Saturday, June 30, 2007

Parents, listen to your children. If your child asks to be homeschooled, find out why.

Gun-toting Mo. teen called abuse victim
ASSOCIATED PRESS
06/25/2007
JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- The Jasper County teen accused of firing an assault rifle inside his middle school last fall had been subjected for yearsat school to abuse that his teachers ignored, the boy's parents told the Joplin Globe.

Norma and Greg White also blame themselves, saying they should have listened to
their son when he repeatedly said how much he disliked school and asked to be
home-schooled.


Instead, Thomas White, 14, is facing being tried as an adult on multiple felony charges, and his father is serving an 18-month sentence for illegal possession of firearms in the family's home."He's a good kid, and we let him down," Greg White told the newspaper.On Oct. 9, Thomas White took one of his father's assault rifles to Memorial Middle School, fired a single shot into the ceiling of a school hallway and then allegedly tried to shoot the school principal as he was being ushered from the school. The weapon jammed.He has been certified to stand trial as an adult on two counts of first-degree assault and one count each of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action and attempted escape.

Another teacher charged with a felony count of sex offense against a student

A former East Henderson High School teacher charged with one felony count of sex offense with a student had her case postponed in district court Friday.

Julie Miller Culbertson, 38, of 1200 Davis Mountain Road, was arrested in May after being charged with a sexual offense involving a female student.

According to the Henderson County District Attorney's Office, Culbertson's case was postponed until the next setting of the grand jury.

Assistant District Attorney Beth Dierauf said she did not have a specific date when Culbertson's case would go before a grand jury.

A slap on the wrist for a slap on the face

FARMINGTON - A former substitute teacher pleaded no contest to a charge of disorderly conduct Friday after she successfully completed a deferred disposition agreement in connection to slapping a Rangeley school student in 2005.Heidi Sorensen, 49, of Oquossoc, had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault June 9, 2006, in Franklin County Superior Court in Farmington with the understanding that if she went a year without any other offenses, she would be able to withdraw that plea and plead to an amended lesser charge.

She received an unconditional discharge in court Friday for the disorderly conduct charge, which means the lowest level misdemeanor charge will stay in her file but she'll receive no other penalty.

Sorensen, who was substituting as an art teacher at Rangeley Lakes Region School, said in December 2005 that she had taken students down to the school library and ended up slapping a 14-year-old girl in the face after the student spoke loudly.Sorensen, who had substituted and volunteered at the Rangeley school for about five years, said at the time that the class was disruptive and she had most of them quieted down when the girl asked a question in what she considered too loud of a voice in the library."I open-handed slapped her, not hard," Sorensen said in 2005. "I just wanted to wake her up to be quiet in the library."

Sorensen admitted then that she had overreacted and was appalled at her action and shouldn't have done it. She also said she wrote the girl's family and apologized.

School officials banned Sorensen from substituting or volunteering at the school after the incident.


********************
Read that last line again folks. She was barred from subbing at that particular school. Do you really think she will stop "teaching" after 5 years? Nah, I'm guessing she will simply find a new school to work with. I'm sure she'll even get a great recommendation.

Not enough barring of sicko teachers

A student accused Kenneth T. Anderson, a science teacher, of fathering her baby girl while he was employed in Metro. Authorities cleared him in that case, but the school district ultimately fired him, citing poor classroom performance.
Anderson, now 38, promptly went to work in two other districts despite his questionable record. It wasn't until he was accused of having sex with a 16-year-old student at Smyrna High School that school officials took steps to yank his teaching licenses and bar him from the classroom for good.


Anderson's case and others spotlight weaknesses in how Tennessee monitors its educators. Unlike other states, Tennessee has no independent agency dedicated to regulating teacher licensing and ethics. For the past two years, state lawmakers tried to create one, but the bills failed to gain momentum.
Relying on individual school districts to investigate their teachers makes some advocates uncomfortable because politics can come into play.

************************
By the way folks, this problem doesn't only exist in TN as the article suggests. This is happening everywhere. Just read through all my articles and see how many you find where the teacher was actually barred from teaching. Where do you think these teachers will teach next? Maybe this time it will be your local school.

Just another teacher of the year who is facing abuse charges.

61-year-old Jane Forgione, a special education teacher in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, has been charged with assaulting three of her students. According to WNEP, teacher’s aides reported that Forgione punched a child in the back, twisted a child’s ears, and bit a child’s fingers.

12-year-old Colby Van Horn, who has autism and who is non-verbal, was a student in Forgione’s special needs class for two years; while he is not one of the three students whom Forgione has been charged with assaulting, his parents and sisters say that he changed while in Forgione’s class:

“He was so aggressive. We knew something was going on. He could tell us with his
body language. There was just something wrong,” said John Van Horn. “He was more
aggressive toward my wife, and the other two kids.”
“He was throwing things,
knocking things over, breaking things, hitting everybody and then stopped when
he got transferred out of the school, yes,” said the boy’s mother.


Forgione was suspended without pay in April and has retired from the district. In 2006 she was voted teacher of the year by a support group for parents of autistic children.

****************************
It seems pretty crazy to me that these folks keep getting named "teacher of the year".

Just another teacher who allegedly abused kids for years and the administration feels "counseling and monitoring" were enough. Ugh.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A mother who claims her son was abused by a Columbus teacher said not enough action was taken when allegations about his behavior first surfaced 16 years ago.

The woman's claims came days after police arrested Mark Boster for allegedly using the Internet to try and meet a 14-year-old boy for sex, 10TV's Patrick Bell reported.

Dawn Phillips said Boster allegedly assaulted her son in 2002.

"He grabbed him by his nipple and twisted it," Phillips said. "Why? He said to get his attention."

According to a letter mailed to Phillips, Franklin County Children's Services investigators couldn't substantiate any abuse and the case was dropped, Bell reported.

Still, Phillips' feelings about Boster and his alleged behavior remained the same.

"I was livid, oh my God was I livid," she said. "I think he needs to be in jail.
He needs to rot behind those bars."


According to personnel records obtained by 10TV News, officials with Columbus Public Schools investigated Boster's conduct several times since 1991, Bell reported.

In November of 1991, a letter referenced alleged inappropriate physical intervention between Boster and a student, Bell reported. In 2003, a teacher reported that Boster allegedly punished a boy by forcing him under his desk while he sat down.

Records also stated that colleagues reported that Boster allegedly followed boys into the restroom. Another wrote that he had male students sit on his lap, Bell reported.

In 2004, the district reprimanded Boster and ordered him into an employee assistance program.
He was never fired.

Phillips said she can't understand why Boster remained on staff despite his record.

"They should have fired him a long time ago," she said. "He should have lost his job a long time ago."

A Columbus Public Schools spokesman declined to be interviewed, but said
counseling and monitoring was enough discipline
, Bell reported.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 12 Year Old Student

(WCCO) A middle school teacher in Prescott, Wis. has been fired and the Pierce County Sheriff is investigating claims she had sex with a 13-year old student. The 38-year old woman was a substitute at Prescott Middle School.

The student's father says he found the two having a middle of the night
rendezvous together at the teacher's home after the boy stole his mother's car.


Sources said the woman's husband, and 13-year-old daughter were home at the time.The father filed a restraining order which claims the two had sexual intercourse.

He says he has copies of e-mails between the two.

Zach Simones, who coached the 13-year-old boy on the 7th grade football team, said he is sickened by the incident."He was dating the lady's 13-year-old daughter before this happened," said Zach Simones, the boy's football coach.

GUILTY Pedophile teacher GUILTY

He's done this before folks. Why was this man allowed to continue working in the public school system?

A 41-year-old former teacher's aide was convicted late Thursday of groping and soliciting a 16-year-old girl for sex in 2005.

Ned L. Roberson, who at the time of the incident lived in the 1000 block of Rutledge Street, will be sentenced Aug. 17 by Circuit Judge Leo Zappa. He faces up to three to seven years in prison for aggravated criminal sexual abuse and up to two to five years for indecent solicitation of a child. Both crimes are probationable.

A Sangamon County jury took about five hours to reach its verdict after a three-day trial. GUILTY.

Roberson was arrested in 1997 for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old
girl, but the case was dismissed when the alleged victim either couldn't be
found or wouldn't cooperate.

GUILTY Teacher has sex with student, doesn't want to stop and tries to kill her. GUILTY

How can anyone argue public schools are safe? This teacher was having sex with this sixteen year old student at his school. She tried to stop having sex with the pedophile and he tried to kill her.


BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- An ex-teacher was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday after unapologetically admitting he tried to kill a teenager by choking her with a belt and leaving her for dead in a city park where she was found 30 hours later.

School officials have said Shelton once was a teacher at a middle school Reeves attended.

In a videotaped statement, Shelton said he was driving with Reeves -- then a Columbia High School junior -- and trying to break off their relationship April 27, 2006, when Reeves turned unruly. Shelton told authorities he and Reeves had sex once. Shelton said he pulled over, unbuckled Reeves' seat belt and tried to eject her when he heard her neck pop. Shelton said her body went limp and that he drove to a local park and carried her into a wooded area "to make it look like she got strangled there." He said he tightened his belt around her neck, then heard a gurgle followed by nothing.

How's this for a role model?

Mobile Police have arrested a teacher who taught at Daphne High School for filing a false rape report.
They say Kathy Chason lied when she told them she was raped June 3rd as she left a Mobile restaurant.
Officer John Young says Chason told police an off duty police raped her, and she later changed her story and said she was raped by a security guard.
When officers arrived to take her report, Young says she accused one of them of raping her.
Young says, "When interviewed, Ms. Chason did admit to lying about it. The reason she gave for lying about the accusation of rape against the police officer was that she's going through a divorce."
Young says Chason told them she was hoping to win sympathy from her husband.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Oh, just some more pedophile teachers.... (and others)

NORMAN, Okla. — A Norman North High School science teacher who also coached girls’ basketball was formally charged Wednesday in connection with an alleged sexual relationship with a 16-year-old female student in April and May. Vicky Lynn Lewallen, 44, Norman, was charged with two counts of forcible sodomy and two counts of first-degree rape.

A former teacher at a treatment center for troubled youth was sentenced today in Jefferson County to four months of work release and 10 years probation for having sex with a 16-year-old student.
Michelle Leigh Tolar, 26, of Denver, was arrested July 26, 2006, and charged with one count of sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust and one count of sexual assault. She was released on bond the next day.

LONGVIEW, Wash. -- A music teacher is under investigation by school officials after a student stunned a concert audience with a profane tirade that she said was merely imitating the instructor's style.

FLINT (WJRT) - (06/14/07)--A Flint middle school teacher has been suspended amid accusations of sexual misconduct against a student.
The 14-year-old student at McKinley Academy in Flint says the alleged incident happened Wednesday morning as she was switching classes.
Flint police spent the morning investigating the student's allegations.
The school isn't saying much; just that the accused teacher has been placed on paid administrative leave. (Gee, that's a surprise, isn't it?)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- An elementary school art teacher caught as he was about to shoot up heroin in his classroom. A Garringer High teacher arrested May 17 for drug possession. A part-time elementary school PE teacher busted after attempting to sell cocaine to undercover officers.
And now word a Butler High teacher has resigned amid allegations of child molestation.

A 60-year-old former Wyandotte “Teacher of the Year” got a break today when a federal judge sentenced him to a day in prison and 12 months in a federal corrections center for possession of child pornography.
Robert Michael Boyden of Canton Twp., had agreed in a plea bargain with federal prosecutors to be sentenced to 51 to 63 months in prison for possession of 1,358 pictures of minors posing nude or engaged in sex acts.

A 38-year-old elementary school resource teacher pleaded guilty this morning to federal drug and firearm charges and agreed to give up her Kailua home in connection with drug trafficking.
Bronwyn Kugle, a Ka'elepulu Elementary School resource teacher, pleaded guilty to charges that included conspiring to traffic in cocaine and a drug known as Ecstasy. She also pleaded guilty to being a drug user who kept a loaded revolver in a drawer at her home.

A teacher at Hartford's Quirk Middle School has been suspended while officials investigate allegations that she took money from students in exchange for excusing them from serving detention. The teacher was placed on a paid leave of absence after the school district received complaints from parents.

David Grayson as a teacher exposed himself to several students, showed them pornography and inquired if they wanted to play naked basketball.
Still, Grayson insists his conduct at Oak Brook's Butler Junior High School was not criminal. Law enforcement disagreed.
DuPage Circuit Judge Perry Thompson sentenced him to 90 days in jail Thursday for fondling himself while nude in front of an underage male student and also for stealing two iPods from the school.
The 66-year-old LaGrange Park man also must seek counseling during a two-year period of probation if it is ordered after a sex-offender evaluation. He pleaded guilty March 6 to felony theft and misdemeanor sexual exploitation of a child. (There's a lot more to this story folks, just read the article.)



Thursday, June 14, 2007

Seriously?

Officials trumpeted these results. In reading, the city’s proportion of passing eighth graders — for years the subject of hand-wringing — rose a breathtaking 7.9 percentage points, with 46.4 percent of fluent English speakers tested qualifying as proficient compared with 38.5 percent the year before. Reading results for eighth graders statewide were as comforting.


Ummmm.....
Yeah, that's less than half the students who can actually read by the eigth grade.

Why is this "comforting"?
What am I missing?

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Let's analize the reasons given for this abortion clinic field trip

So, here's the story....

Parents in New Hampshire are outraged after learning that the YMCA, in partnership with a local school district, took a group of junior high school students to a Planned Parenthood abortion business.

The Manchester school district has partnered with the YMCA to put together a program for at-risk students who are in danger of dropping out of school.

YMCA took the students to various places around town to show them summer programs and places to get involved in positive activities. However, a local Planned Parenthood was also on the list of places.


But Joyce Palmer, the YMCA's community outreach director, defended the trip in comments to the newspaper.

"The intent of the day was to provide information to kids who are getting ready for the summer and won't have the support of school or at home," said Palmer. "The intent was not to take kids to an abortion clinic. That word was never said."


Dawn Michaud, principal of Parkside Middle School new about the trip beforehand and also defended the trip calling it more of a "job fair."



Hmmmmm...... there's a lot of explaining going on by numerous parties involved. Funny, they are all giving different reasons for the trip.
Our reasons:
1. To put together a program for at-risk students who are in danger of dropping out of school.
2. To show them summer programs and places to get involved in positive activities.
3. A "job fair".

Well... I suppose I can follow the logic for the first reason. Pregnant teen often times equals a drop out teen. So, what kind of message are we sending by showing the teens abortion clinics? Maybe that abortion equals teen in school til graduation?
The second reason is would be funny if it weren't such a serious issue. So, summer programs. Do they have summer programs at abortion clinics these days? I sure don't know of any. Maybe they meant it was a positive activity? I seriously doubt anyone (on either side of the abortion debate) would believe abortion is a "positive activity".
The third reason is pretty odd. Job fair. Hmmmmm.... wonder how much information the kiddos received from that worker which spoke with them for three minutes? Do you think the teens really were getting a lesson on the abortion clinic career?

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Big school fight

POMONA - A fight involving three girls on Friday at Garey High School ended with police making 13 arrests.
The after-school incident began when students converged to watch a fight between three girls. A school resource officer was trying to break up the fight, according to a Pomona Unified School District news release.

When the officer got to the fight, one girl was on the ground getting kicked by two other girls. When he tried to get her up, another student attacked him, said Pomona Police Chief Joe Romero.

"It appears that a few students saw an officer trying to restrain the girls and got involved in a situation that they did not understand and should have stayed out of," Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana said.

Pomona police and other agencies were called to the school to curtail the disturbance.

Police arrested the 13 students on suspicion of fighting or disobeying an officer's order to disperse, according to the news release.

The disturbance was under control within 90 minutes, according to the news release.

2 more

LAPEER - A former Lapeer Community High School teacher was sentenced to a year's probation and is required to continue sex offender treatment.

Scott Beyer, 39, of Clarkston also faces 30 days in jail if he violates his probation and must register as a sex offender.

Lapeer District Judge Laura C. Barnard on Friday also required Beyer to resign his teaching position and surrender his teaching certificate as part of a plea bargain.
(Thank goodness that judge was intelligent.)



SPRINGFIELD (AP) - A Springfield middle school teacher and Boy Scout troop leader was charged yesterday with possession of child pornography after a computer repair shop alerted police to images on a hard drive.

Greene County prosecutors charged Gary Rademacher, 53, with 10 felony counts of possessing pornographic pictures and films of boys younger than 14. Rademacher is a former Springfield elementary school principle and now an eighth-grade history teacher, they said.

Police said in court records filed with the charges that they were called by Aztec Computer Outfitters after Rademacher dropped off a hard drive for repair in January.

Investigators won a search warrant for Rademacher’s home based on images on the hard drive. Police said they found more than 1,300 suspected child pornographic images and 12 movie files, mostly of boys, on computer drives and disks in Rademacher’s home.
Rademacher was booked and released yesterday on a $10,000 bond.

2 more

1.
NOVI -- A Walled Lake Central High School teacher is jailed today on $500,000 cash bond on five counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a female student 16-18 years old.

2.
(Wise, Virginia) A 26-year-old art teacher at Appalachia High School and Appalachia Primary School, Naomi Miranda Peters, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in an improper relationship with a female high school student.

Peters was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor as police continue to investigate.

Friday, June 8, 2007

What's with the duct tape?

Are teachers receiving training in taping children now?

Here's another story.
(CBS/AP) SETAUKET, N.Y. A junior high school gym teacher is in trouble for wrapping a student's legs with duct tape because he was late to class.

The 15-year-old student fell and broke his arm.

Suffolk County Police say they arrested 57-year-old Matthew Foster -- a gym teacher at Paul Gelinas Junior High School in Setauket -- and charged him with endangering the welfare of a minor and assault. He's been placed on paid leave.

Teachers charged: sexual misconduct, sexual abuse, sexual offense & child porn. Plus GUILTY verdict of sexually abusing a fourth grade student

1.
A former Marriotts Ridge High School special education teacher who police accused in February of having sex with a 15-year-old boy is facing additional charges of sexual misconduct with a second teenage boy.


2.
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- For the second time in two months, a former teacher was arrested for allegedly molesting a former student.
Joseph Robert Ballmann, 47, was arrested at his home early Thursday morning and charged with sexual abuse of a minor and third-degree sexual offense.
At the time, Ballmann was the boy's seventh grade teacher.


3.
Posted: 5:53 PM- LOGAN - A jury found a retired elementary school teacher guilty Thursday of sexually abusing one of his fourth-grade students more than 13 years ago.
Willey, who began his career in 1979, taught in three Logan elementary schools - Edith Bowen, Hillcrest and Wilson, where he was the school's teacher of the year in 2000 and again in 2004. He also taught at East Elementary in St. George in 1988-89, where similar criminal charges were filed against him but dismissed.


4.
SAN DIEGO -- An award-winning East County teacher faces four years in prison on a child porn charge he said he will plead guilty to, according to federal prosecutors.
The prosecutor said Tyler now admits that his home computer contained more than 200 child pornography images.


5.
A Glenbard East High School driver’s education teacher has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse for having an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old female student from the Lombard school, police said Thursday.
He is a very good guy,” Pedota said. “This is shocking. USA Hockey requires all coaches to be fingerprinted and screened, and that was done and it never indicated anything in his past.


6.
WARNER ROBINS --A Houston County teacher and track coach has been charged with stalking, simple battery, making harassing phone calls and influencing a witness, police said Thursday.

7.
(We should all keep an eye on this one. There is a reason they are not talking.)
An Alameda High School teacher was placed on paid administrative leave this week while officials investigate reports, spokeswoman Donna Fletcher said Wednesday.

The teacher’s leave was not disciplinary, Fletcher said.

The teacher’s name, department and what prompted the school district to take action were not disclosed by the school district at press time.

Students at Alameda High told the Alameda Sun that a teacher was abruptly removed from their third-period class Monday by AHS Principal Mike Janvier.

It is not known if the teacher that was pulled from class Monday is the same teacher on paid administrative leave.

Janvier said Tuesday it was a personnel issue and he declined to comment.

Sun staff will be following this story as it breaks; check www.alamedasun.com for the latest news.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

15 more reasons to homeschool

1.
A teacher at Carencro High School is the subject of a police investigation and may face prosecution after parents of two students reported him to local law enforcement authorities, accusing him of "inappropriate behavior" with his students.
According to officials with the Carencro Police Department, the parents of two female students came forward to police nearly two weeks ago, with their daughters, one 15 years old and the other 16 years old, accusing the male teacher of making inappropriate comments and making both students feel "uncomfortable," said police.

Dandi Hardin, assistant chief of police of Carencro, said a sexual relationship between the students and the teacher has never been implied, suggested or admitted to in this case by either party.

"It's hard to say if it was a criminal act," said Hardin.
"We were unable to determine if it was a crime or just inappropriate. But we're not going to make an arrest."

In response to the complaints from the parents and students, investigators began looking into the matter, interviewing the teacher, whose name is not being released at this time by police, his colleagues at Carencro High School, counselors, and the complainants.

Over the course of two weeks, Hardin said, proving a crime in the matter became difficult.

"There's really no evidence of a crime being committed here," he said. "Nobody's saying there was a sexual relationship here. They're just saying it has been uncomfortable for them to be around this teacher."

(Yes, you did read that correctly. They are more caught up in finding a broken law. What happened to common sense? Grown men who make innapropriate comments to children should never be allowed around children! I just love this part, "just saying it has been uncomfortable for them to be around this teacher." Wow....


2.
Rocklin teacher cited in alleged assault on student
A physical education teacher at Whitney High School in Rocklin has been cited by police for misdemeanor assault over an incident Friday in which he allegedly grabbed a 15-year-old student by the throat and flipped him back over the chair in which he was sitting.

The teacher, John Bosco, 47, of Roseville, has been placed on an administrative leave with pay pending an investigation into the incident, the Rocklin Unified School District reported.

Police Capt. Dan Ruden said the incident was triggered by the student making a comment that angered the teacher.

"My understanding is that it was something to do with (the teacher's) daughter," Ruden said, adding that police are still putting a report together.

Bosco was reached at his home today and referred all questions to his attorney, Brad Wishek of Sacramento.

Wishek would not discuss details of the case, but made a statement on Bosco's behalf.
(Read the comments for this article, they are amazing.)


3.
Mother wants teacher sued
STRUTHERS — The mother of a Struthers Middle School pupil said she intends to pursue charges against a substitute teacher accused of assaulting her 15-year-old son.

The boy was on his way to the bathroom between classes Thursday when a man he recognized as his substitute math teacher advanced on him, police said.

According to a police report, the teacher grabbed him by his shirt, pushed him against a wall, and said, "I have the right to beat your ass." The incident was spurred when the boy began clapping his hands, the report said.

Foley said she was disappointed school administrators did not contact her regarding the incident. It is ironic, she said, that she had enrolled him as part of Struthers' open-enrollment program believing he would be safer than at Youngstown schools.

"They call me every time he does something wrong," she said. "For them to not even call and say anything about it — that made me mad."



4.
Teacher Accused of Heroin Possesion at School
A Charlotte Mecklenburg School teacher is facing drug-related charges for allegedly abusing drugs at school.

George Terry McDonald, 50, is an art teacher at Bruns Avenue Elementary School and McAlpine Elementary School.

CMS officials said McDonald resigned on Monday after the assistant principal of Bruns Avenue walked into McDonald's empty art classroom. The administrator said the art teacher tied off his arm and had spoons and two balloons of heroin in front of him.
The assistant principal immediately called the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. School officials said no children were affected and the students were not aware of the situation.

The assistant principal said he was concerned and went into the classroom to check after students had tried to go to art class and found a note on the door which read, "Classes are canceled from now until Friday."

In 2005, McDonald was arrested in Buncombe County in 2005 for drug-related charges. CMS hired him in September of 2004 and his background check at that time came up clean.

5.
Teacher gets 4 years for dealing 'ice'
Lee Anzai's sentence for dealing meth is reduced because he had no prior record.
A former Leilehua High School special education teacher was sentenced to four years in federal prison for dealing nearly a pound of methamphetamine last year.




6.
POMONA - The arraignment for a local elementary teacher accused of lewd conduct with a minor has been postponed, court officials said.
Marco Antonio Irigoyen, 43, a teacher at Rio Hondo Elementary School, is facing five felony counts of lewd conduct with a child under the age of 14. He is expected back in Pomona Superior Court on June 12.
Irigoyen, of West Covina, was arrested by the West Covina Police Department on May 22 after an anonymous phone tip that was received the week before.
The four alleged victims in the case are not Rio Hondo students, police said.
Irigoyen is being held at Los Angeles County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.



7.
A Kanawha County school board member is calling for reconsideration of a proposed drug-testing policy after a teacher was charged with possession with intent to deliver drugs.
State Police pulled over a car driven by Michael White, Jr., a physical education teacher at Cedar Grove Middle School, on a traffic violation early May 26.

Troopers said they found several bags of marijuana and cocaine packaged for sale in White's car. They then searched the teacher's home and found more drugs.

He was charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine, marijuana and two prescription drugs.

Mark Milam, assistant county superintendent for secondary schools, said the incident is considered a personnel matter. He would not say whether White was still teaching.


8.
Defense challenges sex charges against reservation teacher

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - A defense lawyer is challenging the charges against a music teacher accused of molesting more than a dozen female students at the Onondaga Nation School near Syracuse.

Defense attorney Edward Menkin argues that detectives interviewed 12 of the girls and told Onondaga Nation chiefs that they had found nothing to indicate a crime had occurred.

The lawyer contends that at least two girls told investigators that teacher Albert Scerbo of Clay had not done anything to them.

The 44-year-old teacher was indicted in March on nearly three dozen counts accusing him of endangering the welfare of 17 girls, and sexually molesting 16 of them, from September 2002 to last December. Prosecutors say the victims ranged in age from seven to 14.

Oral arguments on the lawyer's motions are scheduled for Onondaga County Court on June 12th, with a trial set to start July 23rd.



9.
(KDKA) BENTLEYVILLE State police arrested a Washington County high school teacher for allegedly selling drugs in the parking lot of a local fast food restaurant.

Bethlehem-Center High School teacher Shawn Bellicini, 32, of Fallowfield Township, is accused of selling more than $600 worth of the powerful painkiller oxycontin to an undercover informant yesterday afternoon in a Burger King parking lot in Bentleyville.


10.
Former Roseville teacher Kelly Christine Spaich today made her second appearance in a Placer County courtroom in a case in which she is accused of having had unlawful sex with one of her ex-students, who is now 16.


11.
GRANITE FALLS — A teacher facing felony criminal sexual conduct charges in South Dakota taught in the Yellow Medicine East district during the 2001-02 school year, and left a favorable impression.

Yellow Medicine East Superintendent of Schools Dwayne Strand said he and other staff members were surprised to learn that Dave Krenz, 30, was recently accused by authorities in South Dakota of having improper sexual contact with students.

Krenz was indicted by a grand jury in Fall River County, S.D., and charged with three counts of fourth-degree rape, a Class 3 felony; one count of sexual contact with a person younger than age 16, also a Class 3 felony; and one alternate count of second-degree rape, a Class 1 felony, according to a news report by The Associated Press.



12.
HUDSON - A former Hudson elementary school teacher reached a plea deal Monday on her cocaine distribution and possession case just days before she was scheduled to go to trial.

Diane Soule, 55, of 6 Lee Circle, Hudson, admitted to sufficient facts for possession of cocaine. The former fifth-grade teacher, who resigned from Forest Avenue Elementary School after her Aug. 30, 2006, arrest, had also been charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The latter charge was dismissed Monday in Marlborough District Court.

Judge Jonathan Brant sentenced Soule to two years of supervised probation, which includes drug evaluations and follow-up treatments as well as random screenings. Her case was continued without a finding until June 2, 2008, which means that if she abides by the probation regulations, the cocaine possession charge will be dismissed.



13.
BRYAN, Texas — A former Bryan school teacher was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison on Tuesday for sex abuse including drugging a 10-year-old boy's orange juice and raping him in his sleep.

David Allen Vandyne, 43, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and no contest to a second identical charge stemming from the 2002 crime against the boy from Austin.

Vandyne formerly taught at Jane Long Middle School and Brazos Christian School, both located in Bryan, the Bryan-College Station Eagle reported in its Wednesday editions.

Vandyne told Bryan police in 2003 that he had molested about 20 boys and was feeling urges to do so again, police said. The confession led to his imprisonment in 2003 for four molestations that took place in Junction, a town about 100 miles northwest of San Antonio where Vandyne also worked as a teacher.


14.
A 50-year-old Whitman Middle School teacher was charged Tuesday with possession of child pornography following a police investigation sparked by a former girlfriend's complaint.

Timothy Sheehan, a 24-year-veteran of the Seattle School District who most recently taught video production at the Crown Hill-area school, was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case, school-district officials said.

Sheehan was charged in King County Superior Court with one count of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, a class C felony, which carries a standard sentence range of up to one year in jail.

Sheehan's former girlfriend went to police in May, shortly after the couple broke up, and said that Sheehan had professed he was a "pedophile and a boy lover and a pederast and ... a rapist," according to court documents filed in Superior Court. His increasingly violent fantasies about raping and killing young boys were the reason she finally broke up with him, she said.

15.
ITHACA — Former teacher's aide and whistleblower Dwayne Robinson pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal solicitation in Ithaca Town Court Thursday.

Robinson, 43, had been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, stemming from several months of interactions with a 16-year-old female student at the Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES.
(He got community service guys.)

Monday, June 4, 2007

Teacher watching porn in classroom filled with first grade students

TRENTON - A first-grade teacher quit last week after school officials discovered he was viewing pornography on his computer while class was in session, Edgewood City School officials said today.

Chris Beiser, a teacher at Bloomfield Elementary School, submitted a letter of resignation Thursday, two days after the district's technology office discovered the incident and referred it to the adminstration.

He was immediately removed from the classroom and his computer was confiscated, school officials said in a prepared statement today.

Beiser has been employed at the district since 2000, each year as a first-grade teacher, said Larry Knapp, assistant superintendent. Knapp said there is no history of any disciplinary issues with Beiser.

Former S.C. teacher sentenced to 10 years for sex with student

LAURENS, S.C. (AP) — A former elementary school teacher pleaded guilty Friday to having sex with an 11-year-old student and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a prosecutor said.

Marshwood takes action on increased violence

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — Marshwood High School Principal Paul Mehlhorn sent a letter home to parents this week about a spate of violence in the school and how it will be addressed.

Police to patrol school

Jun 1, 2007 — In response to a threat of violence at York County School of Technology, police will patrol the parking lot at the start and end of the school day today.

Who should decide?

The ODE held a school safety summit in April in conjunction with Ohio first lady Frances Strickland to discuss school safety issues and communications with parents and guardians were a topic, he said, though there has been no recommendation. There will be regional summits held around the state to discuss the issue further, he said.

"Those are some of the hard issues that the state board wants to discuss and see if there is a need for a state policy," Benton said, adding that the board expects to see school safety recommendations at its September meeting.

For now, the matter is left to local boards, and some districts have been the target of criticism for how they communicated — or didn't communicate — with parents and guardians.

One of the problems with a policy is that each of these situations needs to be evaluated case by case.

"Every situation is different and you need to deal with them on an individual basis," said Carlisle Superintendent Tim McLinden. Carlisle school officials have discovered two threats in the last week on school property. One is suspected to be a copycat of the first incident because it is an almost identical copy of a message written on a bathroom wall at Chamberlain Middle School on Wednesday, according to police.

Carlisle officials met criticism and support from parents for the way they communicated the threat, sMcLinden said.

"I have spoken to numerous parents and once they are made aware of the facts, they have been supportive of my decisions," he said.

McLinden chose to keep students in school because the threat was "non-specific."

Officials discovered Wednesday morning that someone had written "Carlisle massacre 5-30-07 at 1 p.m." on a bathroom wall; however, the threat did not specify where the incident would take place, if it were a serious threat and not a prank, McLinden said.

"The threat was very much non-specific and with a non-specific threat the safest place for kids to be is where they are right now,"
he said.


The "safest place for kids to be" he is referring to is the school. Well, I wonder how many parents would have liked to make that decision on their own? Perhaps many parents would have figured out the "non-specific" threat. Come on, it said Carlisle... location. It even gave the date and time. How is that "non-specific"?

I suppose the next warning of a massacre better include a map.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Ex-chief of Detroit Public Schools indicted in Dallas

William Coleman III, former superintendent of Detroit Public Schools, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Texas on charges of bribery and obstruction of justice involving awarding of technology contracts with the Dallas Independent School District.

Coleman and another former Dallas schools executive are accused of taking bribes from a Houston businessman whose computer company was awarded nearly $40 million in technology contracts, according to a 16-count indictment returned May 22 and unsealed Tuesday in Dallas.

Also indicted were Ruben Bohuchot of Dallas, former chief technology officer of the Dallas school district, and Frankie Logyang Wong, co-owner and president of Houston-based Micro Systems Engineering Inc.

The indictment says that Coleman created a company called Kenbridge Consulting Services Inc. in November 2002 that issued bogus invoices to Micro Systems for payment.

Bohuchot at one point had a company called Information Solutions Group Services that partnered with a Roseville-based company, GVC Networks L.L.C., to win a $726,000-a-year portion of an information-technology contract for Detroit Public Schools last year. The Detroit school board rescinded that contract Dec. 14.

Coleman, 52, was deputy superintendent and COO at the Dallas school district from Aug. 30, 1999, to Sept. 15, 2000.

He became interim superintendent of Detroit Public Schools in July 2005, when he replaced CEO Kenneth Burnley.

Coleman was fired last March 8 after the Detroit Board of Education voted to hire Connie Calloway, who takes over July 1. Coleman is being paid through June 30 under his contract, which pays him $225,000 a year plus benefits. The board has appointed Lamont Satchel, the district's chief labor negotiator, as interim superintendent.

Teacher remains free on bail

NASHUA- A former Timberlane Regional High School teacher remains free on bail while facing accusations that he raped a 16-year-old student in Hudson.

Kevin Goddu, 45, of 402 Wellman Ave., Chelmsford, Mass., waived arraignment Thursday on 14 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault.

Police charge he raped a 16-year-old Plaistow girl, a former student, in Hudson on Feb. 27. Goddu had taught social studies for 12 years at Timberlane but resigned as a result of the allegations against him.

Some of the charges against him allege he used his authority as a teacher to coerce the girl into sex, while others allege he held her down and struck her. Each charge carries up to 10 to 20 years in prison.

Goddu has been free on $25,000 bail since his arrest.

Another alleged wackadoo

Here is the story. Here is the petition to fire this teacher, with all the details included.

A Coconut Creek High band teacher may be suspended without pay Tuesday after he admitted that he slammed the cover of piano keys down on one of his student's fingers, punched other students in the stomach to teach them a breathing technique and often swore at students, a school district report shows.

Band Director Scott Adelman, 36, of Margate, was reassigned to a job away from kids last October after several students came forward with complaints.

In addition to the school district investigation, Coconut Creek police charged Adelman with simple battery after he struck a student who was trying to get her things out of the band room after an October homecoming pep rally. He pushed the girl into another student and then punched her in the chest, the police report says.

Two days before that, the same girl recorded Adelman on her cellphone saying ''I am ready to put my fingers around someone's neck and choke someone right now,'' the school district report says.

After completing an anger management class, Adelman pleaded no contest on May 24 to simple battery and will pay court costs.

Broward School Board members will vote on whether to suspend him without pay and start the process of firing him at a meeting Tuesday.

Adelman's attorney, Steve Rossi, he plans to appeal. ''We feel that the termination is not warranted under the circumstances,'' Rossi said.

Adelman has been working for the school district since 2003 and started teaching at Coconut Creek High in 2005.

The events that led to his departure rattled band students.

Coconut Creek High band member Mike Lapadura said he observed Adelman's anger.

''I had issues with him,'' said Mike, 16, who plays the saxophone. ``He's thrown chairs at me as well as other kids. He's gotten up in my face and screamed and cursed.''

On top of that, Adelman's transfer meant a new teacher had to step in to lead the 70-member band in the middle of the year.

''Music is a big part of my life and I'd hate for it to get worse from here,'' said Mike, who will be a junior in the fall.

Travis Kennedy, who just graduated, said he also saw Adelman lose his temper but believes it was for good reason.

Students ''completely disrespected him,'' said Travis, who plays the tuba. ``A lot of people didn't see his point of view on a lot of things. He was an OK guy.''

A school district committee evaluating the case decided Adelman was not suited to work with students, said Joe Melita, the district's chief investigator.

''Do we think this person has the temperament to be around kids? The committee said no,'' Melita said.

Miami Herald staff writer Hannah Sampson contributed to this report.

5 more articles but more than 5 teachers involved

1NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. (AP) - A teacher and an aide at school for troubled children are accused of having sex with two underage boys from the Orange County school.

Police in the town of New Windsor say teacher Rebecca Becker of Walden and teacher's aide Maria Zurita of New Windsor -- both 28 -- face a charge of third-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child.

Becker is also charged with another felony, third-degree criminal sexual act.


2
PALM BAY — A one-time substitute teacher for a private school will go to court next month on charges she supplied teenagers with alcohol at her home, police reports show.


3
21-year old Thomas Gaff was arrested and charged with three counts of sexual misconduct with a student and three counts of statutory sexual seduction.

Gaff was taken into custody at Las Vegas High School, where the school district says he works as a choral accompanist. Metro says the charges involve Gaff's behavior with a student who attends Las Vegas High.

The school district says Gaff was just hired in March of this year and that he's based at Sierra Vista High School.

This comes one day after News 3 learned this local elementary school teacher was arrested for lewdness with a minor. Police say Don Smith is a music teacher at Myrtle Tate Elementary and they say he inappropriately touched a former female student there.

And just two weeks ago we learned three Foothill High School teachers connected to the athletics department are being investigated internally. Right now these are just accusations, no criminal charges have been filed. The school district says the accusations all come from separate incidents.


4
A Rickards High School history teacher denies accusations of having a three-month sexual relationship with a student, his attorney, Matthew Willard, said Thursday.

Michael Tamayo, 28, faces charges of custodial sexual battery after a former student reported to school authorities Tuesday she had a relationship with Tamayo from October 2005 through February 2006, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office.


5
Churchill County School District Superintendent Carolyn Ross confirmed this week that a high school teacher who reportedly came to class drunk in April has resigned.

"I have a letter of resignation, effective at the end of this school year," Ross said. "I have visited with her about her letter of resignation. This is a personal situation and in everyone's best interest."

The Churchill County High School English teacher created a firestorm of controversy after she allegedly showed up to work late and above the legal limit for alcohol. Fallon police were called to drive the teacher home after she failed a preliminary breath test. Police Chief Russ Brooks would not reveal the actual reading on the breath test, only saying the teacher failed the test.

"Teacher retires, investigation ends"

A teacher who allegedly took inappropriate action against a student in an Albertville school has retired.

Albertville City Schools officials had been investigating an incident on May 18 at Alabama Avenue Middle School.

Last week, Superintendent Ric Ayer characterized the event as an “extremely, extremely rare incident” and as “one of those spontaneous things that occurred … related to behavior.”

Ayer declined to give the name of the teacher involved but said Wednesday, “
The person who was involved in that investigation is no longer with the school system
.”

He declined to say when that decision was made but said the school board has acted on the teacher’s decision.

Ayer refused to say when the board took the action.

Ayer said he believes the school system’s processes for dealing with such incidents were followed properly.

“I don’t see any need to change our procedures,” he said.

“Everything was handled as it should have been.”


Okay, so.... did this teacher actually retire or did he/she simply change school districts? And why is the administration so tight lipped about the name of the teacher? Do they know he/she has moved on to another school? Me thinks so.

Hey teachers, you're not allowed to have sex with your students anymore.... it's official (Ugh)

This is SO FREAKING SAD that a bill needed to be passed in order for this to be clearly understood. But, now it's official.... Louisiana teachers are not allowed to have sex with their students anymore.

Downs said he would have liked to have included bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodial workers, but there were concerns the bill would receive less support.

“So if I’m a teacher, and I fall in love with a high school student,” Rep. Ernest Wooten, R-Belle Chasse said sarcastically, “then I have to quit and start driving a bus.”


Nice, huh?

Teacher accused of stealing money from biscuit fundraiser

COBB COUNTY, Ga. (AP) - A Cobb County teacher has been arrested after they say she stole more than $$4,500 from a biscuit fundraiser.

8 more stories (As if we needed more)

1
An Okte Elementary School teacher, accused of molesting eight young boys, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in Saratoga County Court. Christopher Culver, 32, has been on paid suspension since the allegations surfaced. The District Attorney's Office says Culver abuse of all the children took place on school grounds. If convicted, Culver faces up to 20 years in prison.


2
Police have arrested a St. Paul teacher on suspicion of having sexual contact with a 17-year-old student.

Officers arrested Como Park High School teacher Joseph Arne Tucker, 28, at his St. Paul home Tuesday, police said today.

Police began investigating Tucker on May 18.

After Tucker saw the girl again Tuesday, police arrested him on suspicion of tampering with a witness, Walsh said. He is also being held in the Ramsey County jail on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct. He has not been charged.

Police believe Tucker had a relationship with the student for at least several weeks, Walsh said. The school district placed him on administrative leave when the investigation began.

The case could hinge not only on the girl's age, but also the fact the teacher was in a position of authority, Walsh said.



3
A former teacher in Shelby County, Texas, is facing charges she was involved in a sexual relationship with one of her students.

The district attorney's office has obtained a warrant charging Janet Parker, a teacher in Center, with nearly two dozen sex crimes involving a juvenile.



4
The Williamson County Board of Education has fired a Centennial High School teacher, finding him guilty of unbecoming conduct and inefficiency.

Gregory Durio, a tenured teacher who taught in Williamson County for 18 years, was accused of making inappropriate comments to students. A county attorney said the English teacher’s comments could be considered a form of sexual harassment.




Durio was accused of and admitted to:

--telling a girl she could put on fishnet stockings and get a job as a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas.

--asking a girl who wanted to leave class to use the restroom if it was because of “feminine hygiene.”

--telling a girl who told the class she enjoyed brushing her teeth with an electric toothbrush that he didn’t want to hear her 'vibrator story.'

--telling a male student that he has a friend named Dick who was getting married to a woman named Fanny.

School administrators also discovered images of celebrities on his classroom computer. Some of the celebrities, such as the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and actress Brooke Shields, were pictured wearing little clothing. None of the images contained nudity. Durio said he was collecting images in preparation for a class on pop culture. School officials said he shouldn’t have been collecting images during class time.

Durio was suspended without pay on Dec. 20, 2006, after a 15-year-old student filed a complaint with Centennial High principal Terry Shrader. Director of Schools Rebecca Sharber recommended Durio be terminated.

The board came to a unanimous decision to dismiss Durio at the end of an 11-hour hearing that was split between two days. The hearing ended at 1:10 a.m. this morning.

Durio’s attorney Virginia McCoy said she would review his options to appeal the board’s decision.


5
ELECTRA-- A north Texas pre-school teacher is accused of physically abusing a five-year-old student. Police there say the teacher, 52-year-old Donna Bowden, slapped the little boy in the face earlier this month at Electra's Elementary School, which also houses the head-start program.

Police Chief Johnny Morris says he first learned of the allegations when the mom and little boy showed up at his department. "Mother reported that the son had told her he was slapped in the mouth by the head start teacher."

Morris says the boy had a cut on his upper lip. He says he told the mom to take him to the hospital to have it checked out. "The medical report revealed an injury. We saw an injury, took pictures of the injury, and the child made a statement to us with his mother present about how he got it and he didn't waver."

Based on those statements and the injury, police arrested Donna Bowden, a teacher for 18 years in Electra, according to Morris.

More potential victims say they filed reports with child protective services, but police say they haven't contacted them. "We were never told of these instances. The parents and the child did not ever come to report this as such."


6
A former Glendale Heights teacher is facing felony charges of having sex with a 15-year-old former student, DuPage County authorities said Wednesday.
The alleged sexual relationship took place in 2005 and 2006 when Anastasia Pappas was living with the boy's family.

She had been the boy's teacher when he was in the fifth grade at Blackhawk Middle School in Glendale Heights.

Pappas, 40, is charged with criminal sexual assault. She is free on bail. Pappas was charged in 2006, but the indictment against her remained sealed by DuPage County prosecutors until this week.

She has since been removed from teaching duties. School officials couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Pappas' attorney called the allegations "a tragedy."


7
TOOELE - With their heads barely topping the witness box, three third-graders testified Wednesday about being sexually abused by a former teacher at East Elementary School.
Christopher Burton, 26, is charged in 3rd District Court with eight counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child, each punishable by up to life in prison.
The preliminary hearing is set to continue next month for testimony from five other boys who are alleged victims.
The three boys who testified Wednesday all said Burton fondled them in a similar fashion.
As one boy put it: "He made people sit on his lap, then he'd reach his hands into your pockets and touch your privates."
The boy claimed Burton began fondling him in January, just a day after the boy began attending the school, and that the abuse occurred about once a week until Burton's arrest in March.
Another boy testified that Burton forced him to sit on his lap every time he asked the teacher a question. The boy said the touching began about a month after school started last fall.
The third boy - whose teacher was a female - testified he was molested by Burton on March 30 when the two classes combined to watch a movie.

8
A temporary Santa Ynez Valley high school teacher was booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail last Tuesday after detectives arrested her for allegedly having unlawful sexual relations with an underage male student.

The arrest of 29-year-old Kelli Jo Camp came after a month-long investigation by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s detectives into her alleged misconduct with members of the male student population at New Cuyama High School. After obtaining alleged e-mail correspondences between the teacher and her 17-year-old student, detectives arrested her for allegedly having unlawful sex with a minor.

Wow, we're famous. (Is that a good thing?)

The NSW government risks a US-style school shooting if it continues to ignore violence in public schools, opposition education spokesman Andrew Stoner says.


"Do we allow things to get so bad that we see incidents of the nature of what have been seen in the United States?" Mr Stoner asked.