| Author | Message | ||
     Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13456 Registered: 01-2000  Rating: N/A |
Brookfield schoolteacher charged in Internet sex sting By DERRICK NUNNALLY / Milwaukee (WI) Journal Sentinel May 2, 2006 A longtime physical education teacher at Brookfield's Wisconsin Hills Middle School is due in court today in Milwaukee on felony charges that he sexually propositioned - and sent pornography to - what he thought was a 14-year-old online. Robert Jon Buehler, 39, of the Village of Pewaukee, resigned the teaching job he had held for 11 years Friday, a week after he was charged with felony counts of use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime and causing a child to view sexual activity. He is free on a $1,500 cash bond and is to appear in court today for a preliminary hearing. According to a criminal complaint, Buehler sent obscene pictures of himself committing a sex act over the Internet to a Milwaukee police detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl in a Yahoo chat room last November. In that and later online chats, the detective repeated that "she" was 14, and Buehler, who claimed to be 29, offered several explicit propositions, the complaint says. After several months - and concerns from Buehler that he was talking to undercover police - he asked for a meeting and was arrested April 20 at the Bay View Walgreen, on S. Kinnickinnic Ave., where they were supposed to rendezvous, the complaint says. Rob Baxter, assistant superintendent for human resources for the Elmbrook School District, said that Buehler had been an "exceptional teacher" and had no prior history of problems in his work life, and an investigation after his arrest also failed to turn up any. "We concluded this was an isolated incident where he had made a poor decision," Baxter said.  THAT conclusion is almost certainly erroneous. The odds of police detecting criminal misconduct by an adult with a child is minuscule. Baxter also said Buehler had a reputation as a "creative and energetic" teacher who had just secured a grant to add an archery program at the school. "This was a very, very well-respected teacher," Baxter said. "Obviously there was a different side to him." 
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13442 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Educator sex cases increasing By KATHERINE CROMER BROCK / FORT WORTH (TX) STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER 4.27.06 The Texas Educators Code of Ethics Standard 3.6 is clear — the educator shall not solicit or engage in sexual conduct or a romantic relationship with a student — but educators still cross the line. Cody Ledbetter, a former high school football coach in Alvarado, was given probation for having sex with a 16-year-old female student. Dawn Reiser, a former teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Grapevine, is serving an eight-year prison term after being convicted last year of sexual assault and indecency with a child. She had sex with a 13-year-old male student. Nationally, many of the cases have involved female teachers in their 20s and teen-age boys. Many more involve older teachers. This is not especially a younger teacher problem. “We send 22-year-olds out to teach 18-year-olds,” said Mike Sacken, professor of education at Texas Christian University. “That’s a tough issue.” There’s no justifying a teacher abusing a young child, Sacken said. But a young female teacher courting, or being courted by, a high-school-aged boy “is not an amazingly difficult thing to imagine.” With the slight age difference, the teacher and the student often have a lot in common, watching the same movies and listening to the same music. And some teachers enter the profession to help children, with the ultimate goal of feeling better about themselves, Sacken said. That can lead to poor judgment. If a person goes into teaching to fill their own needs, “you’re going to do something wrong and sick,” Sacken said. Other young teachers may still be discovering themselves, Sacken said. They may be away from home for the first time, lonely, and stressed out. They may find a connection with a student that they feel is love, perhaps for the first time in their lives. “It’s in the same category of stupidity,” Sacken said. Stupidity is not a crime. Having sex with students is. This goes well beyond stupidity. Reiser appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show Thursday and blamed her actions on childhood traumas and being raped as a teenager. “I wanted to accept responsibility for what really happened,” Reiser said from a Texas Department of Corrections facility in Gatesville. She described how she allowed her seventh-grade student’s crush to escalate to a sexual relationship. He flattered her. He made her feel better about herself, she said. “Somewhere, the line between fantasy and reality blurs,” Reiser said. She said she didn’t have an adult to turn to as an adolescent and “That’s why I wanted to be so approachable as a teacher. I wish I could take it all away.” And the line isn’t just blurry for teachers. Students and parents can misread a teacher’s intention, leading to over-reporting of ethics violations, said Larry Shaw, executive director of the United Educators Association of Texas. If anything, teacher-student sex cases are way under-reported. Neither teacher nor student want the conduct to become a topic of public discussion. “The statement ‘He or she made me feel uncomfortable’ is just terrifying,” Shaw said. Shaw cites cases of a male teacher accused of “looking too long” at a female student, and another male teacher who complimented a female student on a dress she was wearing. “Did he cross the line? No,” Shaw said. “But to somebody he did.” It's called ogling, which courts have recognized as evidence of sexual harassment. Shaw said one quarter of male coaches are investigated at some point in their careers for sexual misconduct. And most allegations of sexual misconduct are unsubstantiated. "Unsubstantiated" generally means the allegation is he-said, she-said, with no corroborating evidence. It doesn't mean the allegation is false. “We get a lot more complaints around grade time,” Shaw said, suggesting many students file complaints as retaliation. The complaint then goes to Child Protective Services, the teacher’s certificate could be flagged, and the teacher may be put on administrative leave. “Where there’s smoke, people think there’s fire,” Shaw said. -- That’s not a bad thing, said Charol Shakeshaft, a professor and researcher at Hofstra University, who believes that educator sexual misconduct is actually under-reported. As a former prosecutor of child sex abuse cases, my experience confirms that. Almost 10 percent of more than 2,000 eighth- through 11th-grade students surveyed in 2000 by the American Association of University Women reported unwanted contact or advances by school employees. Shakeshaft reviewed the AAUW study and other data in 2004 for a U.S. Department of Education report. “Most schools don’t consciously refuse to pay attention,” Shakeshaft said. “The people in charge in them just don’t take affirmative action to build the right culture and follow-up concerns.” That's true, too. You can't substantiate what you don't look for. Shakeshaft said schools must be more diligent in their investigations, even of pointed remarks, jokes and rumors overheard in the hallways. It is illegal for a school employee to not disclose suspected child abuse, Sacken said. But often teachers try to protect their autonomy with an attitude of “I don’t get into your stuff, you don’t get into my stuff.” It's the mentality of "the thin blue line." There's a code of silence. “It’s a fear of, if I speak up, then I’ll be breaking this implicit rule that we stay out of each other’s business,” Sacken said. “That can lead people to be quiet when they ought not to.” Responsibility for teaching ethics to educators falls first with the colleges and universities that train the soon-to-be teachers. THE RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW WHAT THE ETHICAL CODE OF CONDUCT REQUIRES AND PROHIBITS LIES WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL TEACHER. Beyond that, how much training does a teacher really need to know that having sex with students is forbidden? This is pure common sense, not a trap for the unwary. While most colleges agree that ethics, boundaries and decision-making are important, few have classes designed to teach them. The University of Texas at Arlington, Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas do not offer ethics courses. Rather, they incorporate discussion of the Texas Educators Code of Ethics into other classes. * * * At Texas Christian University, students studying to be middle or high school teachers must take “Professional Roles and Responsibilities,” a course that covers ethical and legal issues, what can get teachers fired, and what can get them arrested, said Sacken, who teaches the course. Generally, teacher ethics training doesn’t stop there. Like most school districts, Arlington provides annual ethics training for principals, supervisors, managers and teachers, said district spokeswoman Veronica Sopher. Coaches are given more in-depth training. According to Shakeshaft’s report, 18 percent of students who reported sexual misconduct by school employees accused teachers. Fifteen percent said they were targeted by coaches. The Fort Worth school district also performs annual training on diversity, sexual harassment and child abuse reporting for employees, said district spokeswoman Barbara Griffith. That district also provides training to students. “We give students age-appropriate training on boundaries and how to report situations that make them feel uncomfortable,” Griffith said, adding that students receive “good touch, bad touch” training. School districts and colleges are trying to do the right thing, educators say. They provide education, training, re-training and support systems. They follow the code of ethics, and work with the authorities, when necessary. Many look at the recent wave of media reports about teacher misconduct, and wonder what more can be done. People sued the Catholic Churches for millions and the Catholic Church shaped up. Public schools, on the other hand, have more protection from the lawsuits that would force them to pay more attention to the problem of teacher-student sexual misconduct--which, by the way, is a much larger problem than priest-patron sexual abuse ever was. * * * “Teachers should not be at the center of stealing children’s youth,” Sacken said. “This is not a mistake that you recuperate from. And you’ve lost your right to be a teacher. Nobody should ever trust you with a child again.” In the know Teachers who abuse
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13428 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Nude photo for teen costs teacher his job South Lyon district plans to fire teacher; police investigating BY SUSAN L. OPPAT / Ann Arbor (MI) News Staff Reporter April 28, 2006 A 53-year-old English teacher has been suspended from South Lyon High School and school officials say they plan to fire him after he gave a nude picture of himself to a 16-year-old girl with whom he was having a personal relationship. Edward Baldwin, a resident of Highland, was told by school officials on Sunday that he was suspended pending an internal investigation, said Melissa Meister, assistant superintendent for administrative services at South Lyon schools. Since Sunday, Meister said, "we have been able to substantiate the allegations for our investigation, and are therefore seeking to discharge him.'' South Lyon Police also are investigating the case. Police Lt. Steve Sharpe said a woman brought her 16-year-old daughter into the police station over the weekend after a family member found a photo of a nude male in the girl's room. The girl told her mother she'd asked the English teacher she'd been hugging and kissing for the photo of himself. She said she'd given the teacher photos of herself in a bathing suit, Sharpe said. Sharpe said both the girl and the teacher denied having sex, but they each insisted they are in love. Sharpe said Baldwin also said he told the girl he could get into a lot of trouble for giving her the photo of himself. Sharpe said criminal sexual conduct charges do not appear to apply to the situation, because the girl is old enough to consent to kissing and hugging. But he said a state and local misdemeanor law prohibits the distribution of obscene material to anyone under the age of 18. * * * * Brookfield Teacher Caught In Internet Sex Sting The Milwaukee Channel via Yahoo News! Apr 28, 2006 A Brookfield middle school teacher has been charged with trying to set up a 14-year-old girl for sex. Investigators said 39-year-old Robert Buehler, a gym teacher at Wisconsin Hills Middle School, has been on the Internet chatting with whom he thought was a 14-year-old girl since November of 2005. He allegedly performed sex acts over the Web cam and arranged a meeting for sex last Thursday. That was when he found out he had been chatting with a police officer. "Our investigation shows that there is nothing for our parents to be concerned about, but we do have him indefinitely suspended pending the completion of our investigation," said Dr. Robert Baxter, of the Elmbrook School District. The district said Buehler was not using school equipment during the alleged offense. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13417 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Teacher who taped mouths loses case School trustees in Katy again refuse to renew her contract By HELEN ERIKSEN / Houston Chronicle 4.25.06 For the second time, Katy school district trustees voted unanimously on Monday to not renew the contract of a Roosevelt Alexander Elementary School teacher who was fired after she taped students' mouths to keep them quiet. Trustees reiterated what they said during an April 5 hearing — that Jennifer Silva did not comply with district policy, behaved unprofessionally, falsified district records and misrepresented facts to a superior. In a packed boardroom Monday night, Silva acknowledged she misstated some facts, and said she regretted the incident. She said it was fear of losing her job that caused her to misstate some facts about what happened that day in her classroom. "This is the first time I have ever been asked what really went on," said Silva, who has taught for four years in the district. "I am an excellent teacher and I love teaching." Bill Helfand, the school district's attorney, said trustees only needed one reason to dismiss Silva and they had several based on Silva's sworn statement. Helfand called Silva, 36, a fine teacher but nevertheless one who violated district policy. "She admitted that she improvised discipline procedures when she taped the mouths of students," Helfand said. "She failed to meet the standards of professional conduct." A few dozen parents wore red shirts and buttons with Silva's picture to show support for her at the meeting. After the hearing, Sandi Shimmel accused trustees of making their minds up prior to the hearing. Helfand said Silva, to her own admission, falsified an account of what happened in the classroom on Feb. 2 when she told the assistant principal Kristen Smith the students came up with the idea to tape their mouths. Hefland said she made a conscious decision to misrepresent the facts to her superiors. "She lied when she blamed the students," Helfand said. "But when she found out the police was involved she decided to tell the truth." Silva's attorney, Joey Moore, complained about the proceedings, saying she was not allowed to present evidence of Silva's excellent employee appraisals. Moore said she would appeal the decision to the Texas Education Agency commissioner. Silva said she was not surprised at the outcome of the hearing. "I didn't expect to win," she said. "It was all about telling my side of the story." Former Bangor teacher admits sex with student By DAN SPRINGER / La Crosse (WI) Tribune 4.25.06 A May 31 sentencing date has been set for a Bangor High School math teacher who admitted in court Monday that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old female student. Matthew J. Weber, 27, now of Elmwood, Wis., pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge of second-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 16. * * * Weber, who taught at Bangor High School for 2½ years, did not speak at the hearing except to answer the judge’s questions about whether Weber understood the proceedings. * * * When he was arrested in December, Weber admitted to police he had fondled the 15-year-old girl and said she had fondled him through his pants at his Bangor apartment, and at least once while walking through a school hallway between classes. They also had rubbed crotches together while clothed, according to the complaint. But Weber strongly denied having intercourse with the student. Had Weber gone to trial, however, prosecutors were prepared to show the jury a videotape that they say disputed Weber’s claims, Horne said. “(There was) a video found in a search of (Weber’s) apartment that showed three or four acts of sexual contact and apparent intercourse that took place at Mr. Weber’s apartment,” Horne said in court Monday. * * * * NJ Teacher Admits Sex with Student WPVI-TV: Philadelphia TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) - April 26, 2006 - A relative of Chicago Bears founder and coach George Halas has admitted having sex with a 15-year-old female student. Peter Halas was a history teacher at Point Pleasant Borough High School. George Halas was his great uncle. The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of official misconduct in court in Ocean County. The former boys' basketball coach will face a prison term of five to ten years when he's sentenced. But under a plea agreement, he would not have to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law. The Manasquan resident was initially charged in July with aggravated sexual assault and child endangerment.
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13406 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: |
Teacher admits to molestation By ROB IRWIN / Scotia-Glenville Spotlight April 27, 2006 A substitute teacher in the Scotia-Glenville School District was arrested last week and is accused of molesting at least three children. Richard Matthews, 20, of Van Buren Lane was charged with four counts of criminal sexual acts in the first degree in connection with the molestation of one of the children, a boy under the age of 11. "From our understanding, there could be several victims," said Sgt. Stephen Janik with the Glenville Police Department. Andra Ackerman, the prosecuting district attorney and bureau chief of the Schenectady County Special Victims Unit, agreed and said that Matthews had admitted to victimizing three children, two boys and one girl, all under the age of 11. Ackerman said the charges arose after a female student recognized Matthews in the school as the man who molested her in the past and told school officials. Ackerman praised the student for coming forward and alerting authorities to the fact that Matthews posed a possible threat to other students. All four charges stem from the more recent contact Matthews may have had with the boy, since he was under the age of 16 when he allegedly molested the girl, making him ineligible to be tried as an adult, said Ackerman. Glenville Police said all of the alleged incidents are reported to have taken place from the summer of 1998 through the summer of 2004. Janik said that Matthews is cooperating to an extent, but not admitting to any crimes after the age of 15. Matthews can only be charged for crimes he committed after the age of 15 and so far is notcooperating in that aspect, said Ackerman. She said, however, there is evidence of crimes up until the summer of 2004. Ackerman said there is enough evidence to prosecute Matthews on incidences that occurred when he was 17 and 18, but would not divulge what those may be. "We wouldn't have had him charged if we didn't feel there was enough evidence to take him to trial," said Ackerman. Matthews' attorney, Ron DeAngelus, could not be reached for comment. * * * Matthews was a substitute in the school district in February and March and worked 7 one-day assignments in that time, according Bob Hanlon, the district's spokesman. * * * *
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13360 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: |
PRINCIPAL COOK$ LUNCH BOOKS: PROBE By DAVID ANDREATTA and DANIEL FRIEDMAN / NEW YORK POST April 25, 2006 -- An aide at a Queens public elementary school, under the guidance of her principal, inflated its amount of federal poverty aid by lowering the salaries of parents listed on lunch forms, city investigators charged yesterday. Probers said it was not clear how much extra cash was generated by the falsified forms at PS 122 in Astoria, but noted that the amount the school was entitled to dropped some $330,000 from one year to the next. Rita Zervoulakos, the aide, admitted to fudging income information for parents of several students, but investigators said she doctored the data because she was misled by the principal, Mary Kojes, on how to approve the forms. According to Richard Condon, the commissioner of investigation for city schools, PS 122 reported that 76.5 percent of its students lived in poverty in the 2004-05 school year and was allotted roughly $950,000 in aid. This school year, after the investigation began, PS 122 calculated its poverty rate was 54.6 percent and it was entitled to just $620,000 in aid. In addition, investigators charged that a part-time music teacher, Constantia Sideris, lied about her household income so that her children who attended the school could get $285 worth of free lunches. The forms help local and federal government determine the number of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. But they are also used to calculate poverty rates that qualify a school for federal aid.
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13354 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Former teacher and coach pleads guilty to rape By: Capital News 9 (Albany, NY) Web Staff 4/20/2006 A former elementary school teacher and varsity swim coach admitted to having sex with a 16-year-old girl on the team. According to Thursday's Daily Gazette, Erik Betz, 38, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in Fulton County Court on Wednesday. As part of a plea deal, Betz will serve up to a year in Fulton County Jail. He told a judge he had sexual relations with the girl back in October of last year. Betz resigned from his teaching job in the Fonda-Fultonville Central School District. He was dismissed last fall as the coach of the Fonda-Fultonville/Johnstown High School swim team.
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13315 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Teacher who sexually assaulted teen students sentenced New York Newsday April 22, 2006 FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) - A former music teacher and Eatontown councilman has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison for sexually assaulting two teenage female students and witness tampering. John J. Collins, 57, who had pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and one count of witness tampering in a December plea deal, was sentenced Friday. It was discovered in March of last year that Collins - a music teacher at Memorial Middle School in Eatontown for 35 years - was having sexual relations with a 15-year-old who used to be one of his students. When the relationship was publicized, another former student came forward saying she too had been sexually assaulted by Collins in 2000 when she was 13 years old. Collins, who also served on the borough council for 21 years before resigning after his arrest, was charged with witness tampering for trying to contact one of the victims through the Internet and coach her on what to say to authorities. Collins, speaking from a prepared statement before he was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Francis P. DeStefano, called himself a "victim of extreme selfishness with a good measure of stupidity thrown in." DeStefano, reading from a court-ordered psychological evaluation, said that Collins' crimes originated from his own "hedonism, opportunism and exploitation of his position for his own narcissistic gratification." The stepfather of one of the girls called Collins a "typical wolf in sheep's clothing." "I resent the way you used these girls' love of music against them," he said. After his release from prison, Collins will have to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law.
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13302 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Teacher plea deal built on sex bias Prosecutor: Male jurors may not see sex with boy as crime By BRAD SCHRADE / Tennessean Staff Writer 4.17.06 The district attorney who reached a plea settlement with ex-teacher Pamela Rogers for having sex with a 13-year-old student says one reason he didn't want to try the case was that some men on a jury would not convict an attractive woman for having sex with a teenage boy. District Attorney General Dale Potter said he was concerned that some male jurors might not convict Rogers, a former Warren County grade-school physical education teacher, because they wouldn't view what the attractive 28-year-old woman did as having harmed the boy. "The fact that I could not get a jury of all women did play a heavy factor in my decision not to go to trial," Potter said. "There's a segment of men that would say that the victim wasn't harmed, but instead got lucky ... . You can have a horrible case, but if it appeals to that jury it can be difficult." The way to handle that is through the jury selection process. Jurors who are unwilling to abide by the law and render a guilty verdict based on proof beyond a reasonable doubt must be thanked and excused from service. The societal double standard and the fact that the family of the boy preferred not to have to go through a trial were the two main factors in his decision to settle the case, Potter said. Rogers pleaded no contest in August to four counts of sexual battery by an authority figure, served about six months in a county jail, and was released early for good behavior in February. Now, less than two months after her release, Rogers finds herself back in trouble on allegations of violating the terms of her probation. * * * The double standard on such sex-offense cases exists nationally for a number of reasons, said David Raybin, a defense attorney and former prosecutor. Male victims tend to be more embarrassed about coming forward and testifying in such cases. Also, some jurors would consider an adult male having an affair with a girl as much more harmful than a woman having sex with a boy. "Absolutely, there is a significant disparity of treatment in the way the criminal justice system handles these things," Raybin said. "Unfortunately, there's a double standard because there is a double standard in society." Potter said another factor, although a lesser one, in his decision to avoid a trial last year was what he said would have been a "media circus" that could also have affected the outcome of a trial. The case has drawn national attention, with photos of the attractive blonde ex-teacher broadcast on television and posted on Internet Web sites. Under the plea agreement, Rogers was allowed to avoid prison and instead serve nine months in the Warren County Jail, with the remainder of the eight-year sentence as probation. But her probation came with a number of conditions, including not using the Internet without permission and not having any contact with the boy or his family. Violating those rules could send her to prison to serve out her sentence. Rogers was arrested last Tuesday on seven counts of probation violations, all of them centering on her use of the Internet. She is accused of setting up a personal Web page and using it to post messages to the boy. She also had Internet communication with the boy's teenage sister, authorities say. * * * *
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13288 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Ex-teacher accused of cancer scam Former Cohoes BOCES staffer charged with theft of $20,000 in medical benefits after investigation By DANIELLE FURFARO, Albany (NY) Times Union Staff writer April 20, 2006 See, also, Former teacher admits she never had cancer. COHOES -- Police have charged a former Cohoes BOCES teacher with grand larceny after she allegedly claimed that she had cancer and bilked more than $20,000 in health benefits from the Cohoes City School District. Candice Lambert, 41, who now lives in Hollis, N.H., was charged by Cohoes police with grand larceny, said Terence L. Kindlon, Lambert's defense attorney. Kindlon said Wednesday he had only taken Lambert as a client earlier in the day and had one phone conversation with her. "Everything is very preliminary right now," Kindlon said. "She did tell me that she had breast cancer." * * * *
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13284 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Teacher guilty of sex with student Scott H.S. staffer ran for city council in ’05 Toledo (OH) Blade 4.18.06 A Scott High School teacher who ran unsuccessfully last year for Toledo City Council was convicted yesterday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court of having sex with a 16-year-old female student. John “Mitch” Balonek, 48, entered a plea of no contest to one count of sexual battery, a third-degree felony. He was found guilty by Judge Denise Ann Dartt. A Toledo Public Schools teacher since 1992, Balonek, of 2631 Sherbrooke Rd., could be sentenced to one to five years in prison. However, incarceration is not mandatory, and Balonek could be placed on probation. The conviction stems from an incident Jan. 7 when Sylvania Township police found Balonek and the student in Balonek’s parked car in the 7100 block of Granite Circle near Meijer on Central Avenue. Lori Olender, a county assistant prosecutor, said Balonek was not wearing shoes, and officers observed that he was behaving suspiciously. A subsequent search resulted in the officers finding a used condom in the back of the car. Ms. Olender said the defendant and victim admitted to officers in separate interviews that they had sexual intercourse in the car. School officials said the victim, now 17, was removed from Balonek’s English class at the high school in November at the request of the girl’s guardian. Balonek was told not to have any further contact with her after school. Ms. Olender said the request was made after the guardian learned the student had dinner at Balonek’s home and the guardian found the girl with Balonek in his car after 10 p.m. while it was parked in front of the guardian’s home. Balonek was suspended without pay from the school district Jan. 10. Clinton Faulkner, TPS executive assistant to the superintendent for human resources, said Balonek is awaiting a disciplinary hearing. He is paid $45,990 a year. * * * *
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13269 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Teacher is facing abuse count A chance encounter results in man's arrest BY STEVEN COOK Schenectady (NY) Gazette Reporter 4.18.06 The man charged Sunday with multiple counts of sexual abuse was arrested after a chance encounter with one of his alleged victims, who spotted him substitute-teaching at her school, a prosecutor said. Richard R. Matthews III, 20, of 19 Van Buren Lane, Scotia, had been a substitute teacher in the Scotia-Glenville School District for at least the past two months and had worked at least seven one-day assignments, district officials confirmed. I have previously estimated the chance that any given school district would have a teacher sex abuse case as being 50% over 10 years. No school district is immune from this, regardless of background checks. Matthews is presumed innocent, however, if the facts reported are proved, this case is the classic modus operandi for child molesters. They find jobs and volunteer where there are lots of kids. They look for the vulnerable ones and make friends. Then they do the unimaginable. That, along with Matthews' work for the past two or three years as a Scout camp leader, has police worried Matthews might have victimized others. But for now, authorities believe Matthews victimized two children, neither connected to his work at the school district or at the camp. Matthews was brought to the attention of police earlier this month after a chance encounter with a student at Scotia-Glenville High School, Schenectady County District Attorney's Office prosecutor Andra Ackerman said. The student told a school official, who then alerted police, Ackerman said. "She was very brave to come forward and report that this man sexually abuses her when she was a little kid," Ackerman said. "She made the disclosure out of fear he would harm other children." Frequently, molesters threaten kids and tell them bad things will happen if they ever tell, so many don't tell. An investigation began, and a second alleged victim was found. Matthews was charged with four counts of engaging in a first-degree criminal sexual act, felonies. All four charges accuse Matthews of abusing the second victim, a boy under the age of 11, during the summer of 2004, according to papers filed in town court. Matthews could not be charged in connection with the girl because he was 15 at the time, Ackerman said. Matthews was employed as a substitute teacher in Scotia-Glenville after passing a state-mandated background check, the same performed for every prospective teacher, school district spokesman Robert Hanlon said Monday. My question for Scotia-Glenville is why are non-college graduates performing substitute duties? Don't we have enough college graduates to do the job? If not, the cause might be the 37% decline in substitute teacher pay over the past 25 years. See my 2006 Campaign Flyer. The check is conducted through the state Department of Education and performed by the state police, Hanlon said. Matthews was placed on the substitute teacher list and called in as needed, Hanlon said. Most of the times he was called was for the middle school, but some were for the high school, Hanlon said. Hanlon would not say when the 20-year-old Matthews first subbed in the district. WRGB reported that Matthews had been subbing for two months. Matthews also served for the past two or three summers as a Boy Scout camp leader at Camp Wakpominee in Washington County, Ackerman said. Officials with the camp could not be reached for comment Monday. The girl and boy accused Matthews of abuse from 1998 to 2004, when Matthews left the area to attend a culinary arts school on Cape Cod. The gap from 2004 until now, along with his access to children, has investigators looking for other possible victims, Glenville Police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Janik said. Parents who believe their children had contact with Matthews should talk with their children, Janik said. Anyone believing abuse occurred should contact the Glenville Police Department. Matthews remained at the Schenectady County Jail on Monday on $75,000 bail. These cases are tragic for everyone, including the family of the alleged offender. If you have any information related to this case, please contact the Glenville Police Department.
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13265 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Fired teacher admits sodomizing student By KATIE WILLSON / McMinnville (OR) News-Register April 15, 2006 A former Sheridan High School science teacher admitted in court Thursday that she molested and sodomized a male Sheridan High student she had hired to do summer chores around her McMinnville apartment and ex-husband's Amity farm. Adrienne Lee Raymond, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree sex abuse and one count of third-degree sodomy, alleging oral-genital contact. Sentencing has been set over until May 26, giving Raymond time to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation - routine in sex abuse cases. District Attorney Brad Berry and defense attorney Lori Coukoules said they'll be jointly recommending five years probation. They said they have agreed to leave the amount of jail time, if any, up to Circuit Judge John Collins. Raymond admitted the sexual abuse had escalated from touching to oral-genital conduct, and that the three counts she pleaded to stemmed from separate episodes. That gives the court authority to sentence her to up to five years in prison. * * * *
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13236 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Can teachers ever hug students? Sexual allegations highlight issue some call one of common sense ERIC FRAZIER / Charlotte (NC) Observer 4.15.06 Rules at schools across the region When Greg Harris started teaching sixth-graders, older co-workers told him about the lines no male teacher should cross. Don't be alone with female students. Don't give students rides home. And no hugging. With more cases of teacher-student sexual contact and assault landing in headlines and courtrooms, experts say educators need more guidance. While suspected sexual predators attract heavy media attention, experts say many cases involve emotionally fragile teachers who simply don't know where to draw the line. Please. Is that the problem with non-teacher sex offenders, too? "We don't do enough training in this area," said Jerry Painter, a Washington state lawyer who handles teacher misconduct complaints. * * * Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' policy, which one national expert called "excellent," specifically bars employees from asking students for kisses or dates, or doing anything else that encourages a romantic relationship. * * * "There's a significant increase in the number reported and the number that wind up in court," said Shoop, who serves as an expert witness on the subject. "It's just now getting national attention." A string of recent incidents has pushed the issue into the spotlight locally. Since January, at least six Charlotte-area teachers have been accused of sexually assaulting students. All but one have been arrested. The furor after the arrest of Jimmie Grubbs, a former middle school teacher in Huntersville, prompted Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools interim Superintendent Frances Haithcock to order employees to report teachers or anyone else who abuses a student to child welfare officials. * * * Teachers "are aware of the rules," said Elaine Baker, spokesperson for Rock Hill schools. "They are aware of the relationships they should have with students. It's all part of being a professional." * * * Teachers in Trouble • Hubert Thomas "Tony" Byrum, 52, a teacher and coach at Rock Hill High, was arrested in January in connection with allegations that he put his hand down a female student's shirt during a previous teaching stint in Union County schools. • Jimmie Vance Grubbs, 66, a former teacher at Bradley Middle School in Huntersville, was arrested in February after several students accused him of sexual misconduct at the school and during trips to Myrtle Beach. • Isaiah Dewitte Oglesby, 26, a former teacher at North Rowan Middle School, was arrested in March after a 14-year-old girl told authorities he committed a sex crime against her during an afternoon class session. Police said she was alone with Oglesby at the time. • Robert Marquise Williams, 28, an assistant teacher at Hunter Huss High in Gaston County, was arrested last month after police said the former high school football star coaxed a 17-year-old girl to have sex with him in a car on school property. • A 24-year-old Waddell High School teacher resigned last month after police said she'd had sex with an 18-year-old senior at a southwest Charlotte apartment. She wasn't immediately charged with a crime. • Michael Ray McDonald, 38, a former teacher at Mount Pleasant Middle School in Cabarrus County, was arrested last month and accused of sexual misconduct with a student more than a decade ago.
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13229 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Former teacher admits she never had cancer The Nashua (NH) Telegraph via the Boston Globe 4.15.06 BROOKLINE, N.H. --A respected special education teacher who told students, parents and colleagues she had cancer now admits she never had the disease. Candice Lambert, 41, wore a headscarf while teaching at schools in Brookline and Bedford over the last two years, saying she had lost her hair to chemotherapy. She missed some parent meetings and took time off for alleged treatments, one Brookline parent said. Lambert pleaded guilty March 28 in Concord District Court to one count of "false swearing," or lying under oath. She must stay on good behavior for two years or risk paying a $1,000 fine. The state has revoked her teaching certificate. She also faces a police investigation in New York over benefits paid out because of a medical condition. She taught in Cohoes, a suburb of Albany, for a decade before coming to Brookline. It's not clear when that investigation began, or what medical condition she claimed there. Cohoes Police Lt. Tom Ross said that a warrant has been issued for Lambert's arrest. * * * Last summer, Lambert was featured in The Telegraph of Nashua as a "Schoolhouse Hero" after being nominated by a parent. Fournier said she was considered a good teacher in Bedford as well. "Before this came up, if you asked me about her, I would have said: phenomenal teacher, excellent, great relationship with parents and kids. .. Hindsight is 20-20," he said.
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13222 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Troy teacher arrested for Web chat with student Police say Brian Switzer of Doyle Middle School made inappropriate comments to girl, 14, on MySpace.com By BOB GARDINIER, Albany (NY) Times Union Staff writer April 14, 2006 TROY -- City police have arrested a Doyle Middle School teacher for allegedly posting inappropriate comments to a student in that school in a chat room on a popular Web site. Late Thursday evening, 34-year-old Brian Switzer of 4 Longview Trail was charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Police allege that Switzer communicated with the 14-year-old female student over the Web site MySpace.com in the late night or very early morning hours and made comments about her starting puberty, her personal hygiene and sexual preferences, police said. ``We contacted the student and she said she had no problem at all with the conversations but her parents and the school sure did,'' said Detective Sgt. John Cooney, department spokesman. * * * Police served subpoenas early Friday to officials at MySpace.com for information on other students at the school with whom Switzer may have been communicating. The blogs are password protected, so police need the company's assistance to see them, Cooney said. The company is cooperating, Cooney said. ``If your child has a blog on this site, parents should know their password and should check on occasion to see what they may be taking about and with whom they are communicating,'' Cooney said. Switzer was arraigned in city court and released on his own recognizance.
| ||
| Jerry Moore (Admin) Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 13211 Registered: 01-2000 Rating: N/A |
Teacher Sentenced For Luring Girl Online To Have Sex Click2Houston via Yahoo! News Apr 11, 2006 A former Fort Bend County elementary school teacher has been sentenced for using the Internet to try and arrange a meeting for sex with an 11-year-old girl, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday. On Tuesday, Nehemiah Landes, 31, was sentenced to spend five years in prison and was prohibited from using the Internet or living near children under 18 years old for 10 years. Landes, who taught at Walker Station Elementary School, admitted that he tried to lure an 11-year-old girl online for sex. However, the girl ended up being a Secret Service agent.
| ||
|
