On Seattle schools and their failures to protect students against sexual predators. You probably have heard about these two cases:
Last June, there was an outcry after two Seattle teens were accused of sexually assaulting a developmentally disabled female classmate in a Rainier Beach High School restroom -- an incident that school officials never reported to police.
And in April, the school district agreed to pay a $3 million settlement for disregarding repeated warnings that a popular Broadview-Thomson Elementary teacher was molesting some of his female fifth-grade students, a pattern that lasted two decades.
The reporter, Jessica Blanchard, explains that many in the schools were not familiar with the state law that requires them to report suspected child abuse.
But here's the part I like best; Blanchard tries to discover whether those who failed have been held responsible.
There don't appear to have been any consequences, however, for two of the principals involved in the Broadview-Thomson and Rainier Beach cases.
Neither former Broadview-Thomson principal Terri Skjei nor Rainier Beach principal Robert Gary appears to have faced any formal discipline. Gary still leads his school, and Skjei is now principal at View Ridge Elementary. Neither wanted to comment for this story.
No apparent consequences, even though they may have broken state laws.
It's true that Blanchard has not gone as far as I would, and asked members of the school board whether these principals should be disciplined. But a journey of several miles must begin with a single step, and her article is a good first step. Perhaps in a future article she'll take that next step.
But I will repeat this reminder: Elected leftists in this area, including those on the Seattle school board, are all adults. And they are all, as far as I know, sane. That means they can be held responsible for what they, and those who work for them, do, or fail to do. I would not repeat that reminder so often, if I did not read and hear so many stories that make me think that most of our local journalists do not think that leftists, especially leftist Democrats, can be held responsible for their actions.
(One unexplored topic: Did union rules protect these principals? Local journalists might want to ask the union about that.
Blanchard and Amy Rolph have an education blog. Inexplicably, they do not link to Joanne Jacobs, or even to Sound Politics.)
Posted by Jim Miller at June 11, 2008 08:09 AM | Email ThisUnion controlled schools. )-:
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on June 11, 2008 09:12 AMOne side note, I believe most reporting goes first to CPS if it involves potential abuse (especially outside of the school), who does their investigation and then passes it to the authorities.
From what you have provided here and in the article, it does appear that the principals should be held accountable for their lack of action. In the workplace, managers/supervisors are legally held accountable for sexual abuse that is not handled.
Posted by: tc on June 11, 2008 10:18 AMNo, there was no mistake. (And this principal claims she did everything to the best of her ability in her deposition. If that's her best, we're in trouble.)
All teachers and all administrators are front line reporters and, according to the law, have to report any suspicious activity. As in the article, CPS says that THEY will do the investigation. It is not up to the principal or the teacher to try to make that judgment; CPS will discreetly investigate.
How hard is it for the district and/or the teachers union to communicate this information? Not hard, right? So you have to ask yourself why it didn't happen. You have to ask yourself why, in 2008, the district is just explaining to teachers what "grooming" is for pedophiles. It's the reporting of those patterns of behavior that could tipoff an investigator to a child abuser.
Child abuse is a damaging and damning charge for any adult. But not reporting odd/suspicious behavior for someone who is around children all the time is worse.
But Saltherring, this has absolutely NOTHING to do with left or right. Your holier than thou attitude is crap. Gay marriage has nothing to do with child abuse. All your extrapolating (look it up, I know it's a big word)about what gay marriage would mean is nonsense.
You do ask one good question; where has shame gone in our public life? Is no one ever ashamed of bad behavior? We are made to feel bad if we even point it out. I'm not for making folks be out in the stocks but there is a lot of bad behavior out there (especially among public figures) and people should be called on it. It's one reason that I'm not going to stop blogging about this abuse case. I want the district to explain how they have retrained teachers and principals, if all have been retrained and what consequences there are for those who do not do their legal duty.
Posted by: westello on June 11, 2008 07:27 PMAll your babbling and your children still attend Seattle Public Schools? You and people like you are a significant part of the problem. You condone laws sanctioning shameful and perverse behavior, then ask where is the shame? I'm glad I wasn't raised a parent like you.
Posted by: Saltherring on June 12, 2008 07:57 AMIf you read what I wrote, I absolutely condemned what happened, have blogged extensively on it, and have written the School Board and Superintendent about it.
You're an idiot.
Posted by: westello on June 12, 2008 08:18 AMI see you're a typical Seattle leftist. You realize your actions are foolish and your positions defenseless, so you result to name-calling. Humorous to say the least.
Posted by: Saltherring on June 12, 2008 10:22 AM