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This article was in the Times this afternoon. Let's hope it was just a vengeful girlfriend.
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Anonymous said…
The article states that the police searched him home based on the tip from the girlfriend and that the case has been referred to the Prosecuting Attorney's office leads one to believe that it is more than a disgruntled girlfriend.
I'm hoping that the kids at Whitman have not been exposed to any illegal behavior and that this teacher has maintained professional behavior with students and staff.
My daughter was in his TV Production class in 8th grade. She enjoyed his class and thought that he was a good teacher.
I hope the accusations aren't true. IF he has been falsely accused, where does he go to get back his reputation?
Anonymous said…
"I hope the accusations aren't true. IF he has been falsely accused, where does he go to get back his reputation?"
That's exactly why I hope the accusations *are* true -- if a guy's life has to be wrecked, I'd be happier if it were because he deserved it, that others were going to be protected from him, etc., rather than contemplate an innocent guy's life getting ruined because of a lie.
There has to be a villain in the case one way or another -- if the accusations aren't true, then his girlfriend must be a really pathological liar. I don't see how they could both be decent people.
While fewer evil events need to be assumed if you assume the girlfriend is a liar, little good would come out of the situation, either. (It's unlikely that anything that would happen to the girlfriend would protect people from her lying forever.) Whereas if he's a pedophile, then he's been caught, and that would be a good thing.
But of course what actually matters is what the real truth is.
Helen Schinske
Anonymous said…
I agree with anon @10:28 pm. Unfortunately, it sounds like there is substance to the accusations.
The first thing that came to my mind was the Neal Summers case:
I don't know if Neal Summers was involved in pornography, but it can be a prelude to sexual abuse and assault. It's chilling that this happened at the same school where a student shot his teacher 13 years ago. WenG
It really shouldn't be a surprise any longer that pedophiles are where they have access and power over kids- they are in our churches ( see the Seattle Weekly cover story), they are in our kids camps and in our schools.
What we need to do, and even though I knew the importance of it, apparently didn't do it enough ( as when my 14 year old daughter allowed her orthodontist to put bands on her teeth even though it was so painful for her that she took them off while I was driving her back to school)!, is teach our kids that unless they are hurt and medical is needed to help them, that their body is their own, they have a right and responsibility to speak out, and to stop anyone from ever hurting them.
Even if they aren't able to at that instance, they should tell as many people as needed until they get help.
Adults can help by not being complacent, by recognizing that for a child to speak out is usually extremely difficult, and having a relationship with your kids where they don't fear they will be punished if they tell the truth, even if it makes you uncomfortable.
I realize that this teacher is not being accused of molesting children, just of possesing illegal materials in the guise of child pornography.
Im sure it is not the only illegal thing an employee of the school district has ever been accused of doing ( especially not in Ballard).
However, something like this- is probably much more upsetting, than hearing that a teacher smoked pot with a high school student on a field trip. ( although that is pretty disturbing as well-)
The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested. It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio. (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
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This may only be a partial list of reasons; please, add anything else in the comments. The deadline to file to run for the Board is May 19th. Entire Board Majority NOT vetting the Superintendent in any way, shape or form. Even the Seattle Times thought that was wrong. It was just absolute hubris and it was wrong. For the second time in just over a year , board members voted to negotiate a superintendent contract during a special meeting with no opportunity for public comment. This time, they showed an even deeper disregard for their responsibilities as public servants: Aborting a national search for a new superintendent and denying Interim Superintendent Brent Jones a chance to show students, parents and taxpayers that, indeed, he is the best person for the job. Government bodies can’t fast-forward through transparent processes just because they think they know the right answer. One other odd thing about the hiring of Brent Jones - most permanent SPS superintendent contracts ar
Comments
I'm hoping that the kids at Whitman have not been exposed to any illegal behavior and that this teacher has maintained professional behavior with students and staff.
Doesn't sound good.
I hope the accusations aren't true.
IF he has been falsely accused, where does he go to get back his reputation?
IF he has been falsely accused, where does he go to get back his reputation?"
That's exactly why I hope the accusations *are* true -- if a guy's life has to be wrecked, I'd be happier if it were because he deserved it, that others were going to be protected from him, etc., rather than contemplate an innocent guy's life getting ruined because of a lie.
There has to be a villain in the case one way or another -- if the accusations aren't true, then his girlfriend must be a really pathological liar. I don't see how they could both be decent people.
While fewer evil events need to be assumed if you assume the girlfriend is a liar, little good would come out of the situation, either. (It's unlikely that anything that would happen to the girlfriend would protect people from her lying forever.) Whereas if he's a pedophile, then he's been caught, and that would be a good thing.
But of course what actually matters is what the real truth is.
Helen Schinske
The first thing that came to my mind was the Neal Summers case:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002162113_cloud26m.html
I don't know if Neal Summers was involved in pornography, but it can be a prelude to sexual abuse and assault. It's chilling that this happened at the same school where a student shot his teacher 13 years ago. WenG
What we need to do, and even though I knew the importance of it, apparently didn't do it enough ( as when my 14 year old daughter allowed her orthodontist to put bands on her teeth even though it was so painful for her that she took them off while I was driving her back to school)!,
is teach our kids that unless they are hurt and medical is needed to help them, that their body is their own, they have a right and responsibility to speak out, and to stop anyone from ever hurting them.
Even if they aren't able to at that instance, they should tell as many people as needed until they get help.
Adults can help by not being complacent, by recognizing that for a child to speak out is usually extremely difficult, and having a relationship with your kids where they don't fear they will be punished if they tell the truth, even if it makes you uncomfortable.
I realize that this teacher is not being accused of molesting children, just of possesing illegal materials in the guise of child pornography.
Im sure it is not the only illegal thing an employee of the school district has ever been accused of doing ( especially not in Ballard).
However, something like this- is probably much more upsetting, than hearing that a teacher smoked pot with a high school student on a field trip.
( although that is pretty disturbing as well-)