosgrove

TT - What a burden to put on a child.

Oct 24 - Cosgrove was briefly back in jail after trying to contact the 13-year-old boy she admitted having a sexual relationship with last summer.

Detective Shane Kizer said Cosgrove was admonished not to contact the boy. But two days later, one of the boy's friends called him and began trying to talk to him about the case. The victim handed the telephone to his mother, Kizer said, and she learned from the friend that Cosgrove had asked him to set up a three-way call so she could talk to the boy without her number appearing on caller ID.

"She wanted to tell him what to say to make things better for her in court," Kizer said.
Because the victim and his family were suffering from intense publicity in the case, they agreed it would be better not to file more charges just then, he said.

They released her on bail - again.

Cosgrove's case is expected to go to the Denton County Grand Jury within the month. Cosgrove is married with two children, ages 2 and 11.

UPDATE -
Indicted on November 1, 2007
Arraignment on November 26, 2007
Jury Trial scheduled for September 29, 2008 Judge: RIVERA-WORLEY, CARMEN

Veronia, OREGON

Pot for me, but not for thee.

July 11, 2007 - A school principal who was cited for possession of marijuana has the "full support" of Verona School District Superintendent Kenneth Cox and, according to him, the majority of the school board.

"It was an unfortunate mistake and a poor choice to make," Cox said. "But I've had a meeting with Mr. Miller, and he's planning on making things better, making things right."

The school district is famous for their hardline stand against drugs. They mandated drug testing of athletes in 1989, a policy they successfully defended to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Of course, those were students. When it comes to one of their own, the elementary school principal will get a pass. Good going, guys.

Ambridge, PENNSYLVANIA

ARRESTED April 4, 2007 - David Costanza, 28, an Ambridge Area High School social studies teacher, was arrested and charged with statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and corruption of minors.

He is accused of having sexual contact with one of his students, a 15-year-old girl. He has been suspended with pay.

Costanza is the son of school board president Charles Costanza.
Full Name: David M. Costanza

Post-Gazette: Costanza was arrested after the brother of the girl found a number of sexually provocative text messages between Mr. Costanza and the girl.

Apr 5 - Costanza was arraigned Wednesday and was placed in the Beaver County Jail on $50,000 cash bond. He had posted bail and was released by Thursday afternoon.
Ambridge Area School Board President Charles Costanza submitted his resignation hours after his son's arrest.

NO CONTEST PLEA May 28 - Costanza pleaded no contest to a single count of statutory sexual assault for having sex with one of his students. There was no agreement on the sentence as part of the plea. He is expected to be sentenced July 11th.

From Beaver County Times: "Beaver County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Popovich said that once Costanza enters his plea, he will automatically lose his teaching certification in Pennsylvania. Popovich said anyone with a misdemeanor or felony charge conviction loses certification permanently."

SENTENCED July 12 - Costanza was sentenced to 6 months to two years in county jail - not prison - with the possibility of parole after six months and 5 years' probation after the jail sentence. He must also undergo treatment program for sexual offenders. Must pay restitution to the victim's family for her therapy.

TT - Shamefully, two teachers testified on his behalf, one of them slated to be the victim's teacher in the Fall.

LAWSUIT - Dec 3 - The mother of the victim has filed a federal lawsuit, claiming administrators there knew the man's propensities. The woman's lawsuit also alleges that the school district failed to take action against Mr. Costanza because his father, Charles Costanza, was the school board president. He resigned the day his son was charged.

Klaas' Kids Foundation Pennsylvania page.

LICENSE April 3, 2008 - The state revoked the Constanza's teaching certificate.

Rowlett, TEXAS

July 11, 2007 - Robert Rigby, 52, a Rowlett High School history teacher, was arrested after sending explicit messages and photos to someone he thought was a 15-year-old girl.

It turned out to be a police officer. Rigby charged with online solicitation.

Montgomery City, MISSOURI

Found guilty of child molestation but innocent of statutory rape and sodomy.

TRIAL: May 22, 2007 - Jason Devlin, 30, a Montgomery County R-2 High School teacher , is on trial, accused of having sex with sex with a 14-year-old girl. He's charged with statutory rape, statutory sodomy and child molestation. He was arrested in 2004. He resigned.

The trial began today.

Not in the story above, Devlin and his wife faced separate trials. She was accused of witness tampering for urging the alleged victim in January to recant the statement she gave to police. No online information on disposition of that case.

GUILTY: May 24 - The jury found Devlin guilty of of child molestation and not guilty of statutory rape and statutory sodomy.

May 25 - A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July. The jury recommended a sentence of one year in the county jail and a fine. Devlin's wife, Shannon, is charged with witness tampering for allegedly trying to make the victim recant her statements. Her trial is set to begin June 8.

SENTENCED: July 11, 2007 - Devlin was was sentenced to one year in the county jail for child molestation.

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST WIFE: Oct 1 - Charges have been dismissed against Shannon Devilin, 32. The charges were dropped last week against She was originally accused of tampering with a witness in her husband's case.

Trustworthiness PART I

April 9, 2007 - The Long Beach (Ca) Press-Telegram is calling for the resignation of School Board Trustee Michael Shane Ellis.

Ellis was arrested Feb. 18 on suspicion of drunken driving in Seal Beach. Orange County Superior Court records state that his blood alcohol level was .15, nearly twice the legal limit of .08. Ellis was placed on probation for an accident he didn't report. They make their case for his resignation.

But is he a good role model? Long Beach Unified has programs warning students of the dangers of drunken driving. The school board is responsible for those problems.

TT - It's a good point, only it would have been better had they made it, say, years ago? When Ellis was representing the union?

On Feb. 9 of this year, Ellis was convicted of a misdemeanor for being an unlicensed driver, a charge that was filed July 28, 2006, according to court records.

And on Nov. 2, 1995, he was convicted of a misdemeanor for driving with a suspended license, a charge filed June 12 of that year, according to court records. His driver's license had been suspended because he had forgotten to take care of a ticket he had received previously for not wearing a seat belt.

TT - So why bring up his previous convictions now? The Press-Telegram didn't. The convictions were brought up by a member of the public at a school board meeting during the public comment period.

Sanctimoniously, the newspaper notes that "Though we disagreed with Ellis and his allies in the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) in the past over political issues, that has nothing to do with our recommendation today."

Wisely, they refrained from linking to Ellis' statement they published and left unchallenged when he ran for the trustee position. You know, the one where he says, "Support teaching that character is important and promote trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship." Nor did they refer to the union that has pumped tens of thousands of dollars into campaigning in Long Beack. Nor did they focus too much on the two new union-backed board members - one openly gay and Ellis who was a union representative who cared so much about teaching that he let his credential lapse and was terminated by the district.

They didn't disagree with Ellis or the union enough to bring up the convictions before the 2006 election. They didn't care enough to even investigate the candidate and ask the right questions before the election. That's a lot of uncaring about character. Until the public starts to notice.

UPDATE July 11 - Ellis is still a school board member, but now he has had his teaching credential suspended for a government claim for child support. He said it was a mix-up.

Ellis on June 30 resigned his employment as a middle school teacher in the Baldwin Park district, where he began teaching in September of last year, according to district records. Ellis, who has not yet obtained another teaching position, is seeking to work in a district closer to Long Beach, he said.

As a teacher on special assignment at Baldwin Park, he spent most of his time outside the classroom performing administrative duties, such as serving as a coordinator for state testing, he said.

TT - OH, did we mention, he was a union guy?

CofC DROPS RECALL EFFORT April 30 - The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce has dropped their recall campaign when they were unable to gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Chamber President and CEO Randy Gordon said, "We believe Mr. Ellis is still the worst school board member in the history of the Long Beach Unified School District.”

With school board members Felton Williams and Jon Meyer having won reelection last month, however, Ellis is now harmless, he said.

“Mr. Williams and Mr. Meyer are there for the right reasons,” he said, adding that they are not political puppets serving special interests such as Ellis with the local teacher’s union.

“They have no future aspirations whatsoeverÉ. Those are the kind of school board members we like.”

Appalachia, VIRGINIA

ARRESTED: June 1, 2007 - Miranda Peters, 26, an art teacher at Appalachia High School and Appalachia Primary School, was arrested on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for urging another student to lie to police about the alleged relationship with another girl. The teacher is being investigated for an improper relationship with a female high school student.

Peters will be arraigned on Wednesday.
Full Name: Naomi Miranda Peters

This is the second criminal probe of a Wise County school division employees this year.

Earlier this week, Darlene A. Blagg, a teacher's aide pleaded guilty to three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child under 18 while employed in a supervisory role over children. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail, a three-year suspended prison sentence, two years of supervised probation, and one year of unsupervised probation. Blagg will also be a registered sex offender, a lifelong status.
TT - Link for Blagg

GUILTY PLEA AND SENTENCED: July 11 - Peters pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was given a 10-day suspended sentence and one-year of unsupervised probation.

Peters was not charged with having an improper relationship with the student, but she was arrested on the last day of school last month and charged with asking another student to lie to police, said Capt. Mike Holbrook, an investigator with the sheriff’s office.

The investigation is still ongoing.

Tampa, FLORIDA

ARRESTED: Feb 8, 2007 - Cheryl Foster-Lawrentz, a Chamberlain High School teacher, was arrested and charged with with grand theft and fraud. She was a senior class sponsor who is alleged to have stolen from the senior class fundraising account.
She has been placed on administration leave "until the situation is sorted out."

A Missouri teacher was indicted for the same thing.

SENTENCED: July 11 - Foster-Lawrentz pleaded guilty. She was sentenced to 18 months' probation. She will be required to repay $9701 in restitution perform 50 hours of community service and undergo a psychological evaluation.

East Hartford, CONNECTICUT

July 11, 2007 - Angela Schmidt, 55, a middle school special education teacher, was sentenced to two years' probation for falsely claiming rape for consensual sex with another teacher.

She was arrested June 21, 2006 and charged with second-degree falsely reporting an incident and second-degree giving a false statement. In addition, she must comply with psychiatric treatment, perform 100 hours of community service each year.

The charges will not remain on her permanent record if she completes the requirements of the program.

ARREST: June 22, 2006 from Journal Inquirer. LINK

Newton, MISSISSIPPI

Sentenced to 20 years on each count with all but three years and six months suspended.


Jan 3, 2007 - The Newton Record recalls the top stories of 2006, and an award winning coach.

ARRESTED Steven Harris, 30, Newton County High School teacher and assistant coach, was arrested and charged in October with two counts of statutory rape and three counts of sexual battery for alleged involvement with a teen-age girl.

Superintendent of Education Billy Pierce said Harris was asked to leave in May. Harris is currently being held in the Newton County jail and will likely go before a Newton County grand jury this month. the earliest possible court date will be in April of this year.

Oct 18, 2006 story. Arrest notes "Harris is being held in the Marion County jail on $150,000 bond on the two charges and is also on a retainer by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation since charges are pending against him in another county."

ADDITIONAL CHARGES Jan 25, 2007 - Additional charges of statutory rape and sexual battery were later brought against Harris in Newton County, where he had previously been employed. The charges against Harris in Marion County are awaiting grand jury review. [INDICTED May 1.]

INDICTED May 1 - A Marion County grand jury has indicted for allegedly having sex with a student.

Officials in Newton County said they also had concerns about Harris' contact with a female student, when he was an assistant baseball coach in Decatur.

GUILTY PLEA July 11, 2007 - Harris pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery. In addition to the Marion County charges, Harris also is facing two counts of statutory rape and three counts of sexual battery for incidents in Newton County.

SENTENCED: Harris was sentenced to two 20-year terms for two counts of sexual battery today. The judge suspended all but three years and six months of each of the sentences. Harris, 31, will spend at least seven years in prison.

He will be required to register as a sex offender and will not be allowed to teach again.. He still faces two counts of statutory rape and three counts of sexual battery for incidents in Newton County.

Denver, COLORADO

July 10, 2007 - Part II of an investigative report by CBS4 Denver on how the Colorado Department of Education does not report 2,000 to 3,000 teacher arrests EACH YEAR to the schools that employ them.

Their rationale is that the information is personal and confidential, despite the fact that arrest information is public.

Deputy Education Commissioner Karen Stroup was "taken back" that her agency has not been sharing arrest information with school districts. "It does surprise me," she said.

The Cost of Education

July 10, 2007 - Because of declining enrollment, an Arkansas school district won't be replacing four teachers. However, in spite of that, they want a $6 million tax increase to build a new middle school.

Well, not actually build. The state will build it. The district has to pay $2.9 million of the costs. Seems reasonable until you consider they also want to spend $1.9 million on athletic facilities.

In reference to the proposed athletic facilities, Bennett said the proposed 8,300-square-foot, $750,000 field house would contain a fitness room, training room, equipment room, concession stand, as well as two coaches' offices, locker rooms and restrooms.Also included in the athletic plans are a $400,000 regulation-size, eight-lane track, and a $200,000 stadium, with a $135,000 lighting system.

TT - The Median household income is $24,568 in Green Forest. Source: Greatschools.com Of course, what might be a factor is that the enrollment in the district is 73% white and 26% Hispanic in a state where 6% is average for Hispanics.

Bad Hiring Decisions

Bad hiring decisions cost taxpayers millions each year.

July 10 - Schools and universities don't call them Bad Hiring Decisions. They're buyouts - paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to teachers and faculty or administrators who are tenured. In Missouri State University, it was $700,000 to nine departing employees in the past five years.

“You try to make some sort of judgment on the merits of litigation. What is it worth to the university to resolve it?” said Missouri State President Mike Nietzel, who has agreed to five such buyouts in his two years at the university.

“It’s not (a) $10,000 (agreement) versus nothing, but it’s $10,000 versus two months of a court case.”

How do you explain a $275,000 was given to a coach because the university could see increases in both ticket sales and fan support with a new coach?

Most of the agreements are made with tenured faculty. Under state statute, such workers can only be fired for “incompetence, neglect or refusal to perform his duties, dishonesty, drunkenness or immoral conduct.”

TT - you would be hard-pressed to find teachers fired for any of those breaches. The reason is that teachers unions provide free legal aid to tenured teachers which helps to reinforce this perception of invulnerability. The best most districts can do is negotiate a resignation, leaving the incompetent teacher free to teach in another district.

In the case of Hendrix, they hired him KNOWING his conviction for a sex offense against a small boy. Try and figure that one out. TT - Link to Hendrix.

Rolling Fork, MISSISSIPPI

Grand jury decides on no criminal charges for the tragedy.

ARRESTED July 10, 2007 - A 30-year-old a teacher's aide, was arrested and charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence in the death of a 19-month-old child who was left on a transportation van for more than seven hours.

Last week, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health revoked the certification for the early intervention program at MCFS, which is designed to enhance the development of infants, toddlers and young children with disabilities or children who are at risk for developing disabilities. MDMH cited two standard failures on the part MDFS, including the failure to meet the staff-to-child ratio when transporting children and failure to provide adequate staff needed to ensure health, safety and welfare

NO CRIMINAL CHARGE: August 15 - After careful consideration, the grand jury decided the van escort should not face a criminal charge.

District Attorney Gil Martin, who presented the accusation of manslaughter by culpable negligence, said the citizen panel deliberated intensely.“Her case was presented and we debated for an hour and a half, which is a long time for a grand jury,” Martin said.

The center's MDH licensure remains suspended. The parents of the child have filed a lawsuit.

Santa Ana, CALIFORNIA

July 10, 2007 - Barry Landreth, 37, a one-time USC Marshall School of Business lecturer, was sentenced to 6 years for an investment scam. He pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, but the judge rejected the deal that would have called for 41 months.

Landreth's victims included former students.

Grand Junction, COLORADO

AGAIN????

July 10, 2007 - You might remember Tammie Lee Reed. She's the first grade teacher arrested five times since being caught with methamphetamine in October 2005.

She had the kind of judge and prosecutor a drug addict prays for - and got. Along with probation and community service.

Now they're squabbling over whether the judge who released her to travel to a fictitious wedding will oversee her newest hearing or whether the public defender will be allowed to represent her in an upcoming hearing. TT - Links to Reed

You wonder if after two years, the Colorado Department of Education has gotten around to notifying her school. Or if her five arrests are considered "personal and confidential information."

COLORADO

Eric Yoder, an investigator with the Colorado Department of Education, said his agency is notified of between 2,000 and 3,000 arrests of licensed educators every year for everything from DUI to murder.

But he said arrest information is not passed along to school districts because CDE considers such information to be "personal" and confidential, even though arrests are a matter of public information.

Yoder said CDE only notifies school districts after licensed educators have been convicted, which can take months or even years after the initial arrest.

July 10, 2007 - A CBS4 investigation discovered the non-reporting in following the story of Garry Weaver, hired in 2004, arrested in January 2005 for stabbling two men in a fight. He pleaded guilty in September 2005. Six weeks later, the Colorado Department of Education notified the school. They fired him. However, not before he taught the whole school year.

Brian Maass, the investigative reporter says on the video report that "No matter what the crime, they [Colorado Department of Education] wouldn't pass it along to the school district."

Hebron, INDIANA

No jail time for sexual abuse of two learning disabled boys.

July 10, 2007 - Amber Marshall, 25, a Hebron High School as a teacher's aide, was sentenced to six years probation. She pleaded guilty to who pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with two special needs students.

During the 2004-05 school year, Marshall had allegedly furnished alcohol to 15- and 16-year-old learning disabled boys while she was employed at Hebron High School as a teacher's aide.

She told police she had sex with the boys at her home, in her parked car in unincorporated south Lake County and at Stoney Run Park in Leroy. Police caught Marshall in her car with the 16-year-old.

In exchange for her guilty pleas, the prosecution dropped four class B felony charges of sexual intercourse with a minor.

Marshall faces additional charges in Lake County stemming from the same case.

Arkansas Board of Education

RANT OF THE DAY

July 9, 2007 - The Arkansas Board of Education voted to permanently revoke the teaching license of Craig Edwards, 26. He pleaded guilty in May to sexually assaulting a student. TT - Link to Edwards.

Other board actions:

In other business, the board approved requests from Jennifer Wickliffe and Tammara Mitchell for waivers allowing them to teach in Arkansas despite past criminal convictions.

Wickliffe, who is working to obtain a teacher's license, was convicted of felony possession of drug paraphernalia in Faulkner County in July 2003. Mitchell, who teaches English at the Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative in Monticello and is seeking to renew her license, was convicted of forgery and receiving stolen property in Tennessee in February 1989, a background check revealed.

Both women told the board they made mistakes in the past but have changed their lives. The board voted to deny requests from Mark Bernard and Gayle Moreland for waivers allowing them to work as noncertified employees of the Gentry and Rogers school districts, respectively. Bernard was convicted of third-degree assault on a family or household member, a misdemeanor, in August 2000. Moreland was convicted on a felony hot check charge in Sebastian County in December 1984. Neither was present Monday.

Somerset, NEW JERSEY

July 9, 2007 -
Christopher Gentile, 39, a Franklin High School science teacher, was sentenced to five years for second-degree crimes of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, stemming from a three-month relationship he had with a 14-year-old student. The crime dates from November of 2003 to February of 2004.

The plea agreement called for the five year sentence. The student is now 18.

From the Courier News:

Gentile was arrested in February 2004 and charged with having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old freshman student at her home and at the high school.

Gentile was also sentenced by Judge Robert B. Reed in Somerville to one year in prison on fourth-degree contempt of a judicial order to run concurrent withis five-year term.

Gentile was told to stay away fom the victim while out on bail but in May 2004, school officials told authorities the victim had missed days of school and it was discovered the victim cutting school to see Gentile, according to court records.

Gay Education

The Maryland Board of Education has decided to include gay and transgender lessons in all schools in the Fall. It has been an ongoing battle with Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum and two other groups.

The grassroot groups have several objections. A Montgomery County Board of Education member has been given opinion space to claim this was Tolerance Wins in Maryland after the Maryland Board of Education rejected legal efforts to modify the curriculum. The Maryland Board of Education admits that the lessons are "offensive, in parts, to Appellant's religious beliefs" but they provide for an opt-out for parents who do not want their children to take the additional lessons.

The Maryland Board of Education supports, oddly, the Montgomery Board assertion that "teaching tolerance of diversity is a civic value, and public schools are the main vehicle for 'tranmitting the values on which our society rests." (Pg 9.) Which is odd when you consider that religious values are excluded altogether from public schools in Maryland.

There were five board member who abstained. See Board Decision. PDF

Also noteworthy at the Maryland Board of Education site are the minutes of the May 17, 2007 Executive Session removing Nathaniel B. Thomas as a Prince George’s school board member. That vote was unamimous. TT - Link

York, PENNSYLVANIA

July 9, 2007 - Joyce Royster, 58, former York City School District administrator, will be arraigned on charges that she obstructed justice and conspired with ex-husband Edward Fullum III to keep a young girl from testifying that Fullum molested her.

[Royster] will be charged with six counts of first-degree felony intimidation of witnesses or victims and two counts of criminal conspiracy, also a first-degree felony.

She also will be charged with two counts each of hindering the apprehension or prosecution (a third-degree felony); obstructing the administration of law or other governmental functions (a second-degree misdemeanor); and two counts of criminal attempt, a first-degree felony, according to charging documents.

Spring Garden Township Police have filed the same set of charges against Fullum. The couple are now divorced.

In July 2006, Fullum was acquitted of charges he inappropriately touched female students -- all around the age of 12 -- between November 2004 and April 2005 during gym classes at the school.
After the allegations were leveled against him in June 2005, the York City School District suspended him, and he retired in September 2005.

Also in June 2005, York City Police cited the school district for failing to report the suspected inappropriate touching of students, as required by state law. The district pleaded guilty to the summary offense and paid a $400 fine.

See TT- Link for Fullum.

Teacher Firings - New York City Schools

July 7, 2007 - The graphic from the New York Post says it all.


The ones that are fired are non-tenured.

Although there is a stipulation in the teachers contract allowing the DOE to freeze the pay of teachers involved in sex crimes even while a criminal trial is going on, a "probable-cause hearing" is needed.

Chesterfield County, VIRGINIA

Fired or retired?

July 7, 2007 - Edward B. Barber, a former county supervisor and physical education teacher at Crenshaw Elementary School, is suing the school district for $200,000 plus attorneys fees as compensation for benefits he was denied after he left the school system last summer.

Barber was suspended from his job after he was arrested Dec. 29, 2005, on two felony sex-crime charges involving his teenage stepdaughter. He continued to serve as a supervisor after his arrest but resigned that post not long after pleading guilty June 28 last year to two misdemeanor counts of sexually battery against the girl.

He claimed he filed for retirement and the district claims he was fired August 9 and was ineligible for benefits.

He could probably use the money. He's being sued by his step-daughter for $7.35 million.

TT - For the sexual battery, Barber was given a two-year suspended sentence, three years of probation and 100 hours of community service. It is too bad communities can't sue judges for imposing slimeballs on the public.

Nov 7 - Barber has created a web site to provide legal information to people accused of crimes. It can be found at http://www.iamaccused.org/ Reportedly, he intends to run it as a subscription-based service. The first posting was about his arrest but that was pulled when the newspaper contacted him.

Barber maintains he pleaded guilty to avoid incarceration. A poster at the site commented, " I would go to prison for 100 years before I would plead guilty to molesting my daughter if i were acctually innocent. "

Roseville, CALIFORNIA

July 6, 2007 - John Spaich spoke to News10.

Three days after former Roseville teacher Kelly Spaich pleaded no contest to unlawful sex with a 16-year-old former student, her husband has confirmed he's the one who turned her in to police last March.

And, he also notes,

"By her having some type of probation and not getting any time, she doesn't quite know what she's actually done," said her husband.

"To me she's a typical manipulator, a predator." "Anybody in a position of authority should be held to a higher standard," he said. "They know what is right and what is wrong."

He also worries about sharing custody with her.

He says he's now struggling with the possibility of shared child custody. "I would like them (the courts) to take into consideration what she has done and how she has destroyed what has been built through our marriage," he said. "I don't know how any parent could put their child in a situation like that."

They have a 13-month-old daughter and he has filed for divorce.

TT - Link for Spaich. She will be on our California Credential Watch to see if she loses her teaching license.

July 19 - License has been suspended.

Sanford, FLORIDA

ARRESTED:July 6, 2007 -
Robert Williams, 62, a 7th grade teacher at Millennium Middle School, was arrested on 50 counts of possession of child pornography after police said he had numerous photos of children engaged in oral sex and sexual intercourse on his home computer.

Police received several complaints about Williams' online activity, including his MySpace account. They found the child pornography on his computer. They included images of children, from infants to pre-teens, involved in sex acts.
Full Name: Robert Howard Williams

San Bernardino, CALIFORNIA

Updated Feb 4 to include lawsuit and re-dated to bump up.
Updated Feb 16 to include his no contest plea. Re-dated to bump.

Updated July 6 - to include sentenice. Re-dated to bump.

Sep 7, 2006 - [From Google cache] Eric Olsen, 28, substitute teacher, taught at a number of elementary schools in San Bernardino County is facing multiple child molestation charges. Some charges dated back as far as 2004.[Emphasis mine.]

Indeed, Olsen worked in at least 14 school districts in the last three years, before the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing got around to suspending his substitute permit last month.
Full name: Eric Norman Olsen

UPDATE: Aug 8, 2006 - Olsen reportedly confessed to molesting as many as 200 girls in Riverside, Kern, and San Bernardino counties in a three-year span. His statement to police is so offensive that we will not link to it.

UPDATE: Dec 30, 2006 - (End of year perspective story.) A judge later dismissed nine of 100 molestation charges, saying prosecutors had insufficient evidence. Deputy District Attorney Jason Anderson agreed five of the counts should have been dismissed, but re-filed four of the charges.

"There had been complaints against Olsen, but to protect the privacy of employees, the state does not share information with other school districts until formal charges are filed." - [Certainly should alert parents in the District.]

UPDATE: Jan 17, 2007 - Lawyers for accused teacher say there isn't any evidence and want dismissal. The Daily Bulletin coverage is thorough. First complaints about Olsen surfaced in 2005. In December, one school district dropped him as a substitute and reported him to authorities. He claims he didn't confess.

"After this, I probably won't go back to teaching unless I go to another state," Olsen said. "I want people to know that I did nothing wrong and that I will be cleared of all these charges." [Bolding mine.]

UPDATE: Jan 27 - A judge refused to dismiss charges against Olsen. He claimed the charges against him should be dismissed because there was no evidence he touched the children in any sort of sexual manner.

The judge disagreed, saying even though the touching wasn't overtly sexual, it still amounts to molestation if prosecutors can prove Olsen did it to arouse himself.

"The nature of the touching is not crucial," Uhler said. "What is crucial is his intent." She also said she believed the charges against Olsen should stick because, based on the letter Olsen wrote to police, it appears he touched the children for sexual gratification.

UPDATE: Feb 4 - Parents are suing three school districts - Chino Valley Unified, San Bernardino City Unified and Ontario-Montclair - and two county agencies, claiming the education system failed to stop a substitute elementary school teacher from molesting their children. (The two agencies are the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and the county's Department of Children's Service for neglecting their legal duties to report Olsen's conduct to police.)

They say the other district - Central School District in Rancho Cucamonga - failed to conduct a basic background check before hiring Olsen that would have revealed he had been banned from teaching in the neighboring districts. The newspaper opines,

The lawsuits raise interesting issues about what responsibility school districts have to communicate with each other about potentially troublesome teachers.

Olsen taught in 17 school districts in three counties before police arrested him.

He was banned from teaching in Chino Valley Unified School District in October 2004 after he inappropriately touched a 5-year-old girl at an elementary school. Similarly, the families say Olsen was banned from the San Bernardino City Unified School District in April 2005 after allowing first-graders onto his lap. A hearing is set for March 28.

Update Feb 7 - Local paper continues to follow story. A reporter from the Daily Bulletin noticed that Olsen was still licensed to teach. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing said in August it had suspended Eric Norman Olsen's teaching permit. However, at the same time it suspended him, the agency also approved Olsen's application for a new credential, unwittingly clearing the way for him to go back into the classroom.

This is not the first time Olsen's case has exposed loopholes in a system that is supposed to protect children from predators.

He taught in 17 school districts in three counties before police arrested him in August.

Three of those districts had banned him from teaching after alleged inappropriate conduct toward students, but other districts continued to hire him because he held a valid credential and no system was in place to notify them of his prior troubles.

Update Feb 16 - PLEADED NO CONTEST Olsen pleaded no contest today to charges that he molested six students. His plea was not part of a plea bargain with prosecutors, but rather he pleaded no-contest to Judge Ingrid Uhler.

The judge said she will send Olsen to the state prison system for a 90-day battery of psychological exams. She will use the report from the doctors who will examine Olsen to decide how to sentence him.

Update Feb 16 - The Daily Bulletin links to Olsen's statement to the police that is alarming and sick. It's in pdf format.

Update Feb 22 - Newspaper editorializes against probation for Olsen.

And it will be a disgusting outrage, if an admitted pervert, who told detectives he got sexually aroused by having 6-year-old girls sit on his lap in the classroom, ends up back on the streets.

If Olsen "gets off with just probation, it will be a sickening and perverse travesty of justice."

Update May 18 - Prison officials who examined Eric Norman Olsen, 29, over the past three months deemed him a suitable candidate for probation and psychological counseling, despite concluding that he is likely a pedophile who has problems controlling his impulses.

Olsen, a soft-spoken Ontario man, who was a substitute elementary school teacher who taught in at least 17 school districts in three counties, will be sentenced next month.

June 15 - Sentencing has been postponed until July 16.

July 6 - SENTENCED - Olsen was sentenced to five years in prison. Newspaper headline: "Pedophile Olsen gets 5 years. TT - But NOT, it must be pointed out, labeled a sex offender.

Headlines

U.K. newspapers seem to have better headline editors.

Or maybe they just have some ethics.

Toilet video pervert spared jail

A married teacher who rigged up a secret camera to film indecent images of female staff and pupils using a toilet was spared jail today.

Paul Bodley, 55, confessed to his perverted obsession after his camcorder was found hidden inside a box by a 15-year-old girl using the lavatory, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Bodley, who was has since resigned as head of music and expressive arts at Redhill School in Stourbridge, West Midlands, was sentenced to a three-year probation order and ordered to register as a sex offender for five years.

Murfreesboro, TENNESSEE

July 6, 2007 - Mark Durrett, 33, a teaching assistant at Middle Tennesee State University, was arrested and charged with one count of statutory rape for sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl.

Under Tennessee law, minors — older than 12, but younger than 18 — are considered victims of rape when the sex partner is at least four years older.

Full Name: Mark D. Durrett

York, PENNSYLVANIA

Jan 19, 2007 - Edward Fullum, Hannah Penn Middle School gym teacher, is to stand trial on charges that he sexually molested a 7-year-old girl in his home. A Judge ruled that Fullum should stand trial on four counts of aggravated indecent assault, three counts of indecent assault and one count each of unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of a minor. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Feb 23.

In July, a York County jury found Fullum not guilty of inappropriately touching four students during gym classes. Fullum had been charged with the allegations in June 2005. He retired from the York City School District in September 2005.
Full name: Edward Fullum III

UPDATE July 6 - The York County D.A.s office will no longer seek to dismiss the case. The senior prosecutor "has filed charges of intimidation of witnesses or victims, obstruction of the administration of law, hindering apprehension or prosecution and criminal conspiracy against Fullum and his wife, Joyce Royster, 58." The judge has asked to meet with the girl to see if she is "available for trial."

Under state law, a child witness is "unavailable" if testifying in court would result in severe emotional distress to the point it would impair the child's ability to effectively communicate to the court.

It's a long and lengthy case best explained by Parent Advocates in this posting.

UPDATE July 9 - The York Dispatch: Fullum's ex-wife, Joyce Royster, 58, will be arraigned on charges of six counts of first-degree felony intimidation of witnesses or victims and two counts of criminal conspiracy, also a first-degree felony.

She also will be charged with two counts each of hindering the apprehension or prosecution (a third-degree felony); obstructing the administration of law or other governmental functions (a second-degree misdemeanor); and two counts of criminal attempt, a first-degree felony, according to charging documents. Fullum will be charged with the same.

In July 2006, Fullum was acquitted of charges he inappropriately touched female students -- all around the age of 12 -- between November 2004 and April 2005 during gym classes at the school.
After the allegations were leveled against him in June 2005, the York City School District suspended him, and he retired in September 2005.

Also in June 2005, York City Police cited the school district for failing to report the suspected inappropriate touching of students, as required by state law. The district pleaded guilty to the summary offense and paid a $400 fine.

Easley, SOUTH CAROLINA

July 6, 2007 - Curtis "Curt" Ballard, 52, was arrested and charged with four counts of criminal solicitation of a minor. He thought he was talking to two 13-year-old girls. He masturbated for the "girls" via a webcam on four occasions.

Ballard is a a nationally certified science teacher at Easley High School.
Full Name: Curtis "Curt" Richard Ballard

RESIGNED: July 23 - Ballard resigned.

GUILTY PLEA AND SENTENCING From the South Carolina Board of Education website. (Nov 8, 2007 action) Ballard entered a guilty plea on Oct 17, 2007 to one count of criminal solicitation of a minor. He was sentenced to five years suspended, with three years probation. He must also register as a sex offender. He agreed to permanently surrender his South Carolina educator's certificate.

St. Paul, MINNESOTA

When elementary school teachers have fantasies about child pornography, there's a problem.



Jan 3, 2007 -
James R. Wichmann, 47, a fourth-grade teacher at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Elementary School, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment for one count of possession of child pornography.

Authorities arrested Wichmann in October after being alerted to a contractor who found a folder with images of child pornography at Wichmann's home. He alerted police who found 200 pictures and also seized a portable drive with a number of images. Wichmann admitted that the pictures were his but that he never touched any of the girls, "that they were simply part of a fantasy, which he has never acted out."

He's on paid administrative leave.

PLEADED GUILTY July 5 - Wichmann pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.

Wichmann will spend six months in Burnett County Jail. He also has to remain in compliance with mental health providers. He will be on probation for 10 years.

TT - Is this the same Jim Wichmann who was listed on Teachers Groups Against the War?

Hendersonville, TENNESSEE

July 4, 2007 - Maria Williams, 34, Indian Lake Elementary School teacher, arrested for felony possession of Schedule II drugs within 1,000 feet of a school has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of simple possession, casual exchange.

She was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days to be served at 75 percent. The sentence was SUSPENDED. Williams was also ordered to one year of supervised probation as well as to pay court costs. The conditional guilty plea means she will have her record expunged after the probation.

According to court documents, more than 100 grams of cocaine that was packaged for resale was found in a common area of Maria and Ronald Williams's Chesapeake Harbor home on May 24. Officers also found more than $6,000 in cash and three hand guns. The couple's home is near Walton Ferry Elementary School.

Her husband was killed in a car accident. She claimed she didn't know he was dealing drugs.

Georgia

July 3, 2007 - A new law, The Grade Integrity Act of 2007, goes into effect on July 8 that it makes it an ethics violation for a principal to coerce or intimidate a teacher into changing a grade.

A principal, central office administrator, superintendent, or local school administrator , can still change a grade without a teacher's permission, but the change must be noted on records along with the person responsible for making the change.

The law was the result of a veteran science teacher who lowered a student's grade after the football-playing student fell asleep in class, failing to complete the classroom assignment. When the teacher defied his principal and declined to change the student's grade, the school board fired him.

Posters at the Education blog at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution take the newspaper blogger to task for her misstatement of facts.

Roseville, CALIFORNIA

What makes judges think that communities want the services of convicted sexual predators? It's an insult to communities.





ARRESTED
Apr 7, 2007 - Kelly Spaich, 28, a teacher at Silverado Middle School, was arrested and charged with unlawful intercourse with a minor and other related charges.

Spaich faces molestation charges over an alleged 6-month sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy, a former Silverado student.

Full Name: Kelly Christine Spaich

Roseville Police Department Press Release on her arrest.

Update Apr 11 - In a story on community reaction to Spaich's arrest, was this: "She was also a recipient of the 2002-03 Association of California School Administrators "Teachers who Make a Difference Award."

RESIGNED Update Apr 13 - Spaich resigned. Her departure was effective immediately. She is due to be formally charged May 8. Spaich was released from the Roseville Police Department Jail on $150,000 bond.

ARRAIGNMENT Update May 8 - At her formal arraignment, Spaich pleaded not guilty. The prosecutor expressed concern that Spaich has apparently applied for an expedited passport. Judge Francis Kearney granted Wood's request which requires her to turn over the passport to law enforcement once she receives it. Her next court date is set for June 5.

June 5 - Spaich made a brief court appearance. Next appearance July 3.

SENTENCED July 3 - Spaich pleaded no contest to having a felony charge of unlawful sex with a minor. She was sentenced to four months in jail, but the judge says she will be eligible for what is known as "alternative sentencing", which may have Spaich avoid jail time altogether. However, Spaich will be required to perform 400 hours of community service.

From Sacramento Bee:

In addition to the felony, Spaich pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. McElhany placed her on four years of felony probation and ordered her to serve 400 hours of community service

July 6 - Her husband gave an interview to News10 confirming that he was the one who turned her in.

Headlines

What a difference a headline makes.

Teacher charged with dozens of sex crimes
The Capuchino High School music director charged with carrying on an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student pleaded not guilty Monday to 32 felony sexual charges as well as a handful of other misdemeanors.
San Mateo Daily Journal

Teacher charged with sex acts with student
A Capuchino High School band teacher has been arrested on suspicion of having an unlawful sexual relationship with an underage girl who was one of his students at the San Bruno school.
San Francisco Chronicle

Teacher pleads not guilty to affair
San Bruno high school music teacher accused of a months-long sexual affair with a 17-year-old student pleaded not guilty Monday to multiple felony and misdemeanor counts in San Mateo County Superior Court.
San Mateo County Times owned by MediaNews Group.

Pittston, PENNSYLVANIA

July 3, 2007 - The School District Superintendent and two school board members stand behind the hiring of a 34-year-old teacher. She was hired despite a 2004 arrest for stealing coins. The charge was dismissed and she and another defendant paid the money back.

She instead pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, "a summary citation similar to a traffic ticket."

She is the daughter of the Luzerne County director of budget and finance.

Nashua, NEW HAMPSHIRE

July 3, 2007 - The trial of Nicole Belonga, 26, a teacher’s aide for a special needs students at Elm Street Middle School, on charges related to the death of her 22-month-old child, has been delayed while new charges are determined.

The child had been treated for minor facial injuries on two different occasions in November 2005. The 2006 injuries were also noted by a physician who decided to contact the primary care physician. Before they could contact child care officials, the child was hospitalized.

She will be arraigned on the new charges July 5.

Pomona, CALIFORNIA

July 2, 2007 - John Asher, 37, principal at the Charisma Academy School from 2000 - 2003 (now Life Center Christian School,) will be arraigned on July 18 on charges that he committed forcible lewd acts on two students.

Asher was "extradicted" from North Carolina and is being held on $1.4 million bail.
Full Name: John Phillip Asher

Covina, CALIFORNIA

July 2, 2007 - Gregory Hernandez, a Gladstone High School teacher convicted of lewd acts with a 14-year-old female student, will get a new trial.

The Court of Appeal granted an appeal from Gregory Robert Hernandez, challenging his conviction and the denial of his motion for a new trial. October

Hernandez was sentenced in 2005 to two years and eight months in state prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Full Name: Gregory Robert Hernandez,

Nashua, NEW HAMPSHIRE

July 3, 2007 - David Watt, an engineering professor at the University of New Hampshire, was sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation for soliciting sex online. He planned to meet a 14-year-old girl, but was arrested instead.

He was arrested in September 2006. He no longer works for the university.

Ardmore, OKLAHOMA

June 12, 2007 - Acea Pickens, 28, a substitute teacher and coach at Ardmore Middle School, was found guilty by a jury of three counts of first-degree rape and one count of lewd molestation for the 2002-2003 sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl.

Pickens pleaded guilty to the sex crimes in 2006. He appealed after the judge sentenced him to 16 years in prison. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals granted Picken's appeal. At the jury trial he testified in his own defense that he made a mistake but hoped jurors could see past it.

Since the jury couldn't agree on the sentence, the same judge will be sentencing him again on July 2.

July 2 - Pickens was sentenced to 24 years - 9 years on the first count of first-degree rape, 5 years on the 2 and 3rd counts of first-degree rape and 5 years on the count of lewd molestation.

Parsippany, NEW JERSEY

ALL CHARGES HAVE BEEN DROPPED - no reason given.

Mar 26 - Matthew Sterling, 31, an assistant principal at Central Middle School, was suspended indefinitely with pay from his job after his arrest for allegedly burglarizing a woman's apartment and roaming the streets in her clothes.

Sterling was confronted by police at about 2 a.m. wearing two coats, a shoe and leather pants, all of which had been reported missing by a 37-year-old woman who came home to find her house burglarized and ransacked.

Sterling left behind sport coat, boxer shorts, shoes, keys, a credit card, his wallet and drivers license, according to a police affidavit. He is free on $5,000 bail.

TT - a poster at the NJ Ledger site suggests a "Support Mr. Sterling Day. " On that day, all the supporters will wear leather pants and 2 coats with 1 female shoe.

Update July 2 - All charges against the former assistant principal of a Parsippany, N.J., middle school were dropped. He was fired in April.

Mansfield, OHIO

July 2, 2007 - A Malabar Middle School teacher is suing Mansfield Board of Education to get her job back.

She was placed on administrative leave in March 2006 while they investigated the achievement tests. The teacher was accused of helping students. In April, they placed her on unpaid leave. A referee recommended firing her after a finding of facts that she directed students to erase answers on the tests. She was fired May 15. The test scores for 13 students in Fry’s class were invalidated based upon the impropriety in test-taking procedures, according to information listed in the referee’s decision.

Sinton, TEXAS

June 2, 2007 - Andres “Andy”Villasana, 35, a Sinton High School varsity softball coach and geography teacher, was arrested on charges of an improper relationship between an educator and a 18-year-old female student.

He resigned after his arrest. Reportedly, he is married with two children.

Since 2003, it has been illegal for teachers to have a sexual relationship with students, no matter their age.

If you have information on the case, you are urged to contact the Sinton Police Department at Phone (361) 364-2211

St. George, UTAH

ARRESTED July 2, 2007 - Ronald Sherman, 61, a teacher at Dixie High school, was arrested for alleged sexual abuse of several of his students.

He was booked on one count of forcible sexual abuse and four counts of sexual battery. According to the press release, there were four victims who made statements that led to charges being filed.

NOT GUILTY PLEA July 11 - Sherman pleaded not guilty. Sherman's attorneys have asked for a jury trial.