Weapons, sex assault at issue in family court

June 3, 2004

BY JACK KRESNAK
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Three students of Detroit Public Schools appeared in Wayne County Family Court juvenile hearings Wednesday after separate incidents involving weapons and an alleged sexual assault.

A 13-year-old student at Arthur Elementary-Middle School, 10125 King Richard, was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly forcing an 11-year-old girl into a sexual act while they rode a school bus home on May 26.

The girl told Detroit police sex crimes detectives the boy had forced her to the back of the bus by threatening her. Once at the back of the bus, she performed a sex act for "about a minute."

The boy, who was arrested Tuesday, is being held in lieu of $5,000 bond at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility.

Meanwhile, another 13-year-old boy was charged with carrying a concealed weapon after a teacher at Longfellow Middle School, 13141 Rosa Parks, saw him passing something that looked like a gun.

The boy left the school but was stopped at Cortland and 14th by police officers for the Detroit Public Schools and questioned. He was arrested after he pulled an electronic stun gun out of his pocket.

In another incident, a male student at Rosa Parks Middle School, 8030 E. Outer Drive, was charged Wednesday with carrying a concealed weapon in school after a May 20 incident.

According to Department of Public Safety officers, the boy, 13, set off a metal detector at the school at 7:35 a.m. on May 20. The school security officer then found a .22 caliber semiautomatic handgun loaded with nine live rounds in his right rear pocket.

After his mother arrived at the school, security personnel heard the boy tell her that "I had the gun because I was going to kill myself and your old boyfriend," according to Family Court records.

Because he had threatened suicide, the boy was placed in a mental health ward at the Children's Hospital of Michigan. He appeared at a juvenile court after being released from the hospital. The boy is being held in lieu of a $5,000 bond pending a June 24 pre-trial hearing.

All three boys have been suspended from school. As for legal penalties, the court has three options: to warn and dismiss, give probation, or commit them to supervision by the county's Department of Children and Family Services.

Contact JACK KRESNAK at 313-223-4544 or kresnak@freepress.com.

School Violence Numbers Rise Slightly

The eighth Annual Report on School Crime and Violence indicates that the number of reported incidents increased slightly in the 2000-01 school year, although the number of incidents has remained fairly flat over the past five years with small fluctuations annually.

The number of incidents reported totaled 7,565 or 6.085 acts per 1,000 students. This is up from 7,229 incidents in 1999-2000, or 5.980 incidents per 1,000 students. Five years ago, 1996-97, there were 8,141 reported incidents or 6.724 per 1,000 students.

State Superintendent Mike Ward said that schools generally are very safe places, but that any level of violence or crime is too high.

"Safety has always been a primary goal for schools. In light of the events of Sept. 11, people are especially concerned about security and safety issues, and ensuring that students have a safe and orderly environment for learning is critical in public education," Ward said. "Each year, school staffs are working harder to build that type of environment as a foundation for learning, but these numbers indicate that a great deal of work remains to be done."

State Board of Education Chairman Phillip J. Kirk Jr. said, "This increase is unacceptable. We must work with local schools to make sure that our schools are safe for every child in every school across the state." Kirk added that the increased presence of illegal drugs in schools is of particular concern. "It is imperative that we rid our schools of illegal substances, and we must re-institute the war on drugs throughout society."

Both Ward and Kirk expressed concern that the three highest-incidence acts from the beginning of annual reporting continue to account for 88 percent of all reportable acts. These three acts are Possession of a Weapon, Possession of Controlled Substances and Assault on School Personnel. Possession of a Weapon increased 4 percent between 1999-2000 and 2000-01 to 2,824 incidents. Possession of a Controlled Substance increased 12 percent to 2,803 incidents. Assault on School Personnel decreased 3 percent from 1999-2000 and totaled 1,060 incidents. The decrease in Assaults on School Personnel is the third consecutive annual decrease in this category.

Three crimes that decreased last year exhibited modest increases in 2000-01: possession of a weapon, listed above; assault with serious injury, up 4 percent to 278; and sexual assault, up 8 percent to 206.

On the other hand, two crimes that increased last year exhibited decreases in 2000-01. These were assault with a weapon, which decreased 14 percent in 2000-01 to 134, and sexual offense, which decreased 20 percent to 85. It is positive that these improved numbers involve more serious versions of crimes. For example, one improved number was in the category of sexual offense rather than in the category of sexual assault.

No homicides or deaths by reasons other than natural causes were reported. One rape and two kidnappings were reported.

When schools are considered by grade level, elementary schools reported increases of 12.3 percent in the overall reported crimes. High school incidents increased 5.4 percent, and middle schools posted a smaller increase of 1.5 percent. Given the recent emphasis in schools on recognizing and intervening at the first warning signs of violence and crime, and immediately documenting such acts, it is possible that the increased numbers reflect a more concerted effort to detect and report crimes on school property.

A total of 739 students were victims of school crime or violent acts in 2000-01. At

the same time, 1,063 school staff were victims. The number of student victims declined by 8.5 percent and the number of staff victims declined by 6.34 percent over 1999-2000.

A total of 5,664 regular students were reported as offenders, while 2,260 exceptional students were identified as offenders.

Most of the incidents reported were serious enough to report to local law enforcement. The most common consequence of these acts to the offenders was suspension from school for 10 days or less.

Charts are attached to provide local school district numbers by incident type.

For more information, please contact Dr. Elsie Leak, Director, Division of School Improvement, NC Department of Public Instruction, 919-807-3911.

Table 1 Reported Statewide Incidents/Acts by School Levels - This is a 52k Adobe Acrobat Document. Requires Adobe's Free Acrobat Reader software.

Table 6a Total Number of Incidents/Acts for Each LEA - This is a 86k Adobe Acrobat Document. Requires Adobe's Free Acrobat Reader software.

Related Links:

The 1999-2000 Annual Report on NC School Violence

The 1998-99 Annual Report on NC School Violence

The 1997-98 Annual Report on NC School Violence

The 1996-97 Annual Report on NC School Violence

Statewide Statistics 93-97

December 12, 2004

Chandler High School has reported zero incidents on its report card despite police records of 103 reports of incidents on campus. Jennifer Grimes Tribune

Many East Valley schools underreport police incidents, ignoring state requirements

By Daryl James, Tribune

East Valley schools might not be as crime-free as some parents think. At least not if parents rely solely on information from the state-financed "Arizona School Report Cards" published online.

By law, schools must report crimes that require police intervention to the State Department of Education, which in turn places that information on the report cards. But a Tribune investigation found that numerous schools across the East Valley routinely do not report incidents on campus that require police intervention, including occasional assaults, sex crimes and drug cases. Chandler High School, for example, reported zero incidents during the 2002-03 school year, despite police records that show 103 reports of incidents generated on campus during normal school hours from August 2002 through May. Those cases included 44 related to drugs, weapons, violence, threats or sex crimes. Four miles away, Chandler痴 Hamilton High School reported 68 incidents ・a number similar to police records, which showed 73 reports on campus during the 2002-03 school year. Hamilton principal Fred DePrez said he simply checked with police at the end of the school year and sent the state what police records showed. "The whole thing is bogus," DePrez said of the crime numbers many other schools send to the state. "You can稚 get good data because everybody is worried about PR." Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne agrees. He said that as a result of the Tribune痴 findings, he will issue a letter to all Arizona schools in January demanding they start reporting every incident that involved police. That痴 what Fountain Hills High School principal Mark Mauro does already. In the 2002-03 school year, he even counted incidents in which no crime occurred ・as long as his fulltime school resource officer from the Maricopa County Sheriff痴 Office intervened. Mauro applied a broad interpretation of the law, while many other schools took a much more narrow approach. The result was 107 incidents reported at Fountain Hills High School and zero incidents reported at 11 other high schools, junior highs and middle schools in the East Valley痴 13 school districts. All told, only 10 East Valley secondary schools reported more than 25 incidents on their school report cards, and many reported fewer than five. Police records, however, often show a wide gap between the number of incidents reported and the actual amount of police intervention on campus. The disparity is a sore subject in Fountain Hills. Despite records from the sheriff痴 office that show his school has one of the lowest crime rates in the region, Mauro has to field phone calls from parents who want to know why his school is so dangerous. "We致e got one of the safest campuses around," Mauro said. The uneven reporting in the East Valley also leaves Apache Junction High School looking bad with 84 incidents, second-highest behind Fountain Hills. Apache Junction Unified School District spokeswoman Carol Shepherd, however, had a simple explanation for the number. "Well, we were honest," she said. DePrez said Hamilton High also is honest. As a member of the state痴 School Safety Program Oversight Committee, he is working with state lawmakers and Arizona Department of Education employees on ways to make the data collection process more reliable. "Right now, you just get punished if you池e honest," DePrez said. REPORT CARD OMISSIONS Employees at the Department of Education who compile and publish the school report cards said last week that a reasonable interpretation of the law would require schools at least to tally incidents related to assault, drugs or weapons. They said those are the mandatory categories for police intervention at schools. But several East Valley schools did not count those types of incidents when preparing their school report cards. Calls for police service do not necessarily indicate a crime occurred or that a police report was created, and some calls represent minor situations such as illegal parking or a dog not on a leash. Other times, a call for service might represent a follow-up visit for a situation that occurred off campus or in the middle of the night. But calls for service also document serious incidents. For example, on Aug. 23, 2002, a Gilbert High School girl was hospitalized after another girl hit her in the head with a glass juice bottle and then attacked her with her fists. Two female accomplices, who were former students trespassing on campus, held the victim during the assault. The incident was the first of 11 reported assaults at Gilbert High School in 2002-03, and the first of 34 calls for police service related to drugs, threats, weapons, violence or sex crimes. Yet Gilbert High School reported only two incidents for the state school report cards in 2002-03. Police records show 119 calls for service on campus during normal school hours in 2002-03. Gilbert Unified School District spokeswoman Dianne Bowers said Gilbert High School痴 report card accurately reflects every incident that involved a police officer other than the on-site school resource officer from the Gilbert Police Department. "We treat the SRO as a valuable member of our staff," she said. Bowers said every school in the district applied an honest interpretation of the law, and none attempted to mislead parents. She said the district works hard to maintain safe campuses and good communication with the community. Various East Valley police department spokesmen said, however, that school resource officers are not members of the school staff. Although such officers work closely with teachers and administrators, they are nevertheless on-duty officers employed by the police departments. "They池e there as cops," Scottsdale Police Department spokesman Sam Bailey said. "They take enforcement action and write reports." Three middle schools in Scottsdale also omitted incidents reported first to the school resource officer already on campus. All three schools thus reported zero incidents on their report cards despite police records that show dozens of incidents. "The state report card asks for the number of incidents that required the intervention of local, state or federal law enforcement. Not once during the school year did any of these school principals call Scottsdale police for assistance," said Scottsdale Unified School District spokesman Tom Herrmann. Nevertheless, police records show 85 calls for police service during normal school hours at Cocopah Middle School, 67 at Copper Ridge Middle School and 18 at Mountainside Middle School. Incidents at Cocopah included the following: ・On March 25, a boy sitting next to a sixth-grade girl in the waiting area outside the nurse痴 office put his hand inside the girl痴 shirt and pants. The girl told police that she asked the boy to stop, and police investigated the incident as a sexual assault. Later, the girl told police she was afraid to tell her parents about the incident, and no charges were filed. ・On Feb. 13, the on-site school resource officer arrested a girl in the assistant principal痴 office after a search turned up a metal mint tin containing marijuana. "Our principals absolutely complied with the spirit of the law, which is designed to tell parents whether the schools their children attend are safe," Herrmann said. "The answer to that question at all 33 Scottsdale schools is yes." That includes Cherokee Elementary School in Paradise Valley, which last school year endured the high-profile case of convicted child molester David Renaud. The former teacher was arrested Jan. 10 for crimes committed on campus during normal school hours. He pleaded guilty April 16 to five counts of aggravated assault, sexual molestation of a child and sexual exploitation of a child, and was later sentenced in Maricopa County Superior Court to 46 1 /2 years in prison. An eighth-grader who testified at Renaud痴 trial called the former teacher her "biggest fear." A deputy county attorney said there was "certainly tons" of other victims. Despite the Renaud case, Cherokee Elementary School reported zero crime incidents on its 2002-03 state school report card. Chandler High School also reported zero incidents on its report card, although police records show 103 reports generated from 151 calls for service during normal school hours at that school. Overall, 44 of the calls were related to drugs, weapons, threats, assault or sex crimes. On Nov. 15, 2002, for example, one Chandler High student was hospitalized after being knocked unconscious during lunch. Police concluded that an assault occurred, but the victim claimed to have a loss of memory of the incident, and no charges were filed. About one week later, the school resource officer on campus arrested a student caught with marijuana and a wooden pipe marked with gang graffiti. Chandler High assistant principal Chris Knutsen said his school痴 report card reflects only serious infractions that caused a significant disruption on campus ・and no incidents fell into that category. He said the school provided a complete tally of incidents on its Safe and Drug Free Schools survey, a more detailed annual report the state requires for compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. On that survey, which is not made available to parents except by special request, Chandler High reports 40 cases involving drugs and 21 physical attacks in 2002-03. DEFENDING THE DATA Several school officials said the different reporting standards applied in the East Valley can be blamed on fuzzy language in the law and the lack of clear instructions from the state ・not on principals trying to whitewash the data. "The wording is vague," said Catherine Pletchette, principal at Poston Junior High School in Mesa. "It痴 open to interpretation what is required." Her school applied a broad interpretation of the law and ended up with one of the highest rates of incidents requiring police intervention in the East Valley. Nevertheless, Pletchette does not blame principals at neighboring schools who reported lower numbers. She said the lack of detailed instructions from the state put every school in an awkward position. "We did not wish to underreport and look like we were trying to hide something ・because we池e not," Pletchette said. "But we did not wish to overreport, either." Dan Serrano, principal at McClintock High School in Tempe, agreed the law is vague. "There痴 a lot of variables, and I have no reason not to be honest," he said. His school report card shows five incidents, while Tempe Police Department records show 132 calls for service during normal school hours in 2002-03. Serrano said that, for the purpose of the school report card, he counted every case that required police intervention and that resulted in a student痴 suspension. "You can go on there and be dishonest, but your faculty and your community would know," Serrano said. SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS Officials at several schools said it was reasonable not to count incidents reported to their school resource officers because those officers are on campus every day and work closely with the staff. They said it is often difficult to distinguish when a school resource officer is functioning in an official capacity, and when he is functioning in an educational capacity. Serrano said he works closely with Tempe police detective Hal McCormick, the school resource officer at McClintock. "The kids know that they can come tell Hal anything confidentially," Serrano said. Most school resource officers are funded by federal and state grants paid to the various police departments. As a condition of the grant in Tempe, McCormick痴 job involves educating students and serving as a consultant for the school. He monitors the campus during lunch and between classes, but he also teaches in the classrooms. "I just try and show these kids that I知 just like they are. I知 a normal person," McCormick said. Dobson High School principal Steve Green in Mesa said he also did not report incidents that involved his school resource officer from the Mesa Police Department. Mesa police records show 83 calls for service to Dobson during normal school hours in 2002-03, but Green said every incident except one was handled on-site through the school resource officer ・so that one is the number his school showed on its report card. He said his staff interacts freely with the school resource officer, and marking every daily intervention on a tally sheet would be impractical. "We池e not trying to hide anything," Green said. SPIRIT OF THE LAW But Russ Heath, principal at Powell Junior High School in Mesa, said failing to report incidents involving the school resource officer violates the spirit of the law. "It doesn稚 matter if he痴 an SRO or not. He痴 still a Mesa police officer," Heath said. His school reported every incident involving drugs, assault or weapons ・regardless of whether a beat officer or a school resource officer intervened. Apache Junction High School took a similar approach. "We don稚 make a distinction; we report everything," said said parents want the same thing. "We don稚 want our schools to underreport, but we don稚 want them to overreport," Rudley said. "We want them to be accurate so we can rely on that information." One law, many interpretations State law requires public schools to report "the number of incidents that occurred on the school grounds and that required the intervention of local, state or federal law enforcement." Here is how various East Valley schools interpreted the requirement in 2002-03: ・Fountain Hills High School: Reported any incident involving police, regardless if a crime occurred. Result: 107 incidents ・Apache Junction High School: Reported any incident in which police acted in an official capacity, not in an educational capacity. Result: 84 incidents ・Hamilton High School, Chandler: Relied on police data at the end of the school year. Result: 68 incidents ・Powell Junior High School, Mesa: Reported all incidents involving assault, drugs or weapons. Result: 33 incidents ・Poston Junior High School, Mesa: Reported any incident resulting in the creation of a police report. Result: 30 incidents ・McClintock High School, Tempe: Reported all school safety violations involving police and that resulted in a student being suspended. Result: 5 incidents ・Willis Junior High School, Chandler: Reported incidents that led to a student痴 conviction. Result: 2 incidents ・Horizon High School, northeast Phoenix: Reported any incident during normal school hours that involved police intervention by an officer other than the school resource officer already on campus. Result: 1 incident ・Chandler High School: Reported only "serious incidents" that caused a significant disruption of normal school activities. Result: 0 incidents Source: Tribune research

Phoenixville High School Teacher Accused Of Sex With Student

Some Students Don't Believe Allegations

POSTED: 8:38 p.m. EST February 27, 2003

UPDATED: 8:44 p.m. EST February 27, 2003

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. -- A local teacher has been suspended because one of his students claims he had sex with her. The teacher worked at Phoenixville High School in Chester County. The Chester County district attorney said the student reported that she had sexual contact several times in different locations with the teacher over the last eight months. "He's a really good teacher and he is dedicated to his job. He is not the kind of person that could do something like this," said Ron Quay, a student. Students and teachers say that the teacher being investigated is well-respected and has been a role model. But the Chester County district attorney said that his office is pursuing credible allegations from a 16-year-old student. This week, she told a member of the high school staff about having sexual contact with the teacher. Her allegations were then reported to the Phoenixville police. The superintendent immediately suspended the teacher and asked him to leave the building. A statement released by the school said, in part, "We want to make it clear that there should be no presumption of the teacher's guilt or innocence at this time. Suspending an employee, with pay, during an investigation is a standard procedure when such charges are made." Most of the students NBC 10 talked to said they did not believe the charges. NBC 10 was told that the female student is being counseled and that there was a detective at the school. No charges had been filed by Thursday night.

Computer Teacher Arrested In Sex Sting

Police: Man Thought He Was Meeting 13-Year-Old Girl For Sex

POSTED: 6:19 pm EDT September 15, 2004

UPDATED: 8:01 pm EDT September 15, 2004

PHILADELPHIA -- A Philadelphia teacher was arrested Tuesday night in an Internet sex sting. Police said Marc Helman Rosenberg, 58, thought he was meeting a 13-year-old girl to have sex. Instead, an undercover agent with the FBI was waiting. Rosenberg teaches computer skills at Vare Elementary School in south Philadelphia. School officials said that he has been an intern for three years and is still working on a teacher's certificate. Rosenberg was allegedly on an Internet teen sex chat room. Investigators say he used very explicit and graphic language in the chat room and arranged to meet who he thought was a minor at the Franklin Mills Mall. Rosenberg has been reassigned to the school district's regional office with no access to computers. Rosenberg's attorney told NBC 10 News that he is a husband and a father of two children. He will be fighting the charges.

Younger Teens Gain More Sex Experience

Teenagers Tell Of Wild Parties

POSTED: 10:50 am EST December 3, 2004

Research shows that 16 percent of girls and 20 percent of boys have engaged in sexual intercourse by the time they reach their 14th birthday. For some fourth- and fifth-graders, sex is the topic of school lunch room conversations almost daily, television station WEWS reported. In a special report, the station asked teenagers about the issue. The station talked with a 15-year-old Cleveland-area girl who is enrolled at the Pepper Pike Alcohol Treatment Center for kids about her experiences with alcohol and sex. The teenager said kids are having sex as young as 11 and 12 years old. She added that it happens at house parties in Cleveland and surrounding suburbs, where liquor flows so freely that girls sometimes black out. "I know at least six or seven girls that are my good friends that got raped the first time they ever had sex, she said. "That's how they lost their virginity, by getting raped at a party while they were under the influence." Another teen, who will be called Jay, also knows about the parties. He's also a resident at the treatment center. Jay, who is 18 now, said he had sex at an early age, too. "I lost my virginity when I was 9 years old," he said. "Most of the time, it's us boys pressuring the girls to do this, do that. But sometimes it's not all our fault. Sometimes girls be dressing all trashy ... You see them out in the street with their little short skirts and tank tops and stuff." Another teen says TV glorifies sex. "They're all drinking and getting drunk and everything, and the rappers are talking about doing drugs and having sex with people and all that," a teen said. Dr. Slyvia Rimm has interviewed hundreds of children around the country for a book on habits of middle schoolers. She says she has discovered that second-, third- and fourth-graders are talking about sex. "The oral sex, even a generation ago, wasn't common in high school, and now is common as early as 8th grade and even common in high school and taken lightly" Rimm said. Rimm said that former President Bill Clinton's statement, "I did not have sex with that woman ... Miss Lewinsky," -- has had an impact. She said teens do not think oral sex counts as sex. "I think there can be real psychological harm when kids are that young," Rimm said. Many teens are choosing abstinence and sobriety. In fact, the 15-year-old in the story sought help through treatment and is now beginning a new life, in a new community at a new school. "I'm not going to have the peer pressure, and I'm going to be able to do what I need to do to help myself," she said.

Mom Charged With Supplying Liquor For Teenagers' Parties

Allegations Center Around Two December Parties

POSTED: 11:56 a.m. EST March 6, 2003

UPDATED: 12:14 p.m. EST March 6, 2003

A local mom is in real trouble with the law. Police say that she is charged with buying alcohol for teenagers, and she is also accused of paying her own daughter to make out with another girl. Police in Upper Moreland Township, Pa., spoke with a number of adults and teenagers to put this case together. The charges stem from two parties in December 2002 where juveniles allegedly had access to alcohol. And police say Megan Smith, 36, the mother of one of those teens, was at both parties. "Mrs. Smith was down there quite often, actually, just hanging out with us," said Alex Avallon, a student interviewed by NBC 10 who was allegedly at one of the parties. "It was almost like someone had said (that) she's a 36-year-old high school student." "I'm embarrassed," said Smith, when interviewed by NBC 10. "I'm a good person. I'm a good mom. And I do a lot of things for my kids." One of the things police allege Smith did was buy a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum at a Hatboro wine and spirits shop, and some hard lemonade at an Upper Moreland deli for a teenager's New Year's Eve party. Smith denied taking alcohol to the parties. But Avallon and another alleged partygoer refuted that claim to NBC 10. "To be honest with you, it is a total lie," Avallon said. "She got us a couple bottles of hard liquor and we stuck it through (a) window," said Jason Voytko, also of Upper Moreland. "I did not provide alcohol. ... at least not hard alcohol," Smith said. But she acknowledged to NBC 10 that there was alcohol consumed at the party. "A few of the children got into a few wine coolers and I talked to my daughter about it and scolded her about it," Smith said. NBC 10 asked Lauren Smith, Megan Smith's 14-year-old daughter, if her mother had put the alcohol away. "There was really not that much left," Lauren Smith said. "There (were) only a couple cases of (wine) breezers. So pretty much it was all gone." Other allegations center around Smith's daughter. "She said she would pay her daughter and another girl $10 each if they would kiss. And she said it had to be a good one," Avallon told NBC 10. "My mom had nothing to do with any of it," Lauren Smith said. "We were playing truth are or dare, and my mom walked downstairs where it was happening. She didn't have anything to do with daring me to do it or anything." Megan Smith is charged with corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of children and furnishing alcohol to minors. She is free on $1,500 bail and she'll have an arraignment later this month.

Social Studies Teacher Charged With Child Porn

Man Thought He Was Communicating With Pre-Teen

POSTED: 5:43 p.m. EST December 19, 2002

UPDATED: 8:07 a.m. EST December 20, 2002

UPPER MERION, Pa. -- A social studies teacher from Upper Merion, Pa., is in trouble with the law, charged with child pornography. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the allegations on Thursday. Bob Lester is accused of using his home computer to communicate with and solicit sex from someone he thought was a minor. He is also accused of sending pornographic pictures over the Internet and he reportedly admitted -- in several different e-mails -- that he had sex with minors. "This investigation began Aug. 15 with the Internet communications that were taking place with an FBI agent from Ohio, which Lester believed it was a 12-year-old girl," Ascroft said. It is a federal crime to transport and ship child pornography according to federal laws. NBC 10 News spoke with the superintendent at the school and he said that Lester has been a teacher at the school for 10 years.

 

Son Of 'Party Mom' Pleads Guilty To Sex Crime

James Smith Awaits Sentencing

POSTED: 3:43 p.m. EST November 18, 2003

UPDATED: 3:45 p.m. EST November 18, 2003

James Smith, the 19-year-old son of Willow Grove "party mom" Megan Smith, plead guilty Tuesday in a Norristown courtroom to charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. James Smith is now awaiting sentencing and could receive from 4 to 8 years in jail. He also pled guilty to criminal trespassing for taking a dog from a neighbor's house. In March, Megan Smith was charged with providing alcohol to teens, while her son, James, was charged with raping a 14-year-old girl in his mom's house during another party. On Sept. 13, Megan Smith (right) pled guilty to five charges of corrupting minors, endangering the welfare of children and intimidating a witness. Last week, she was sentenced to 15 to 30 months in jail. Prosecutors said both Smiths harassed the 14-year-old girl who said she had been assaulted, sending Internet messages suggesting that the girl was promiscuous and would "get what's coming'' to her. Megan Smith took a plea bargain that avoided a trial at which James Smith had agreed to testify against his mother.

Teen Says He Had Sex With Middle School Teacher

Teacher Held Over For Trial

POSTED: 6:15 pm EDT September 9, 2004

UPDATED: 6:43 pm EDT September 9, 2004

PHILADELPHIA -- A former Philadelphia middle school teacher is being held for trial on charges of having sex with a 15-year old student.

Maria Garre, 33, is accused of taking in 13- and 15-year-old boys after they ran away, taking them on trips, giving them drugs and alcohol, and having sex with one of them. Thursday in court, the two boys had conflicting stories. The 15-year-old boy said the 13-year-old watched him and Garre have sex in a roadside motel in Massachusetts. The 13-year-old told the court that the acts happened in Maryland. Garre's lawyer said that there was no sex with the boys and nothing illegal happened. The teens told the court that they ran away from home, showed up at Garre's apartment and that she took them in. "They went right to her; ran right to her," said Deborah Pomroy, the grandmother of one of the boys. Both teens are in custody on unrelated criminal matters and testified with immunity in Garre's trial, meaning they cannot be charged with anything they talked about Thursday in court.

Copyright 2004 by NBC10.com.

Study: Teens Most Likely To Have Sex At Home

Only Small Proportion Have First Encounter After School

POSTED: 9:41 a.m. EDT September 26, 2002

WASHINGTON -- Forget Lovers' Lane, teens are getting intimate at home.

 

A new study by Child Trends found that most sexually active teens first had sex in their parents' home, usually late at night -- places and times when many parents are likely to be around. Forty-two percent of the teens questioned reported that their first sexual encounter occurred between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Another 28 percent reported first having sex between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. The study, which has followed 8,000 teens since 1997, found a relatively small proportion of teens have their first encounter after school. The director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy said teens "no longer need to drive to lookout point" for sex. She said the idea "that it's impossible to supervise kids is ludicrous." The study found about one in three ninth-graders have had sex. By 12th grade, the number has jumped to 60 percent. Among the teens who have had sex, 56 percent told researchers they'd had sex first at their home or their partner's. Another 12 percent said they were at a friend's house. The study also found that adolescents and young adult females had higher rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea than any other age group in the United States. Rates of chlamydia have increased for both male and female adolescents and young adults between 1996 and 2000. The Child Trend researchers emphasized the important role parents can play in preventing sexual activity among adolescents. "Research on how to prevent teen pregnancy and birth shows that involving adolescents in school, extracurricular projects, volunteering and religious activities delay first sex and pregnancy," said Kristin Anderson Moore, one of the study's authors. "Also, as these findings on 'first sex' illustrate, strong parent-teen relationships and vigilant parental monitoring are important."

South Jersey Teacher Arrested On Sex Assault Charges

Woman Claims Teacher Assaulted Her Four Years Ago

POSTED: 12:02 am EST March 6, 2004

UPDATED: 12:27 am EST March 6, 2004

CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- A south New Jersey teacher has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a teenager. Dale Rungy, a 54-year-old teacher, was arrested Friday afternoon and charged with sexually assaulting a minor. He posted $5,000 cash bail Friday evening. Police said he was a science teacher at King's Christian School in Cherry Hill. A 19-year-old woman who is a former student of Rungy's made the accusation. Police contacted Rungy, who met with authorities Friday morning. After speaking with Rungy, police charged him with two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one charge of endangering a minor. Police believe the incident took place four years ago when the woman was 15. Rungy will be arraigned on March 11.

 

Suspect In Girl's Assault Served Time On Similar Charges

Homeless Man In Police Custody

POSTED: 6:07 pm EST February 7, 2004

UPDATED: 12:26 am EST February 10, 2004

PHILADELPHIA -- Disturbing revelations came out Monday about the man accused in a vicious attack on an 8-year-old girl in a library Saturday.

FeedRoom Did Attacker Strike Before?

The attack happened Saturday afternoon at the Philadelphia Free Library on South Seventh Street. The girl was assaulted inside a bathroom. Investigators said the girl was at the library with her grandmother and two younger children. The girl went to the bathroom alone at about 4:30 p.m. Police said that 15 to 20 minutes later, she still had not come out. "The grandmother got concerned, went to the bathroom, and found the child in one of the stalls," said Philadelphia police commissioner Sylvester Johnson. "It looked like she was really pushed between the toilet and the wall." She was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. As of Monday afternoon, the girl was out of intensive care, but no further information was available about her condition. The suspect -- a 23-year-old homeless man named Brian McCutchen -- was arrested at 1 p.m Saturday. He allegedly told a friend about the attack, and the friend notified police. McCutcheon, 23, was arraigned Monday and held on $1 million bail. He has been charged with attempted murder, assault, rape and unlawful restraint. Rev. Richard Knox of the Fellowship Tabernacle Church has known the suspect for two years. He said the two met when McCutcheon asked him for food on the street. Knox called McCutcheon "a man down on his luck." Knox told NBC 10 News that McCutcheon admitted to him that he committed the crime. A short time later, Knox called police. Later, the pastor said he talked with McCutcheon in prison. "He was extremely remorseful, pretty much devastated. It was good to see that it bothered him, what he did. I was very happy to see how concerned about what he did and that he didn't take it lightly. He was very devastated," Knox told NBC 10 News. According to court records, McCutcheon has already served time for a similar crime. That incident took place in July 2000 when McCutcheon assaulted a 9-year-old girl in the bathroom of the Venice Island Recreation Center, court records say. "I don't know what made him think to do something like this to a child. ... He needs to be in a white room. To think to do something like to a child," said Wende Henderson, the mother of the victim attacked in 2000. Henderson said McCutcheon followed her daughter into the women's bathroom, pulled her out of a stall and told her she wasn't going anywhere. "He went into the bathroom with her. Shut the door. Pushed her on the ground. Had his hands around her neck," Henderson said. The girl said McCutcheon pulled down her bathing suit, but she screamed and he ran away. Court records indicate that police found him nearby and charged him with a number of offenses. The girl identified McCutcheon as her attacker, but Henderson said questions from the suspect's attorney confused her during cross examination. McCutcheon spent less than 1 year in jail. He was released on parole in June 2001 on the condition that he receive mental health help. "I think it's horrible. He needs to be locked up. And I wouldn't say in jail, because jail is not the good thing for him. He needs to get some type of help," Henderson said.

Boy, 10, Charged In Beating, Killing Of 3-Year-Old Boy

Police Said Victim Had Been Sexually Assaulted

POSTED: 4:15 p.m. EST March 27, 2003

UPDATED: 4:33 p.m. EST March 27, 2003

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. -- A 10-year-old boy is under arrest, charged with luring a 3-year-old boy from a library, beating him with a baseball bat and sexually assaulting him before dumping his body in a drainage ditch. The victim, Amir Beeks, died Thursday morning, authorities said. The 10-year-old, who was not identified by authorities, is charged with murder, felony murder, kidnapping, illegal weapons possession and aggravated sexual assault. He appeared before a Family Court judge in New Brunswick, N.J., on Thursday and is being held in the Middlesex County Youth Detention Center. Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said the 10-year-old cannot be tried as an adult. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years on the murder charge, but could serve a longer term if he is convicted on the other charges and the judge imposes consecutive sentences. Kaplan said the 10-year-old and the 3-year-old were at the Colonia Library in Woodbridge at 4:25 p.m. on Wednesday. The older boy did not know the younger boy, Kaplan said, adding that a motive in the attack remains unclear. The 3-year-old was at the library with relatives, Kaplan said. Beeks was found face down in a drainage ditch within walking distance of the library at about 5 p.m. Wednesday. Paramedics rushed him to JFK Hospital in Edison, where he remained in critical condition on life support until 11:16 a.m. Thursday, when he was pronounced dead. Kaplan said the cause of death has not yet been determined, although it appeared the boy had been beaten with a baseball bat.

Bodies remain inside school as police check for bombs 15 people, including gunmen, dead in Colorado massacre April 21, 1999 Web posted at: 2:39 p.m. EDT (1839 GMT) LITTLETON, Colorado (CNN) -- Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that 15 people, including two teen-age suspects, were killed in the rampage of gunshots and explosions at a high school in suburban Denver. Many of the bodies remained inside Columbine High School as police scoured the building for bombs and booby traps. In the aftermath of Tuesday's terror, about 30 explosive devices have been found, said Deputy Steve Davis of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. "Quite a few" bombs were discovered at the school but explosive devices also were found in the suspects' vehicles and at the home of at least one of the gunmen, he said. Some of the explosives were on timers, Davis said. Authorities identified Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, both juniors at the school, as the two gunmen wearing black trench coats who laughed and hooted as they opened fire on classmates and set off explosions before killing themselves. The bombs were "easily made and most of the components can be purchased at any hardware store," Davis said, without identifying the materials. He said a computer was seized from the home of one suspect, but did not know if the suspects used the Internet to obtain bomb-making instructions. Victims killed, injured by gunshots and bomb shrapnel While some victims died of from gunfire, others were fatally wounded by explosions, Davis said. "It was a combination of both," he told CNN. "We had victims ... that had wounds consistent with shrapnel and consistent with gunshot(s). There were numerous bombs detonated in this school yesterday during this assault." Davis said 11 males and four females were killed. One of the males was an adult. More than 20 people were wounded, some of them critically. 'We could hear people pleading for their lives' Students streamed into Clement Park next to the school on Wednesday morning to leave flowers and share their feelings about the shootings. "This was out of the blue. Nobody expected it," student Katie Crena told CNN. She and some of her fellow students locked themselves into a classroom after the violence began. "I thought, 'This is it, I'm going to die,'" Crena said. RELATED AUDIO Students react to the school shooting Click here to hear their views.   "I mean they were so close. They shot the window of the classroom next door. They tried to get... into our classroom. They were playing with the handle and then went on. We could hear people pleading for their lives," she said. Clinton to parents: 'Shield children from violent images' At the White House, President Clinton praised the quick thinking of police and the courage of students and teachers who rushed to protect each other. Clinton also said children all over America need to be reassured of their safety. "We also have to take this moment once again to hammer home to all the children of America that violence is wrong," the president said Wednesday. "And parents should take this moment to ask what else they can do to shield our children from violent images and experiences that warp young perceptions and obscure the consequences of violence -- to show our children by the power of our own example how to resolve conflicts peacefully." Make sure 'scene is swept clean of explosives' Worried about bombs and booby traps, specially trained officers Wednesday resumed a painstaking check of classrooms, discarded belongings and parked cars at the school. "(The bomb squad doesn't) believe the building is secure," Jefferson County Administrator Ron Holliday told CNN before dawn, just as the search was about to resume. Davis said once the school was found to be secure, investigators would be allowed into the building and the bodies inside would be removed. An overnight search for bombs ended at 2 a.m. One device detonated as the bomb squad was removing it. No one was hurt. "We're trying to make sure the scene is completely swept clean of any potential explosives. That's our first order of business," Holliday said. "We literally have hundreds of book bags scattered all over the school, so those are all potential dangers to our officers," he said. Death toll lowered The attack began when Harris and Klebold, wearing fatigues and ankle-length black coats, opened fire in the school parking lot around 11:30 a.m. before entering the school cafeteria. Police said they exchanged shots with officers and were later found dead in the school library with self-inflicted gunshot wounds and bombs around their bodies. "It appears to be a suicide mission," Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone said. No suicide note has been found, authorities said. Davis said he did not know how the heavily armed pair obtained their weapons. It must have taken "quite a bit of planning to carry that much equipment and ammunition (into the school)," he said. He said Harris and Klebold were the only suspects, so far. "If, later, our investigation shows that other people were involved in either the planning or the execution of this incident, then certainly we would charge them." After the four-hour siege ended, police said that as many as 25 people may have been killed. By Wednesday morning they revised the estimated death toll downward to 15. Four people who knew the suspects, some of them former students, were questioned in the case and released, police said. 'We're going to kill every one of you' Many stunned students, parents and residents of Littleton, an affluent Denver suburb, attended a memorial service Tuesday night, and school officials were arranging crisis counseling for teens struggling to cope with the massacre, the most recent of several school shootings nationwide. While police have not given a motive, several students said Harris and Klebold were members of a group calling itself the "Trenchcoat Mafia," outcasts who bragged about guns and bombs and hated blacks and Hispanics, as well as student athletes. Students said the group was fascinated with World War II and the Nazis and noted that Tuesday was Adolf Hitler's birthday. Members of the group don't talk much to other students and "give people dirty looks," student Josh Nielsen told CNN. The attackers marched into the library of Columbine High School with guns and pipe bombs, demanding that "all jocks stand up. We're going to kill every one of you," said student Aaron Cohn. A gunman looked under a desk in the library and said "Peek-a-boo," then fired, Cohn said. Anyone who cried or moaned was shot again. One girl begged for her life, but a gunshot ended her cries, the student said. Cohn said one killer put a pistol to his head but did not shoot him. Instead, he said, the shooter turned his attention to a black student, saying, "I hate niggers." Cohn heard three shots but couldn't see what happened. "You could hear them laughing and running upstairs," said one student, who broke down in tears as she recounted the killing spree. "They didn't care who it was and it was all at close range." Correspondents Tony Clark, Charles Zewe and Greg LaMotte contributed to this report.

Atlantic City Elementary Students Not Allowed To Play Outside

School Officials Respond To Rash Of Violence

POSTED: 4:59 pm EST December 10, 2004

UPDATED: 5:23 pm EST December 10, 2004

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Some South Jersey students are being held hostage inside their school because of the violence outside their school's walls. The New York Avenue School in Atlantic City just opened this year, but the brand-new playground equipment has gone unused because the school has been locked down. "We don't get to go outside," said Des'Monay Barnes, a fifth-grade student. "The people around here, they shoot and (the school officials) want to keep us inside to be safe." A rash of recent violence, such as a shooting and standoff Wednesday just blocks from the school, prompted the decision to keep the school in lockdown. It has been that way since last month, when someone fired shots directly across the street from the school that serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade. "To have this type of environment so close to the school is very disheartening," said Fred Nickles, the Atlantic County superintendent of schools. So, for now, free time is spent either in the cafeteria, the gymnasium, or in classrooms where teachers say the changes are taking a toll on everyone. "They're just stressed, these kids are stressed. They're acting out. It's very difficult," said Lynnette Myland, a teacher. "It's, like, boring. You don't have nothing to do. When it's supposed to be recess time, it's work time," Barnes said. Security is being beefed up outside the school and the district may add a layer of reinforcement to the first floor windows of the school. "Now our kids can't even come outside because all this violence is going on. Something really needs to be done. It's really sad," said Shirley Barnes, a parent. School district officials said that no decision about a change in the safety policy would be made until after the holiday break.

Tips Can Help Stop Bullying

NBC News 31 Mar 05

Many children are terrified to attend school. At the extreme, this is caused by the school shootings that have occurred over the past 10 years. But a much more common reason that children fear going to school is because they are being teased, taunted and often physically attacked, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says. This behavior -- bullying -- is prevalent in the lives of 30 percent of school children within a school year. It is a phenomenon that requires a coordinated response across our communities. Left unchecked, it creates an environment within our schools that leads to greater and greater levels of violence, Would you know what to do if your child or someone you knew constantly appeared sad, moody, teary or depressed, and has lost interest or refused to go to school? These symptoms could be signs that a student is being bullied. Bullying must no longer be treated as a right of passage for children as they move through the school system. It is too rampant in scope and the harm it causes is too profound to be treated so lightly. Children who are bullied are at a greater chance of school failure, dropping out, depression, sleep disorders, suicidal ideations, and committing acts of violence. Children who act as the bully have a greater probability of committing criminal acts later in life, perpetuating family violence and also committing suicide at a greater rate. Bullying even harms the bystanders, leaving them feeling helpless, out of control, intimidated and guilty for not taking action. Working in collaboration with the Child Welfare League of America and others, HSS offered these tips:

Open up the lines of communication. Parents need to talk with their children about what is happening in their kids' lives -- both the good and the bad.

If you are unsure, check your sources. If you are not certain that what your child is experiencing is bullying, do some research. There are very clearly defined warning signs at StopBullyingNow.

Help children take a stand. Empower children to notify an adult at their school if they are experiencing bullying and to stand up for themselves or others if they witness this action happening to their peers.

Use every moment as a "teachable moment." Educators and school administrators need to use every opportunity to address the topic of bullying in their schools. They should use an incident of bullying as an opportunity to let all involved know that bullying is not acceptable and will not be allowed.

Help to get your community focused on the problem of bullying. Help to pass clear "codes of conduct" in our schools that address bullying in a proactive way.

Get a prevention program started in your community.

Don't think that peer mediation and conflict resolution are the answer. Peer mediation and conflict resolution are not the best ways of dealing with most instances of bullying. These methods can re-traumatize the student who has been bullied and generally are not found to improve the relationship between the parties.

Create a safe and secure place for children to hang out.

Oxford High School Remains Calm After Threat

Threatening Note Found In Bathroom Stall

POSTED: 11:29 am EST January 16, 2004

UPDATED: 3:26 pm EST January 16, 2004

OXFORD, Pa. -- A Chester County school was on high alert Friday after administrators sent a letter home to parents about reports of a possible shooting spree at Oxford Area High School. No violence erupted Friday, but nearly half the student body stayed away because of the threat. The students who attended found their building filled with cops and locked down. Security was extremely tight. "The police officers had to check our bags and we got ran through a metal detector. Everyone had to show ID, and no one was allowed out during class without an escort," said Mika McDaniel, and Oxford High School senior. This week, a letter went home to parents about a message discovered Jan. 8, scrawled inside the stall of a girl's bathroom. It indicated there would be a "shoot-up" at the high school on Jan. 16. That did not happen and officials say nothing suspicious was found. Read the text of the letter sent to parents. "We are very confident that this is, indeed, a rumor; however we have to treat it as if it's not a rumor," said Jack Powell, the principal. Rumor or not, parents of close to 500 children decided to keep their children home for the day. "My mom was scared to send me to school because she didn't know what was going to happen," said Jamie Coy, a freshman. Police and school administrators believe all of this may have stemmed from a comment made by a student back in September. At the time, he said people better not come to school on his birthday, which happens to fall this week. Officials think that seemingly innocent remark about celebrating a birthday snowballed into rumors of violence at school. "Of course, these guys were joking but then it became a legend," Powell said. Following hundreds of interviews, police say they now have a suspect in the writing of the note on the bathroom stall. The suspect is a female student, but officials would not elaborate. "There are potential charges that go along with this," said Chief George Pappas, of the Oxford Borough Police Department. Students return to school on Wednesday. Officials don't expect the same kind of security presence then, but said they will remain vigilant. The high school is part of a campus that includes an elementary and a middle school.

Study: Bullying Affects One In Three Children

Not Clear Whether Trend Is On Rise

NBC 25 Apr 01

A nationwide study finds that bullying affects nearly one of every three children in sixth through 10th grades.

Young students and boys are most likely to be affected.

The authors say that their survey of almost 15,700 students is among the first to document the U.S. prevalence of bullying. It is to be published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

The lead author says that there is too little research to tell whether bullying is increasing or decreasing.

Bullying has been implicated in recent school shootings. A growing number of districts have adopted intervention programs.

And an editorial accompanying the study encourages schools and public-safety officials to pay attention to bullying and the potential for worse violence that it may hold.

"Understanding how to respond to bullying in an effective manner provides the opportunity to learn more about how to address the consequences of experiences with violence," wrote Dr. Howard Spivak of the New England Medical Center and Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith of the Harvard School of Public Health. "The time is now for concerted efforts to integrate (a) response to bullying into the larger framework of violence prevention."

The study's main researcher, Tonja Nansel of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, says that bullying should not be seen as inevitable. But Nansel says that she can't tell whether programs that work in other countries will work here.

What Counts As 'Bullying'?

For the purposes of the study, bullying was defined as repeated aggression intended to harm or disturb in which there is an imbalance of power -- a more powerful person or group attacking a less powerful one. The aggressive behavior can be verbal, physical or psychological, such as shunning someone or spreading rumors about the person.

Among the specific findings of the study:

• Of the children surveyed, 29.9 percent reported moderate or frequent involvement in bullying.
• Of those, 13 percent said they were the one who did the bullying, while 10.6 percent said they were the victims of bullying. A little more than 6 percent said they both bullied and got bullied.
• Males were more likely than females to be both perpetrators and targets of bullying.
• Bullying was more common among sixth- through eighth-grade students than among ninth- and 10th-graders.

Looking for causes of bullying, the reseachers concluded that:

• Youths who had a poor perception of their school climate were more likely to bully other youths.
• Youths who smoked, got bad grades or had poor relationships with classmates were more likely to bully, and more likely to be the victim of bullying.
• Children whose parents had a permmissive attitude toward teen drinking were more likely to be bullied.

The study's authors recommended that parents and school officials should recognize the patterns that surround bullying, and intervene.

"Effective prevention will require a solid understanding of the social and environmental factors that facilitate and inhibit bullying and peer aggression," Nansel and her colleagues wrote. "This knowledge could then be used to create school and social environments that promote healthy peer interactions and intolerance of bullying."

Principal Accused of Giving Test Answers

Pennsylvania Principal Accused of Giving Students Answers to Standardized Tests Is Suspended

The Associated Press

Apr. 16, 2005 - A veteran principal and school administrator has been suspended while officials investigate allegations that she helped students cheat on tests.

Jayne Gibbs was placed on a paid leave Thursday after eighth graders at Edward E. Parry Edison Junior Academy said she had given them answers to questions on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test, said Wayne Emsley, Chester Upland School District assessment director.

Gibbs is an administrator with the for-profit education company Edison Schools, which has run most of Chester Upland's schools for the last several years but recently announced it was severing its relationship with the district.

She was previously principal at another middle school in the district where students' scores on standardized tests improved dramatically during her tenure. Between 2002 and 2003, the percentage of students testing proficient in math on the PSSA exam jumped from 11 percent to 71 percent.

Calls to numbers listed under Gibbs' name were not immediately returned Saturday.

Chester Upland was taken over by the state 11 years ago, but a series of reform efforts in the suburban Philadelphia district have failed. In recent months, its finances have nearly collapsed, requiring a $4 million state bailout and prompting an investigation into possible fraud.

Earlier this month, an acting principal at the district's high school was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old female student in the school auditorium.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright © 2005 ABC News Internet Ventures

National News
Philadelphia: School reeling over sex charges
By By Barbara Boyer, Dale Mezzacappa and Connie Langland - The Philadelphia Inquirer
Apr 14, 2005, 07:29

	Posted on Thu, Apr. 07, 2005
	School reeling over sex charges By Barbara Boyer, Dale Mezzacappa and Connie Langland Inquirer Staff Writers Eboni Wilson, a charismatic young educator hired to bring discipline and restore order at troubled Chester High School, faces his own troubles after one of his students said she twice had sex with him during school, authorities announced yesterday. The 28-year-old acting principal was charged with two counts each of corrupting a minor and indecent exposure, Delaware County District Attorney G. Michael Green said. Green said the 16-year-old student, interviewed at least twice by authorities, said she had consensual intercourse with Wilson, whom she called "Doc," on March 17 and March 29. Wilson, who is now on leave, has called the allegations "bullcrap" drummed up by political adversaries. No matter what the outcome, the charges came as a setback to the 1,500-student urban Delaware County school, where Wilson had become the 17th principal in 35 years in the mostly poor and African American district. He has been credited by many with improving conditions at the high school. "This has put people in a state of disbelief," said English teacher Twyla Simpkins. "When we finally think we can attach to this rising star and come out of this, the ground is pulled out from under us." The Chester Upland School District was mired in mismanagement, political patronage, and a $2 million deficit when taken over by the state in 1994. By September 2001, the 5,000-student district was largely under private management, with the controversial for-profit firm Edison Inc. running all but one of its schools. The company chooses and employs the principals, including Wilson. Yesterday, the state-appointed Board of Control that oversees the district said it would "initiate appropriate actions" so that the firm leaves in June, a year before its five-year contract expires, in 2006. An Edison spokesman said yesterday the company had been considering such a move even before the allegations against Wilson were raised. In announcing the charges against Wilson, Green emphasized that although the student had a "friendly relationship" with the principal, any physical relationship was improper. "We aren't going to tolerate any sexual contact," Green said. Wilson's attorney, Arthur Donato, said his client was innocent. "I can tell you, based on the facts as I know them, we're looking forward to litigating this case, and we're confident he will be vindicated," Donato said. Wilson's appeal as an educator was his ability to use his life experiences to connect with students. In an autobiography, Wilson describes growing up in South Central Los Angeles and overcoming life in a household where both of his parents were drug addicts - later going on to earn a Ph.D. Simpkins said the student involved, a junior, had been working on a project about African American authors and said she was going to interview Wilson about his autobiography. Rumors spread throughout the halls yesterday while the student attended classes and took the PSSA test. A half-mile away, Wilson was arraigned before District Justice Horace J. Davis, who set bail at $50,000 for the four misdemeanor charges. The investigation began last week when a school security officer contacted Chester police about what he thought was unusual behavior seen on surveillance cameras. Many of those cameras did not operate when Wilson arrived, Simpkins said, adding that he had the broken ones fixed and new ones installed, helping to reduce the chaos. District Attorney Green said that on the two days in question, Wilson is seen unlocking an auditorium door. The student is seen entering from a different location. After more than 15 minutes, they leave, and "it appears that her clothes were in a state of disarray," Green said. Green would not specify where the student said the two had sex in the auditorium, which has a stage and balcony. Simpkins said that Wilson explained the surveillance tape by saying that he does rounds every day and visits every room in the school on a regular basis, letting himself in with a key if he has to. The student did not go to authorities. Investigators went to her after Chester Police Detective Todd Nuttal requested help from the district attorney's Sexual Assault Unit. Detective Robin Clark interviewed the student, who initially did not say they had sex. In a later interview, she said they had consensual sex, Green said. Under state law, a teenager can consent to sex with an adult at age 16. But Green said that even though the junior, who is known as a good student, said she did consent, sex between an administrator and student is "intolerable." Adriene Irving, a member of the state-appointed board, said that even if Wilson is innocent, Edison should go. "This is just one more black mark on Edison's record with Chester Upland," Irving said. "The very sad and unfortunate part is that this man has been able to do what no one else has been able to do. He restored order and was beginning to make some real noticeable changes." Edison's spokesman, Adam Tucker, said that the company had been considering an early departure from Chester, where its relationship with the community has been rocky and its fees are not always paid on time. "We agree that it may be in everyone's best interest to make this our last year," Tucker said, adding that this conclusion "is not in any way, shape or form related to the allegations against Dr. Wilson." Edison brought Wilson to Chester late last year after the previous principal had gone on sick leave. There were high expectations for Wilson. When he arrived, classes were overcrowded, more teachers were needed, and, in some cases, students were without books. The halls were in chaos, and fights often erupted. Still, Wilson said at the time that he was up to the challenge and was upbeat. A few months ago, he married Eva Hernandez, who also works for Edison as an administrator at the school, who defended her husband Tuesday night. Students were surprised by the allegations. Senior Tonya Robertson, 19, said Wilson had been doing a lot for the school. "He was putting it back on track, and he changed the school around a lot. We started having parties, dances - we had a big pep rally for the basketball finals. We hadn't had one of those in so long," Robertson said. "He was fixing the computers, fixing the doors so they would lock and outsiders couldn't get in." Another senior, Anika Townes, 17, said: "I feel in my heart - I don't believe he did it." Senior Ma'D Johnson, 17, said Wilson had restored some order to the school. "Dr. Wilson, he's a good person. He did an astounding job," Johnson said. "He toned the fighting down; he suspended kids when they needed to be suspended. But if he did this, well, he's a grown man, and he would have to take the consequences."

Contact staff writer Barbara Boyer at 610-892-9140 or bboyer@phillynews.com.

---

© 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.philly.com  

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/11321627.htm Posted on Wed, Apr. 06, 2005

Principal accused of sexual incidents Eboni Wilson strongly denied having contact with a girl. The company running Chester High is investigating. By Frederick Cusick Inquirer Staff Writer Eboni Wilson, the newly installed acting principal of Chester High School, is being investigated over an accusation of having had sexual contact with a student, a spokesman for Edison Inc., the private company that runs the school, said yesterday. Wilson, 28, who came to Chester High in December when the regular principal went on sick leave, was put on paid leave when the allegation came to light Thursday, said Adam Tucker, Edison's vice president for communications. Wilson said in a telephone interview last night that the accusation was "bullcrap," but said that on the advice of his attorney, he could not go into details. He asked that people "be patient because the truth will come out." Eva Wilson, the principal's wife, got on the phone after her husband and said that the whole investigation was being pushed by unnamed politicians or others in the community who have an agenda she did not specify. "This is absurd," she said. "We were warned when we came into this small town. This is how they want to repay us; they can keep their little town." She said that when the matter is cleared up, her husband will hold a news conference. Tucker said he did not know any specific details about the accusation but said both the company and Wilson were cooperating with the Chester police. Officials with the Chester police and the Delaware County District Attorney's Office could not be reached for comment. KYW-TV (Channel 3) said unnamed sources reported that police were investigating an allegation that the principal had improper contact with a 16-year-old girl twice in the school's auditorium. "We are taking this seriously," Tucker said. While Wilson is on leave, Tucker said, assistant principal Darla Hammond will be in charge of the 1,500-student school. Wilson, who holds a doctorate in education, previously worked for Edison at a charter school the company runs in Chicago. A profile of the new principal published in The Inquirer two months ago described how Wilson had offered his own life story as an example of how youngsters from poor backgrounds can succeed. He grew up in the tough section of South Central Los Angeles. Both of his parents were drug addicts, and he and his brothers often had to steal to buy food. Two mentors and a football scholarship got him out of the ghetto. At Chester High, which has had four principals since 2003, Wilson has emphasized discipline. "These kids don't have the teachers, the classes or the resources they need," Wilson said in the profile. "But even if they did, and there wasn't student discipline, all that wouldn't matter. "It's time to stop pacifying kids or making excuses for them because of their setbacks in life. Kids act how you allow them to act." Contact staff writer Frederick Cusick at 215-854-4449 or fcusick@phillynews.com.

 

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/breaking_news/11354591.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

	Posted on Sun, Apr. 10, 2005
	Principal just tip of Chester-Upland woes The district's finances are a mess, test scores remain low, and the administration is changing. By Dale Mezzacappa and Connie Langland Inquirer Staff Writers The sex accusation against high school principal Eboni Wilson that threw the Chester-Upland School District into tumult last week is hardly the worst of its problems. Finances are in such disarray - the district is $35 million in the hole - that it needed a $4 million state advance to meet a recent payroll. The state can't account for millions and is investigating possible fraud. Officials worry that there may not be enough money to finish the school year. "Clearly, we have a crisis in Chester-Upland - a fiscal crisis, an educational crisis, a leadership crisis, an accounting crisis," Pennsylvania's education secretary, Francis Barnes, said in an interview. His cabinet meets every Wednesday to discuss the next steps for Chester, the only one of 501 school districts that gets such attention. It's no wonder that Chester-Upland is on top of Harrisburg's agenda - the state has run the district through a local board for 11 years. And five years ago, also under state direction, the for-profit Edison Schools Inc. was hired to run most of the district's schools. Last week, Edison announced that it would exit in June, a year early. And despite some gains in test scores, Edison and Chester officials agree that their partnership is an object lesson in how not to privatize a struggling district. And many community members say they have been left with little to show for what one called an "experiment" that has largely failed the students. What happens next? The key is to "make sure the children are the focus - not the administration nor Edison nor any program," said the Rev. Andrew L. Foster 3d of Grace Community United Methodist Church in Chester. Now, "the children are the last on the totem poll." But the district's future may be limited by its fiscal woes, which include a high tax burden and low tax collection. It owes $10 million to vendors, including $4.2 million to Edison, which employed the principals, supplied the curriculum, and trained teachers. With $70 million in debt, the district has exhausted its borrowing power. And the district lost millions in federal aid, Barnes said, by not applying for it. "There are clear indications that the funds put into Chester-Upland didn't go into educating kids in an effective way," Barnes said. Per-pupil spending for the 5,000 students is higher than in the average Pennsylvania district - $12,009 in Chester, vs. $9,309 statewide. "We're just trying to make it through the school year so that kids can get a full 180 days of instruction," said Shawn Farr, special assistant to Barnes. "How the district will operate the next school year is still an open question." The state comptroller expects to complete a forensic audit in June, looking deeply into how the district's managers handled its finances. A preliminary audit last fall found that the district lacked controls "designed to protect against malfeasance and fraud." In 1994, eight years before taking similar action in Philadelphia, the state took over Chester-Upland's finances and installed a three-person Board of Control. In 2000, using a new law, the state declared 12 districts, including Chester-Upland and Philadelphia, academically distressed. That legislation favored the hiring of private managers for schools. There is a lesson in Chester-Upland's experience for other districts required to restructure for failing to meet academic goals under the No Child Left Behind law. "School restructuring in Chester-Upland is an example of how NOT to restructure," concluded a report by the Education Commission of the States, a group that helps states shape education policy. Former Pennsylvania Secretaries of Education Eugene Hickok and Charles Zogby had promoted private management and charter schools to turn around academically failing districts. Chester-Upland was picked to test out these strategies. But Chester-Upland turned out to be anything but a showcase. One problem, according to the Education Commission of the States, is that while the state pushed the district to privatize, "it didn't follow through to ensure the privatization model negotiated was tenable." "Caught in the middle of the turmoil are the children and families the restructuring initiative was designed to help," the report said. Even Edison agrees that this model didn't work. "Working in Chester has always been a challenge," company spokesman Adam Tucker said. "The partnership does not give us ample control to fully implement our program." Under its contract, the company had no power to hire or fire teachers and no control over such things as federal funds or school security. The opening of charter schools, which educate 28 percent of the district's children, also caused problems. Two of four charter schools have closed, and another ended its high school program. (A fourth, with 1,500 students, has shown some improvement in test scores.) But the charter schools added to the fiscal disarray by diverting money that otherwise would have gone to the district. And the movement of students back and forth between the failed charters and the regular public schools caused academic problems and a crisis last fall at the high school. Hickok, who went to Washington to supervise the implementation of No Child Left Behind at the U.S. Department of Education, acknowledged Chester's failures but minimized the larger lessons. "In Chester-Upland, you have a system that just has lost all ability to function," he said Friday. "I can't blame anyone for trying a variety of approaches, including privatization, to shake it up," he said. Charles Gray, a Chester resident, was on the Board of Control that signed the contract with Edison. "We thought the best hope at the time was to bring in outside help," Gray said. Edison "presented a very rosy picture, and the fact that they could really turn things around, they came in looking like they had the ability to do that." State Sen. Dominic Pileggi, former mayor of Chester and a Republican Delaware County power broker, said that what is important now is finding a new superintendent. More than 100 people have applied for the job, Barnes said. With Edison's departure, the district will also have to hire a raft of principals and other administrators. "It's certainly not an insolvable problem," Pileggi said. The district's "progress and retreat... is frustrating to everyone who is interested in improving opportunities for students in Chester-Upland." Some Chester High students are reeling from the charges against principal Wilson, who in four months earned wide support among students and faculty. For a short time, the 28-year-old, a child of drug addicts who had risen from gang-infested South Central Los Angeles to earn a doctorate in educational administration, had given them some hope. That was before he was charged Wednesday with four misdemeanor counts for allegedly having consensual sex with a 16-year-old student. "Since he came to the school, there has been no fighting," said sophomore Maria Lee, 15. "I don't think it's right. I don't think it's fair... . All you were hearing was good stuff about the school, winning the [state championship basketball] game. Now all you hear is this. They're trying to make it bad in all ways." Lee said she had just gone through annual state testing, but "it was hard to think about it with all these things." Community members are now left to pick up the pieces once again. It's time, several said, for them to take charge. "The question is, how do you displace those people who have been in power, so a real concerted community effort can be put together to improve the education of children?" said Butch Slaughter, a local filmmaker documenting Chester's travails. "We must be the designers, the architects of our children's future. Right now, everybody keeps getting paid, but nobody's doing nothing. That's intolerable." Contact staff writer Dale Mezzacappa at 215-854-5112 or dmezzacappa@phillynews.com. Chester Upland's Troubled History 1993: State investigators find that patronage and poor budgeting practices plague the district. 1994: The state takes control of Chester-Upland, which has a $5.4 million deficit. 1997: A legislative commission proposes that Chester-Upland be closed. 2000: The state declares Chester-Upland among 12 academically distressed districts and targets them for restructuring. 2001: Edison Schools Inc., a for-profit firm, takes over nine of 10 schools for five years. 2002:Dexter Davis is named superintendent. 2002: The outgoing Republican administration pushes through a law ousting the Board of Control and giving five-year terms through 2008 to Michael Gillin, Granville Lash and Adriene Irving. 2004: Chester Charter School closes and Village Charter School ends its high school program, returning hundreds of students to the district. June 2004: The running deficit exceeds $35 million, including a $10.7 million loss in 2003-04. Sept. 2004: Chester High opens with overcrowded classes and a lack of books; students walk out in protest; a student melee draws police. Dec. 2004: Education Secretary Francis Barnes reports a "serious breakdown" in accounting and risk of fiscal mismanagement. Dec. 2004: Eboni Wilson is named high school principal; Davis resigns as superintendent. Jan. 2005: Charles Scott is named interim superintendent. Jan. 2005: Education Commission of the States describes management of the district as "exceedingly dysfunctional," noting that "nearly all schools" have shown improvements in test scores but remain well below satisfactory levels. March 2005: William Penn Elementary closes, and students are reassigned after the building is found unfit for use; the state advances $4 million for the district's April payroll. April 2005: Eboni Wilson is arrested; the Control Board seeks Edison's departure a year early and the company agrees; the state awaits a June audit before deciding the next steps.                                   Connie Langland

 

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/11354860.htm

Posted on Sat, Apr. 09, 2005

Edison says it's leaving Chester-Upland district Associated Press CHESTER, Pa. - Edison Schools Inc. plans to leave the Chester-Upland School District on June 30, four years after the for-profit company took over. Edison made the announcement Friday in a letter from General Manager Rich O'Neill to Michael F.X. Gillin, chairman of the board of control in charge of the district. The decision came days after the board unanimously made public its desire to sever its relationship with the company, and in the wake of allegations that the principal of Chester High School had sex with a 16-year-old student. "Its unfortunate and disappointing that all parties involved could not make swifter improvements in Chester," Edison spokesman Adam Tucker said. Edison said it has only received one payment of seven now current or past due for this school year. In 2001, Edison was given a contract worth $4.1 million a year to manage all but one of the district's schools. O'Neill said in the letter that conditions in the district "continue to be not right for the sustained improvement in academic performance" the company hoped to make. Now, the district will have to create a plan to take back control as it looks for a new chief executive and superintendent. "I think the district, (department of education), the board of control along with the teachers association, I think we can put this district on the right track," said Gloria Zoranski, head of the Chester Upland Education Association. Information from: Delaware County Daily Times, http://www.delcotimes.com/

 


© Copyright 2001 by TexasISD.com

Chester Giving Edison Schools Failing Grade

CHESTER, PA: March 12, 2002 — Edison Schools Inc., the for-profit education company, is in danger of not meeting standards for improvements on attendance and suspension rates in the Chester Upland School District, a district evaluation said.

Truancy, suspensions, and serious disciplinary incidents are up, attendance and enrollment are down, and important administrative and support functions have not been carried out properly, according to the report, a quarterly evaluation by the school district administration.

Edison, which is competing for a lucrative management contract in the troubled Philadelphia school district, assumed control of nine of 10 Chester schools at the beginning of the school year.

"I'm extremely disappointed," said Charles Gray, a member of the state-appointed control board that oversees district operations and a supporter of privatization.

If Edison can't provide the best education possible, "we are going to have to make other arrangements," Gray said.

The state seized control of Chester Upland, one of the lowest-performing school districts in Pennsylvania, in the summer of 2000, and awarded Edison a five-year contract.

The report gave Edison high grades for making improvements in the appearance of the schools and performing well in working with students already identified as special-needs students.

"I think that there are a lot of good things happening in the buildings that you can't see in the report. But I think it will take two or three years before you see major progress," said Juan Baugh, the Edison administrator of Chester Upland.

Officials overseeing Edison schools in other parts of the country have also noted problems in the first year, but said they had been smoothed out later on.

"These are serious, legitimate issues, but people are still willing to give them a chance," said Lawrence Hamm, president of the Chester High School Parent Teacher Organization.

Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Last Updated: Mar 12, 2002

Edison To Leave Chester-Upland District

Apr 9, 2005 4:08 pm US/Eastern

Edison Schools Inc. plans to leave the Chester-Upland School District on June 30, four years after the for-profit company took over.

Edison made the announcement Friday in a letter from General Manager Rich O’Neill to Michael F.X. Gillin, chairman of the board of control in charge of the district.

The decision came days after the board unanimously made public its desire to sever its relationship with the company, and in the wake of allegations that the principal of Chester High School had sex with a 16-year-old student.

“Its unfortunate and disappointing that all parties involved could not make swifter improvements in Chester,” Edison spokesman Adam Tucker said.

Edison said it has only received one payment of seven now current or past due for this school year. In 2001, Edison was given a contract worth $4.1 million a year to manage all but one of the district’s schools.

O’Neill said in the letter that conditions in the district “continue to be not right for the sustained improvement in academic performance” the company hoped to make.

Now, the district will have to create a plan to take back control as it looks for a new chief executive and superintendent.

“I think the district, (department of education), the board of control along with the teachers association, I think we can put this district on the right track,” said Gloria Zoranski, head of the Chester Upland Education Association.

© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Device Explodes At Chester County School

Classes Cancelled; No Injuries Reported

POSTED: 11:37 am EST

UPDATED: 6:08 pm EST December 9, 2004

UWCHLAN TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A bomb exploded Wednesday night at the Uwchlan Hills Elementary School and authorities are now searching for the person who detonated the explosive device. Thursday afternoon's cold driving rain didn't slow the federal and local investigation into the explosion that took place at about 10:45 p.m. at the school located on Peck Road near Lionville, Pa. The damage wasn't discovered until early Thursday morning. The bomb, lodged against the computer lab door, blew out a window. Nobody was injured. No students were present at the time of the incident, police said, and no one was injured. After arriving at school, about 50 Uwchlan Hills students were taken to the nearby Lionville Elementary School, where their parents picked them up. All four schools in the township were searched for explosive devices. Tracy Heureux lives about a quarter mile away in Uwchlan Township. "I really wasn't sure what it was. It sounded like boom. The lights flickered. I looked outside and didn't see anything. I didn't think too much about it," Heureaux said. "We don't have any idea of a motive at this point. I'm sure there are going to be questions (if there is link) between this and the bomber three years ago. We have no reason to believe that at this point," said Joe Carol, the Chester County district attorney. School officials said parents can get updates on the situation at the district's Web site: www.dasd-adm.org.

Teacher Faces Criminal Charges
November 3, 2005 - New Hampton

A New Hampton High School teacher faces criminal charges of sexual exploitation by a school employee.

Lee Ayers was asked to resign after allegedly making inappropriate sexual comments to a student on the internet.

This morning, Ayers was in court to face charges.

The former social studies teacher could serve up to five years in prison if convicted.

Ayers refused to talk with us on his way out of the courthouse.

County Attorney Patrick Wegman says police confiscated evidence of Ayers' soliciting sexual conduct from a student over the internet.

Pictures obtained by KWWL show police issuing a search warrant last week here at lee ayers home.

This morning ayers turned himself into police at the chickasaw county courthouse.

Chickasaw County Attorney Patrick Wegman said, "We have obtained a statement from the victim an email that was sent and we have also obtained through a county attorney subponea, records from the New Hampton school. Based upon the evidence, we put together through these items we did file a charge."

After Ayers initial appearance, he was booked into the Chickasaw County Jail.

Ayers is expected back in court for a pretrial hearing on November 21.

Ex-officer indicted on rape charges

A former detective was accused of attacking a teen.

By Associated Press
November 3, 2005

A former Albuquerque Police Department detective has been indicted on charges of criminal sexual penetration and kidnapping.

Timothy Chavez, a 13-year veteran, was arrested in May and placed on paid leave after being accused of raping a teenage girl. He was fired in July following an internal affairs investigation.

State Attorney General Patricia Madrid said a Bernalillo County grand jury returned the indictment against Chavez on Wednesday.

"These allegations by themselves are unconscionable," Madrid said. "But for a member of law enforcement, they are especially troubling."

Chavez has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The 14-year-old girl told police she met Chavez through a telephone dating service April 22.

A criminal complaint alleges the girl was raped on a couch at her home.

Phone records obtained from the dating service also showed Chavez's phone number was connected to the girl's home on the day of the alleged incident, according to the complaint.

The state attorney general's office has taken over prosecution of the case to avoid any conflict of interest with the district attorney's office.

October 3, 2001   Parents Angry They Weren't Informed of High School Rapes In a contentious meeting Wednesday night, parents of students attending Laguna Creek High School demanded to know why they weren't warned that two separate sexual assaults had been reported on campus.  Although the first of the rapes occurred last June, it wasn't reported until Monday of last week. The second attack took place last Wednesday and was reported on Friday.  The victims in both attacks were students at Laguna Creek.  Parents weren't informed of the attacks until more than a week after the first assault was reported. An investigation was immediately launched after school officials learned of the June attack.  While it took place, however, the suspects remained at large and neither students nor parents were told of the crimes. By last Friday, two students were arrested in the June assault.  On that same day, however, a different victim came forward to report another sex assault involving separate group of suspects.  Emotions were clearly running close to the surface at Wednesday's meeting.  Although parents were asked to submit questions in writing, the meeting was soon interrupted by shouts from the audience. "You put my daughter in jeopardy," shouted one man.  A woman vowed to take her daughters out of the school. Even questions posed calmly were pointed. "Is there the possibility that the second rape could have been avoided, in your opinion?" asked Richard Fasano. School officials said they couldn't offer a definitive answer.   School administrators contended that they couldn't release information on the attacks because of the police probe into the crimes. "They were in the process of conducting an investigation to make sure they could apprehend potential suspects," said Marty Cavanaugh of the Elk Grove Unified School District. "To do so, they needed the investigation to be as quiet as possible."  The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department denies asking school administrators to keep quiet about the assaults.  District officials insist no other students were in danger, or are in danger now. However, detectives say they're still looking for as many a number of other suspects, all of whom may be students at Laguna Creek High.

Story posted October 3, 2001 - 11:16 pm

Abuse widespread at schools for the deaf nationwide

 

January 2003

Rumors of rapes and molestations on the campus of the 115-year-old Washington State School for the Deaf circulated for years among parents of students. A Seattle Post-Intelligencer investigation identified dozens of child-rape victims over a half-century and raised serious concerns about the residential school's continuing failure to protect children. Response to the P-I's report was immediate and fueled an expanded investigation. The P-I found that at least half of the nation's 50 taxpayer-funded schools for the deaf have been embroiled in controversies about sexual and physical abuse over the last two decades.		WHAT THE P-I FOUND 160 sex-related incidents at the Washington State School for the Deaf between September 1998 and February 2001. At least 100 other incidents, including 14 alleged rapes, several attempted rapes and dozens of molestations over the preceding decade. It took a string of five reported student-on-student rapes in 1999 to spur safety improvements. Lack of oversight continued for decades at the 120-student school.

Four victims of abuse -- the secret is out
Autumn		Vincente		Brian		Melody

	SPECIAL REPORT: ABUSE AT STATE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF

For generations, state's students kept secrets
Scores of parents shared the haunting secret. Most walked away. For decades, officials at the Washington School for the Deaf have ignored or discounted a persistent pattern of sexual abuse.
>> For two families, untold pain lingers
>> Deaf say special schools needed
>> Chart of sex-related incidents at the school since 1998
>> Drawing made for Vancouver police by a 14-year-old student who was raped
>> Map of the campus. Also available in Adobe Acrobat format (PDF).
>> Join a discussion of the issues
>> Followup stories

As allegations fly, School for Deaf finds itself at crossroads
Two external reviews ordered by Gov. Gary Locke will soon begin examining why children are so vulnerable to abuse at the state-run Washington School for the Deaf.
>> In Maine, a step toward healing
>> Tips for making residential schools safer
>> Reforms: Past, present and future
>> Key dates in WSD history
>> Contacts: If you want to report child abuse
>> Followup stories

SPECIAL REPORT: ABUSE AT DEAF SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE

Abuse and Silence: Examining America's schools for the deaf
At least half of the nation's 50 taxpayer-funded schools for the deaf have been embroiled in controversies about sexual and physical abuse over the last two decades, an investigation by the P-I has found. In state after state, abuse remains a silent threat at the schools.
>> Painful Legacy: A timeline

Allegations and denial of rape hang over Oregon school
SALEM, Ore. -- First, they say, he won their trust and offered solace to them as lonely teens. Then, two former students claim, the administrator at the Oregon School for the Deaf preyed on their vulnerability and demanded sex in return.
>> Oregon may investigate sexual-abuse allegations

Police investigate Oregon deaf school's ex-director
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into allegations that a former top administrator at the Oregon School for the Deaf sexually abused students.

When children are abused, no one is spared
RED SPRINGS, N.C. -- The two little boys tried to signal their silent pain. But employees at the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf persuaded both mothers to ignore their fears.

Parents and others issue a call for help
The failure of schools for the deaf to protect children from abuse has prompted calls for the federal government to play a role in monitoring safety.

SPECIAL REPORT: VANCOUVER FOLLOWUP STORIES

Head of deaf school resigns
Faced with a no-confidence vote and a lingering campus sex-abuse scandal, the superintendent of the state-run Washington School for the Deaf has resigned.   (Jan. 22, 2003)

Group demands that head of deaf school be ousted
An advocacy group for the deaf is demanding that Gov. Gary Locke fire the superintendent of the Washington School for the Deaf, after a safety panel's warning that students are still at risk of abuse.   (Dec. 20, 2002)

Deaf school rules may tighten
Lawmakers have taken steps to better protect students from sexual abuse at the state-run Washington School for the Deaf by setting up a stronger governing board and ordering the Department of Social and Health Services to regularly monitor safety on campus..   (March 12, 2002)

Tighter controls sought over deaf school
Two bills aimed at increasing scrutiny of the state-run Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver have been proposed by lawmakers concerned about sexual abuse on campus.   (Jan. 22, 2002)

Progress made in protecting deaf students at state school
A safety review of the state-run Washington School for the Deaf has found that although "considerable" progress has been made in protecting students from sexual abuse, significant gaps remain in everything from bathroom supervision to criminal background checks on staff.   (Jan. 17, 2002)

State deaf school making progress, panel reports
The state-run Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver has made "significant progress" on many of the nine safety-related reforms ordered by Gov. Gary Locke to better protect students from sexual abuse.   (Jan. 8, 2002)

Eighth legal action filed against school for deaf
Another former student has begun legal action against the state-run Washington School for the Deaf, bringing to eight the number of cases filed in the last two years that allege sexual or physical abuse by other students and employees.   (Dec. 12, 2001)

State deaf school allowed repeat sex offenders to stay
Administrators at the state-run Washington School for the Deaf failed to control sexually aggressive students, allowing 11 repeat offenders to prey on other children at the Vancouver campus for years, a report has found.   (Nov. 29, 2001)

Government should apologize to abused deaf students, group says
Reforms ordered by Gov. Gary Locke are being adopted at the Washington School for the Deaf, but the leader of an advocacy group says the governor owes students abused at the state facility something more personal -- an apology.
>> Years later, effects of abuse at Canadian school linger  (Nov. 28, 2001)

More trouble for deaf school
Two more families have begun legal action against the state-run Washington School for the Deaf, saying school officials failed to protect children from sexual abuse by other students.   (Aug. 28, 2001)

Family reluctantly accepts $125,000 in deaf school suit
The grandmother of a girl who reported being raped by another student at the Washington School for the Deaf has reluctantly accepted a $125,000 out-of-court settlement in a lawsuit filed against the state.   (Aug. 4, 2001)

Pressure grows for head of school for deaf to quit
A lawmaker has joined victims' families in calling for the resignation of Washington School for the Deaf Superintendent Len Aron because of what they say is his persistent denial of sexual abuse on campus, including his recent contention that a 14-year-old student "made up" a rape allegation to get attention.   (Aug. 1, 2001)

Locke appoints panel to oversee reforms at state school for deaf
Gov. Gary Locke has appointed a six-member watchdog panel to oversee extensive safety reforms at the state-run Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver.   (July 14, 2001)

Reforms for deaf school
Gov. Gary Locke Monday ordered sweeping safety reforms at the Washington School for the Deaf aimed at protecting students from a pattern of sexual abuse that has plagued the Vancouver campus for decades.   (June 26, 2001)

Deaf school lacked clear rules
The state-run Washington School for the Deaf had no clear policy on how to supervise its young residents when a 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped in an incident involving five older boys earlier this year.   (June 8, 2001)

Lawmakers defend embattled deaf-school superintendent
Three Vancouver-area lawmakers called a news conference to show support for Len Aron, the superintendent of the Washington School for the Deaf -- who failed to make a promised appearance.   (May 17, 2001)

Deaf School superintendent under fire
Lawmakers are questioning Superintendent Len Aron's leadership in the wake of his denial that any rapes have occurred on campus since he took charge of the state-run Washington School for the Deaf.   (May 12, 2001)

Deaf school's leader allowed to pick review team
An out-of-state review team will begin scrutinizing safety at the state-run Washington School for the Deaf tomorrow even as Gov. Gary Locke is criticized for using reviewers handpicked by the school's superintendent.   (May 7, 2001)

State officials promise scrutiny of deaf school
State lawmakers pledged yesterday to look into allegations of longstanding sexual abuse at the state-run Washington School for the Deaf, including a call for broadening two external reviews already ordered by Gov. Gary Locke.   (April 27, 2001)

Officials: Man Rapes Girl After She Leaves School

Girl Thrown Into Black Van

POSTED: 7:39 am EDT September 30, 2005

CLEVELAND -- Police and Crime Stoppers need your help tracking down a rapist who attacked a 16-year-old minutes after she left Glenville High School. NewsChannel5 reported the incident happened last Friday before 3 p.m. near the intersection of Saywell and Lakeview avenues on Cleveland$B!G(Bs east side. The 16-year-old was grabbed her by her belt and she was thrown into the back of a black mid-90s Chevy van. The victim$B!G(Bs mother is hoping anyone with information will contact Crime Stoppers. The suspect is described as a white male in his early 30s with balding blonde hair. He was wearing blue shorts and a white T-shirt. If you have any information, contact Crime Stoppers at (216) 252-7463.

 

 

Officials Investigate Rapes At Local High School

LAST UPDATE: 3/5/2004 8:51:10 AM

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Department is investigating  two rapes at a local high school.  A 16 year old student is under arrest, facing charges. Officials say a 14-year-old girl was raped at NorthWest High School, in Colerain Township, on February 11th. A second 14-year-old girl reported she was raped on March 1st. Investigators say the rapes took place on the lower level of the school, while school was in session. The NorthWest School District is sending letters home with students Thursday. Local 12 will have more on this developing story beginning on Local 12 First At Four.

Two More Alleged Rapes Inside A School During School Hours

January 24, 2002
 
By Tracy Vedder

LAKEWOOD - It's happened again -- girls raped inside a local school during school hours.

There were two attacks at Clover Park High School in Lakewood. Both occurred during school hours, and both happened inside what is supposed to be a locked area.

And to top it off, parents are furious that it took the school two months to tell parents and students about the attacks.

The first rape happened in November during 4th period inside the Performing Arts Center. The 15-year-old victim told police that the suspect, who is also 15, lured her inside, forced her into the back of the center, and raped her.

A teacher allegedly allowed the suspect inside the center to remove platforms. The district expelled the student, but did not notify other students, or parents, of the incident.

"At that point, the concern was that was an isolated incident," said Kim Prentice, Clover Park District Spokeswoman.

But a month later, there was a second attack -- also in the Performing Arts Center. Another 15-year-old girl told police she was raped. This time the suspect is 19-years-old, who somehow had keys to get inside the locked facility.

Since then, the school has launched an internal investigation and no students are allowed to leave class without an adult.

But it wasn't until last Friday that the district sent a letter out -- more than two months since the first attack before the school notified students and parents.

Stephanie Cash says her parents were outraged.

" 'What the hell is going on?' and 'How come you didn't know about it?' " Stephanie said her parents asked. "I said, 'I didn't know about it.' "

Prentice says they wanted to be sure they had everything correct before notifying parents and students.

"Complexity of the investigations were such that we needed to make sure we had as much accurate information as we possibly could before anything was shared," she said.

But some students feel the district is ignoring the attacks.

"It seems like nothing happened," said senior Chris Quenga.

Even now, the district says there no plan to specifically talk to students about the attacks, or student safety.

"It'd help if teachers told us what happened, so students wouldn't make up their own stories," said senior Antionette Bryant.

The school district expelled both boys suspected in the rapes, and both were charged with 2nd degree rape.

In the first case, the 15-year-old pled guilty to a reduced charge of indecent liberty. In the second case, the family did not want their daughter to go through a trial, so those charges were dismissed. But KOMO 4 News has learned through law-enforcement sources that the suspect in the second attack did have a previous record.

Ex-School Board Official Accused Of Raping Girl

Suber Faces Several Charges

UPDATED: 8:21 pm EST December 12, 2001

PITTSBURGH -- Ron Suber, a former Pittsburgh Board of Public Education president, was ordered to stand trial in the sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl, WTAE's Sheldon Ingram reported Wednesday. Suber (pictured, left), 49, of the Manchester section of Pittsburgh's North Side, faces charges including rape, indecent deviant sexual intercourse and corrupting a minor. At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, the girl said the incident happened on Nov. 3 at Suber's home. She said Suber woke her while she was sleeping on a couch, then kissed and touched her private areas. Her mother was not home at the time, she said.The girl said Suber is married to one of her relatives. She said she often spent the night at Suber's home when her mother needed a baby sitter, Ingram reported. Suber's lawyer, Stanton Levenson, called the evidence against his client "extremely weak" and said someone "obviously" told the girl what to say before appearing in court. "We don't know why someone would make this up," Levenson said. "This does serious damage to his reputation. We expect he will be vindicated, and hopefully his reputation will heal." Suber served four terms on the city's school board, and was the board president for four years. He lost his seat in District 8 in November 1999. Suber is free on $3,000 bond. A trial date has not been set.

Medical Campus Alerted to Rapes

Recent attack in Longwood area was Boston’s second violent rape in two weeks

Published On Monday, October 04, 2004  12:00 AM

By JESSICA R. RUBIN-WILLS

Crimson Staff Writer

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Police have warned students at Harvard’s Longwood medical campus not to walk alone at night after two women were raped at gunpoint in Boston over the last two weeks, one of them in Longwood’s Mission Hill neighborhood.

After the Boston Police Department (BPD) alerted media and local universities Thursday about the two rapes, the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) sent an advisory to the Longwood campus the same day.

But some students at the College asked why they had not received direct notification from HUPD about the violent attacks.

A 19-year-old woman was assaulted just before midnight last Wednesday on Hillside Avenue in Mission Hill, according to the BPD. In a similar incident, a 23-year-old woman was attacked near the Forest Hills Orange Line station in Jamaica Plain around 9:45 p.m. on Sept. 21.

In both cases, the victim was pulled into a car and taken away to a location where the two male abductors pistol-whipped and threatened to kill the victim before raping her.

While news of the attacks reached several student group and House e-mail lists, members of the Coalition Against Sexual Violence (CASV) said they should have received an alert from HUPD.

Tazneen R. Shahabuddin ’06, a CASV board member, said CASV found out about the incidents after a member posted an article from the Boston Globe to their e-mail list.

“I would always err on the side of caution,” she said. “Maybe they were trying not to stir up panic...but it’s always nice to have the information.”

Harvard police make a “case by case” decision about how widely to distribute crime alerts, said HUPD spokesman Steven G. Catalano.

“In this case...with Boston police intelligence that these individuals were acting in that area, we felt that it was appropriate to send that advisory just to the Longwood campus,” he said.

Another CASV board member, Laura E. Openshaw ’05, said she was especially concerned because the suspects in both incidents used cars in the abductions, which means that the threat they posed might not be limited to the Boston neighborhoods where the crimes took place.

The Longwood area, which includes Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, is about 15 minutes by car from Cambridge.

Susan B. Marine, the director of Harvard’s Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, said she supported HUPD’s decision to send the advisory only to the areas where the incidents occurred.

“There are rapes and other kinds of sexual assaults reported every single day in the Boston area, including in Cambridge,” she wrote in an e-mail. “I am sorry to say that I think if we sent an alert every time a rape was reported, people would simply stop paying attention to them.”

Some 30 or 40 students from Harvard and other area colleges travel to the Longwood neighborhood each day Monday through Thursday to volunteer at the Mission Hill After-School Program, according to Natalia Mendoza ’05, the program’s administrative director.

She said volunteers were informed of the rapes from newspaper articles and an e-mail from a member of the program.

“We always stress in our program that no one is allowed to walk by themselves,” Mendoza said. “We’re not happy that this happened, but we’re prepared for things like this.”

She added that she thought HUPD should have informed all students about the attacks, since many students who reside in Cambridge travel across the river for volunteer programs and other activities.

“Since all the universities are sending out notices, it would have been nice for us to hear something about it,” Mendoza said.

At Boston University (BU), campus police officers spoke to the radio station, provided information to the student newspaper about the attacks and sent a notice to the Dean of Students’ office, according to BU spokesman Colin Riley.

Northeastern University sent an e-mail alert about the crimes out to all students to “make sure that they take it seriously and take every precaution,” said spokeswoman Brylee Maxfield.

Catalano said each university makes its own decision about whether to send crime alerts.

“There is a large percentage of Northeastern students that live in Mission Hill. It is appropriate for them to warn their students,” he said. “We felt it was appropriate to warn the people who live and work in Mission Hill.”

The BPD said no arrests have been made, and the department will release a composite sketch of the suspect today.

The BPD is asking anyone with information about the crimes to call the tipline at 1-800-494-TIPS or the Sexual Assault Unit at 617-343-4400.

—Staff writer Jessica R. Rubin-Wills can be reached at rubinwil@fas.harvard.edu.

Two men charged in deaths of seven

BY MARK HOLMBERG AND JIM NOLAN

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS

Sunday, January 8, 2006

Police chief Rodney Monroe, right, makes comments to reporters during a press conference at police headquarters in Richmond, Va. on Saturday, January 7, 2006. At left is Richmond mayor Doug Wilder. DEAN HOFFMEYER/TIMES-DISPATCH

• MAP: Locations of slayings
• Deadly week in Richmond
• Readers respond to arrests
• Police Beat

Two men were captured in Philadelphia yesterday in connection with seven of the nine homicides in South Richmond last week.

Ray Joseph Dandridge and his uncle, Ricky "Cooley" Gevon Gray, both 28, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the New Year's Day slayings of Bryan and Kathryn Harvey and their two young daughters, Stella and Ruby, and in Friday's slayings of Percyell Tucker, his wife, Mary Baskerville Tucker, and her daughter, Ashley Baskerville.

"We believe we have put an end to what we consider seven very serious cases in the city," Police Chief Rodney Monroe said last evening.

The two suspects, both with ties to Philadelphia, have also been linked to a Jan. 3 Chesterfield County home invasion and are being investigated in possible involvement in other crimes between Richmond and Philadelphia.

AREA MAP
Click for larger version
THE VICTIMS
Bryan Harvey	Kathryn Harvey
Stella Harvey	Ruby Harvey
Percyell Tucker	Mary Tucker
Ashley Baskerville

Friday night, police found the bodies of Tucker, 55, his wife, 47, and Baskerville, 21, in their one-story brick home at 3408 E. Broad Rock Road. All had been bound by duct tape. Causes of death were not available yesterday.

"The house had been ransacked, and numerous items were taken," Monroe said.

On New Year's Day, firefighters responding to a call at 812 W. 31st St. discovered the bound bodies of the Harvey family. All had their throats cut and had been beaten, sources said.

While it did not initially appear that the two-story brick corner house in Woodland Heights had been ransacked or robbed, investigators now believe some items were taken.

The motive in both of the South Richmond multiple-homicide cases appears to be robbery, Monroe said, although the brutality of the crimes defied speculation.

As one investigator said, "Think of monsters, and it's something worse than that."

Yesterday, police would not detail what they believe is the connection between the suspects and the Broad Rock slayings. Monroe said one of the victims knew the attackers.

But sources said the targeting of the Harveys may have been a random crime of opportunity.

Monroe said Dandridge and Gray are not suspects in the New Year's Day shooting deaths of Lewis Aaron Casper Jr. and his 17-year-old daughter, Roicana Casper, in their Terminal Avenue home.

"We have strong leads and will bring this case also to a successful conclusion," Monroe said, praising his detectives and the multijurisdictional effort that led to yesterday's arrests.

Last night's news brought tears of relief from some residents in the area and some small sense of closure for family members.

"I'm glad they caught them," said Ricky Tucker, son of Percyell Tucker. "But I still can't accept it."

The two suspects were apprehended by a SWAT team in a house on Wanamaker Street in the West Philadelphia area at 8:30 a.m. yesterday.

Police also recovered a green Chevrolet Blazer taken from the Tucker home.

Dandridge's father in Philadelphia, Ronald Wilson, said last night that his son and Gray showed up Friday afternoon with a carload of electronic gear, including televisions and DVD players.

Wilson's wife, Virginia, said the young men weren't there when she returned home from work because they had gone to a coin laundry.

Later that night, the pair went out in the Blazer and shot pool, Ronald Wilson recalled.

When the Philadelphia police came yesterday, Virginia Wilson said, Gray was "hiding in the basement, behind a heater."

Ronald Wilson said his son and Gray had known each other for years. "When [Ray] was young, I told him to leave that boy alone. . . . It seemed like he was always getting in trouble when he was around."

The Wilsons said that until Friday afternoon, they hadn't seen Dandridge since he had left Christmas night to visit his mother and Gray in Virginia.

After the two were taken into custody yesterday, Virginia Wilson said, she saw Dandridge during a break between his interviews with police. "He just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders and said, 'I love y'all.'"

"Whoever thought something this horrible could happen?" she said last night.

Dandridge had been released from James River Correctional Center in November after serving a 10-year term for robbery and use of a firearm.

On his prisonpenpal.org personal Web page, he wrote that he is into poetry, dancing, sports and chess. "Don't judge a book by it's cover we all make mistakes and what doesn't kill will only make us stronger."

He was looking for his soul mate. "I'm an open minded and very romantic person. I believe in treating others as I want to be treated and respected in life."

Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring said last night that a death-penalty prosecution in the cases is "certainly not beyond the pale. . . . I will tell you everything is there for consideration."

Monroe wasn't arguing for mercy. "We are not going to tolerate these two individuals who are responsible for the death of seven people in our community," Monroe said.

Mayor L. Douglas Wilder said the arrests are a continuation of the city's war on criminals. "We are not going to just stop with this."

The conspiracy charges against Dandridge and Gray do not mark the end of the cases, however. Police last night were still issuing alerts for another vehicle that may be involved in the Broad Rock case, a white 2003 Volkswagen with four doors.

The Broad Rock slayings apparently occurred Friday before police received a call that something had happened at that location. After knocks on the door went unanswered, police broke into the home about 7:30 p.m.

State police officers quickly joined in the investigation and the search for the suspects.

Yesterday, relatives remembered Percyell and Mary Tucker as a happy couple who married about eight years ago, although they had been together for two decades.

"They were in love," JoAnn Barnes, Mary Tucker's sister, said. "They used to go to Atlantic City, go to the country together. They'd go to parks when it got warm. They went home to the country."

Percyell Tucker, a forklift operator and all-around "working man," was from Chase City, his son said.

"He was a wonderful father," daughter Angela Lawson said. He was quite proud of his new granddaughter, she added.

Mary Tucker, who worked at a nearby cleaners, grew up in Mecklenburg County and came here some 30 years ago "to better herself," sister Francine Evans said.

"She was a sweet and loving person," Evans said. Mary Tucker loved attending Fifth Baptist Church on Cary Street and did all she could to help others, Evans added.

She also loved dominoes.

Both the Tuckers were known for their cooking.

Percyell's specialty was coconut and pecan pies. As for Mary, "everything you could name, she could cook it," Barnes said.

Ashley Baskerville, Mary's daughter, had recently gotten out of jail, but she was taking classes and looking for a job, her aunts said.

"I love my niece," Barnes said. "She was outgoing. She'd speak her mind. I never had a problem out of her."

She said she talked with her niece and sister by phone almost everyday. She had a feeling something wasn't right when no one answered their cell or home phones Friday.

"I'd been calling all day and half the night -- up to one o'clock in the morning."

Mary Tucker's sisters got the news early yesterday.

But Percyell Tucker's son and daughter didn't hear that something was wrong until a distant relative called about 9 a.m. They came to the scene not knowing what had happened, or even where they might find their father's body.

"Nobody is telling us nothing," Ricky Tucker of Kenbridge said angrily. "How would you feel?"

"I'm really upset that this happened last night, and the cops didn't call us," Lawson said.

Arrangements were made for detectives to meet them at the scene at noon.

Lawson, who lives in the area, said the whole thing is too much.

"Why are people so cruel to take someone's life like that?" she said. "A lot of people blame God [for] why things like this happen. I blame Satan."

She said she feels for other South Richmond families who have lost families in recent slayings. "My heart goes out to those people also."

A prayer vigil for the Broad Rock victims is set for Tuesday at 6 p.m. in front of the home.

Meanwhile, the people who were targeted in the Jan. 3 Chesterfield home invasion are feeling lucky, despite being robbed in their home not long after losing a teenage girl to an alleged drunken driver.

That robbery happened at 7 p.m., said Wayne Pierotti, who wasn't there at the time but spoke for his disabled sister and her husband.

"My sister was in bed because she was handicapped," Pierotti said. Two men and a woman "came to the door like they were asking for directions."

They pushed his brother-in-law onto the couch and immediately went to the bedroom where 17-year-old Brandy Cave had lived until she was killed in a September crash.

The intruders took a computer, a TV and several other items, according to the police report.

"They were talking about tying him up," Pierotti said of his brother-in-law. "Because my sister was in such bad shape, he talked them out of tying them up.

"From what I hear," Pierotti said, "my sister and brother-in-law are lucky."

Contact staff writer Mark Holmberg at mholmberg@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6822.

Contact staff writer Jim Nolan at jnolan@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6061.

This story can be found at: http://www.richmondtimesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128769183075