Sex with Little Boys

There were hundreds of stories about a Nebraska teacher who eluded police while on the run with a 13-year-old boy. What's tragic is the age of the victim is getting to be younger and younger. (All links are to TT entries.)

Anne Knopf, 39, a Wisconsin teacher, is accused of a sexual relationship with her daughter's former boyfrield. He is 13. Update: Sentenced to nine months in jail - not prison - and five years of probation. Registration as a sex offender for life.

Jennifer Leigh Rice, 37, a Washington teacher, like Peterson, ran away with a male student. She is accused of having sex with him on the trip. He is 10-years-old. Trial delayed until Octoer 2008.

Virginia Teacher of the Year Karen Patton, 42, was sentenced to four years for sex with a male students. The two boys were 13.

Lois Enden, 55, a school aide in New York was sentenced to six months in jail - not prison - for sex with an 11-year-old boy when she was 47 or 48. Registration as a sex offender.

Buttonwillow, California teacher Sherry Brians, 41, was sentenced to three years probation and counseling for a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old boy.

Another Calfiornia teacher, this one from Paso Robles, Cora Solario, 24, was sentenced to 270 days in jail - not prison - and lifetime registration as a sex offender. The boy was 13-years-old.

Fifth-grade teacher Rebecca Withrow, 30, was sentenced to 120 days in jail - not prison - suspended for sex with an 11-year-old boy. She's a registered sex offender.

In South Carolina, Wendie Schweikert, 37, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sex with an 11-year-old boy

.Allena Ward, 23, pleaded guilty to sex with five boys. Three 14-year-olds and one 15-year-old. Again, South Carolina. Update: Sentenced to six years in prison.

In New York, Lina Sinha, 40, was convicted of having sex with a 13-year-old. The jury deadlocked on the charges of sex with the 12-year-old-boy. She was sentenced to 14 years.

Released from prison after serving nearly twelve years for sex with a 12-year-old boy, Nancy Marks, now 63, was was labeled a sexual predator by a judge. She was on NBC. The episode was "Love was her defense."

Longtime subsitute Kathleen Bowler, 29, was given suspended sentences for cybersex with a 13-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy. She's now a sex offender and is on probation for life.

New Jersey teacher Amy Burke, 32, was sentenced to four years in prison for sex with a 13-year-old boy who is in counseling, angry at his parents and the prosecutor for pressing the case.

A judge turned down a plea that would have meant only 6 months in jail - not prison - for Melanie Hackett who had sex with a 13-year-old student. The judge sentenced her to 1-10 years in prison.

In Delaware, Rachel Holt, 35, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The boy was 13-years-old.

If a single one of these women were men, the term "pedophile" would immediately spring to mind.

News Briefs - May 8

Telephone transcript and more
The weirdly-grinning Stephanie Ragusa is in the news again. Investigators say there are at least four underage victims involved A judge ordered prosecutors to release the call between former teacher, Stephanie Ragusa, and one of her underage student victims. They released several documents. (TT entry)

Telephone transcript PDF
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Incident Report PDF
Supplemental Investigation Report 1 PDF
Supplemental Investigation Report 2 PDF
Miscellaneous Documents PDF

Trial delayed (again)
An Ohio teacher charged with fourth-degree felony menacing by stalking for sending love letters to a 13-year-old student has had his trial delayed again while a civil case proceeds. Richard Prusha, a Scio, Ohio teacher, was charged and indicted in 2007. (TT - Entry)

"Highly Educated"
In sentencing speech therapist and teacher (and mother of six chidren) Jane M. Dettmering, for burning down her own house, the judge explained his reasons for the one-year jail - not prison - and the long probation. Judge James Babler explained that the lengthy period of probation was for Dettmering to pay an estimated $115,000 restitution to American Family Insurance. Her jail time will be served with work release privileges. He had difficulty determining the sentence.

Babler said he had great difficulty in deciding on a sentence for Dettmering, partly because she was not a typical criminal. He said he’d gotten a number of letters from community members attesting to her good character. Some said Dettmering couldn’t be guilty, said Babler.

He added that Dettmering was highly educated and that she was at low risk to re-offend.

TT - Of course not, you twit, she doesn't have another house to burn down!
(TT Entry)

Of Interest

Cases and stories of interest updated today
(Continued from here.)

BAIL DENIED
Judges in two states denied bail for teachers. In Connecticut, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Smith agreed with federal prosecutors that there were no conditions of release that would ensure that Avelino Gonzalez Claudio would not flee. His attorney wanted house arrest and electronic monitoring for Avelino Gonzalez Claudio, 65, who was arrested in February of this year. After an armored car robbery in 1983 by Puerto Rican terrorists, Gonzalez went into hiding after his indictment. He is accused of helping to get the Wells Fargo driver who carried out the plot and the half-ton of cash out of the United States. And other crimes. In Puerto Rico, Gonzales changed his name and became a teacher. He escaped prosecution for 23 years. TT entry

In New York, a judge refused to grant bail to Janet Redmond-Mercereau. Her attorney wanted house arrest and an ankle bracelet as well. She was indicted last month on second-degree murder charges, three counts of tampering with evidence, and two counts of weapon possession. in the killing of her husband, a New York fire marshal, with three gunshots to the head while he slept. TT entry

HEARING
Lawyers for Daytona Beach, Florida, high school teacher David Behringer and Daytona Beach city commissioner and mayoral candidate Mike Shallow are trying to get the case thrown out of court. The two men were arrested for lewd and lavacious conduct in a public restroom in a Sears store. Today they had the Daytona Police chief testify and questioned him about his press conference and comments to the media and in interviews following the arrest. TT - entry

VOTE TO FIRE
In a largely symbolic measure, the D-2 board that hired principal Daniel Markofski voted unanimously to fire him. He had already resigned. He was the principal who was found in a motel room with two teenage girls. The board admitted they had never checked with previous employers and promise to do a check with all previous employers. TT - entry

ARRESTED (AGAIN) - FLORIDA TEACHER
Police arrested Stephanie Ragusa for sex with another student at the middle school where she taught. Ragusa did not report previous arrests for DUI and one for aggravated battery on her application. When the district found out, they hired her anyway. She went through alternative certification. The boy was 15 and she is s accused of having sex with the teen about 20 times between Feb. 15, 2007 and March 10, 2008,. The other student was 14 years old. TT - entry

Victimized Twice

We don't exaggerate when we say victims are excoriated by other students when a teacher is arrested, especially when it is a popular teacher. No other victim of sexual abuse is given so little sympathy by students, as well as teachers and the public. Even a prostitute who is raped is automatically afforded more consideration.

Wisconsin
When a Wisconsin teacher was arrested for sending sexually explicit instant messages to the a 16-year-old student that included graphic descriptions of sexual activity and expressing a desire to engage in sex acts with the victim and another female, the student got the blame.

At the hearing, the recipient of the messages spoke emotionally about their effects. She said she was ostracized, lost her self-esteem and confidence, and suffered harassment from her fellow students.

"I lost my reputation," she said. "My brother stopped talking with me for months."

She blamed herself "for everything," she said. "Today, I'm passing that guilt back to him."

The teacher is 33 years-old. TT - entry

Arkansas
A newspaper wanted to know why a science teacher resigned two months into the school year. They repeatedly requested school district records, filed Freedom of Information requests that were ignored, contacted the state Attorney General and then the local prosecutor. They still hadn't gotten the records when they published their story.

One victim who told them about how she was treated by students, teachers and administrators after she came forward with her accusations.

School officials put her into a homebound program requiring her to complete her work at her house for the remainder of the semester. While she was in the homebound program, students had a walk-out to protest her returning to the district. During this time, students and teachers were involved in a fundraiser to raise legal funds for Rose to pay for his attorney.

When she returned to the school she had to leave classes five minutes early to avoid other students. She ate lunch in a school counselor's office because students were so hostile to her.

She and her mother begged the district to allow her to go to another school. They refused. Eventually they did move to another town where she completed school.

What the newspaper found out when they investigated was that the teacher had worked in five different districts. In four of them, students had officially complained about inappropriate conversations and actions. TT - entry

Methamphetamine

Continued from TT entry

Science teacher, Jeff Scheidemantel, 32, in Shafter, California was arrested in December. He was allegedly trying to make methamphetamine in his school lab.

December - Nevada special education teacher Kymberly Tamburello, 43, was sentenced (sorta) for drug trafficking in methamphetamine.

November In Tennessee, Steven Pebley, 58, was arrested and charged with manufacturing methamphetamine at the residence he was renting.

Arrested February - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania principal John Acerra, 50, was sentenced to 4 years in prison and 5 years probation after pleading guilty to two counts of felony delivery of methamphetamine and one count of felony possession with intent to deliver. He was selling crystal meth out of his office at the school.

Sentenced October - Joanna Chavez, 38, a New Mexico teacher, was arrested when deputies found her in the school with what they charged as several bags of methamphetamine in her purse. They also found digital scale, several butane lighters, a personal checkbook and a ledger of moneys. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Arrested October A second-grade teacher, Amy Lee Snead, 36, was arrested at school and led out in handcuffs. she was one of 50 people wanted in connection with a methamphetamine operation. Allegedly, she was a "smurf."

Sentenced July - Maryland teacher Timothy Hartlove, 37, sentenced more than six years in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine worth about $50,000. (Later resentenced.)

Arrested July - An agricultural teacher in Georgia was arrested for allegedly growing marijuana and attempting to manufacture meth. He is James Gibson, 49.

Arrested July - We wondered at the time. Sad for the sad state of education, WPSD Channel 6 reported that "If Tabor is convicted she could lose her job." The fact that it isn't a guarantee says a lot. Tabor was charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Amy Hill-Tabor is a kindergarten teacher.

There are more. Just search "methamphetamine" at the top of the blog.

DATABASE numbers

Continued from NASDTEC Clearinghouse

The number of cases reported to NASDTEC by state.
REMINDER: This database dates back to the 1980s.

This is the number of Misconduct Cases reported.** (From high to low numbers.)
California 5,997
Florida 3,922**
Georgia 2,904
Texas 2,124
Ohio 1,021
Oregon 953
Washington 941
New York 897
South Carolina 896
Pennsylvania 704
New Jersey 539
Kentucky 532
Alabama 498
Missouri 476
Minnesota 434
Colorado 427
Arizona 375
North Carolina 353
Wisconsin 338
Maryland 315
Utah 301
West Virginia 255
Michigan 233
Illinois 204
Tennessee 200
Alaska 176
Idaho 175
Nebraska 174
Kansas 171
Indiana 164
New Mexico 160
Nevada 148
Iowa 143
Massachusetts 138
Oklahoma 122
Virginia 117
Connecticut 114
Arkansas 106
New Hampshire 104
Vermont 96
South Dakota 92
North Dakota 90
Rhode Island 90
Montana 85
Louisiana 78
Mississippi 71
Maine 58
Wyoming 30
Delaware 13
Hawaii 2
Unknown or from outside the U.S.492
*People can be reported by multiple states.
**According to NASDTEC, as of February 2007.

The price tag

Obama reveals $18 billion education reform.

Accusing the Bush administration of short-changing American schools, Democratic presidential contender Barak Obama proposed on Tuesday an $18-billion-a-year education plan that aims to make preschool education more affordable, pay teachers better and put a national priority on teaching science.

Unveiling the plan at a packed high school theatre in New Hampshire, the Illinois senator also pledged to pay the expense of a college education for Americans who commit to a lifetime of teaching.

He said the plan would be financed in part by cutting other federal programs, boosting federal revenue and tapping savings from ending the Iraq war. It would also require a five-year delay in the multibillion dollar Constellation program managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to return astronauts to moon by 2020, according to a memo provided by Obama’s staff.

It includes a $10-billion “Children First Agenda” to provide care, learning and support for families with children up to five years old, and grants to help states pay for the program. Funding would also be boosted for needy children.

A “Presidential Early Learning Council” would coordinate the effort, he said. Child care tax credits would be expanded to strengthen day-care programs. .A new Service Scholarship program would recruit teachers for overcrowded and struggling school districts. All schools would be accredited to see which produced the best and worst teachers, and a mentor program would be expanded to match new educators with more experienced teachers.

But unlike rival Democratic presidential contender, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Obama stopped short of calling for the scrapping of the Bush administration’s signature No Child Left Behind law signed in 2002. But he said the policy had serious flaws, lacked proper funding and had demoralized and stigmatized students and teachers.

“That’s what is wrong with No Child Left Behind and that is what we must change in a fundamental way,” he said in the speech at Central High School in Manchester, the largest city in the state that holds the first presidential nominating primary.

TT - Eliott Spitzer, governor of New York gave childcare providers the right to unionize. He did this by executive order, not by proposing law. And then he authorized $99 million for pre-school programs.

The whole idea of extending free pre-school to children isn't for the sake of children. It's more union money. The fact that stigmatizing teachers is what testing is all about - finding out which schools and what teachers are not following the curriculum.

The speech by Obama was a wish list for teachers unions across the country. His speech to school students about his use of drugs in high school can't be good news to parents.

Vermont Disciplinary Records

Disciplinary Actions Against Licensed Vermont Educators can be found online.

They note that "The voluntary surrender of a license by an educator during an investigation or disciplinary proceeding has the same force and effect as the revocation of a license."

The Vermont Board of Education has their meeting minutes online.

No ethics policies found for teachers. In the VSBA model policies, there is a Student Conduct and Discipline policy. No policy for a teacher's conduct or discipline.

There is a policy titled, A Public Complaint Against a School Employee , the object of which is "to support their [employee] actions in such a manner that employees are freed from unnecessary, spiteful, or unjustified criticism or complaints."

Some things need to change

A music teacher in Maine was arrested, charged with misdemeanor touching of students. It is a case that perfectly illustrates how a popular teacher is shielded by that popularity from serious scrutiny even by the parent of a victim. An earlier story of his arrest was filled with accolades gleaned from the newspaper archives, leading to widespread support for him and an accusation that the victim made up the story because of grades.

A second story today shocked readers when they learned that the teacher had admitted his attraction for very young children, had a previous complaint reported against him, and is under suspicion of buying child pornography. The self-examination by readers is thoughtful and serious and very informative.

It also illustrates how communities are torn by their loyalties and how devastating that is to the victim and their families. Some comments from the site are below.

I imagine the mother must have felt the weight of the teacher's popularity - not an excuse, but that's the way it often is. Some of the first reactions yesterday smacked of what folks fear to face when they speak up. It's been seen before that people with these tendencies ingratiate themselves with the community even while they groom their victims. I don't know if it's intentional camouflage or some kind of subconcious compensation - the good feelings they get from the praise for what they publicly do assuaging to some degree any guilty feelings they get for what they privately do? Maybe a little of both. It might seem like sensationalism to some, but the more these stories are reported the easier it will be for victims to come forward and the harder it will be for perpetrators to continue. Good job, SJ. - Graylady

AND,

I am still reeling over yesterday's comments. My, how everyone changed their tune overnight, and suddenly stopped defending the scumbag teacher. - justme

AND,

Another Park Ave. parent here. Obviously the students he touched were victims, but I think the whole school community: parents, teachers, and students are victims this week. Our trust has been betrayed. It's really easy for outsiders to blurt, "lock up the scumbag", but not so easy for those who worked with him daily, developed a friendship, and have had your child look up to him. Now I make sure my 8 year old doesn't see the news on TV or this site, because I'm just not sure how to explain it to him. As angry as I should be for what he has done, I still can't help feel bad for the guy when reporters are banging on his door and showing his house and address on statewide TV. It's just hard for some to mentally "flip the switch" and change their view from "happy, nice guy" to "horrible criminal". It's just a bad situation all the way around and hope the school can recover and move on as best they can. -DW

AND,

I think cameras in every classroom would be a deterrent to a lot of this behavior. -william

From JohnBerry:

JaneDoe, Please let your niece know that many of the members of this community greatly admire her strength and courage. We are proud of her. ----- Please let your sister know that she did the right thing. She looked at the whole circumstance and made a decision with the facts she had at the time. It is easy to look back and pass judgment as many are taking the opportunity to do. Their statements about what they would have done or what the mom should have done can be seen as people taking an opportunity to discuss the difficulties that face every parent and caregiver. A conversation like this (without the criticism) can be healthy. Through this we will all learn to better deal with these problems. ----- My best wishes and prayers are with this girl, her mom, and all of the families in our community.

AND,

I think if you want to be teacher ,They should have some kind of test before to see if they like children,And yes have camers in every room of the school, - Annie

From a student,

am a 15 year old student at Franklin School and happen to be family with one of the little girls that stepped forward. I am very proud of her and have told her this. I do however believe this man should be away for life. If we pay good enough attention to how this man is talking he feels no remorse, he feels what he's done has to do with mental illness..BS! I have a mental illness and I was just taken off my medication. I've been doing well and you don't see me going out and sexually harassing/touching little boys or girls. I believe the schools should be at fault. They were getting reports and handling it very unprofessional. The mother of this little girls is just as hurt nd feels the same fault as the other parents. What if she had made the report? Do you honestly think it would have blown up this quick? Do you really think this man would have been investigated this quick. I don't believe so. I think it would have been another in-house incident. They would have kept it from the press and this man would not only be walking tall but he'd still be teaching and hurting these little girls. The schools all over America need to do something about this. The schools put cameras in the high schools to watch for drugs/alcahol/tobacco and you dont see the teachers there touching the kids. Maybe it's time to realize we need to do everything we are capable of to protect these innocent children. It's time for security, for cameras, micraphones anything that's going to keep these men/woman from scarring these children. I don't blame the mother. I blame the schools, the police departments, the feds. "Protect and Serve?" I'm not so sure anymore... - AmyLee

From another parent,

had a 15 year old son who was 'frisked' at the urinal in the high school men's room by a teacher with the Vice Principal and the Principal present in the bathroom! They thought it was hiliarious! My son, who is a quiet and modest person was very upset and embarrassed, not mention in a very vulnerable position unable to cover himself. When I found out about the incident, I went to the school to request an investigation and the vice principal said, "I was there! It was no big deal, in fact, it ranks this low on my problem-o-meter!" (he held his two pinched fingers together). I was so upset at this lack of concern or willingness to see the incident as a serious matter and one of sexual harassment. I went to the principal who assured me he would 'talk' to this teacher. I wanted the incident documented in his file and proof that training had taken place regarding sexual harassment. (It never happened) I called my attorney and he offered to write a letter on my behalf to the school but said there was little I could do... I guess I can see where that Mom was coming from with her, 'wait and see approach'- but I didn't 'wait and see', I 'went and said' and got nowhere! The 'good ole boy club' watches it's back and the schools don't even adhere to basic employement law. It is frustrating, wrong, and sickening! The school had another teacher who taught keyboarding at the high school level and he would come behind the girls and put his arms around them to 'show them how to do something on the pc'. While he was showing them, he'd look down their shirt or place his hand over theirs and move the mouse around in a more than suggestive way. My adult daughter told me this after she graduated. It is happening even with our older children-not just 5-7 year olds! Mon Dieu! - MoreSkoolin

There are pages and pages of comments. They will be lost when the story is archived, but they reflect the same experiences and concerns in letters we get daily, in stories that are abundant daily. They are pained communities, families, friends and victims. And we place the burden on correcting the problem on that last - the victims.

It's their testimony that results in conviction. It's their courage that leads them to complain. It's their violation that is denied most often by the schools, fellow teachers, then friends of the accused, in open courtrooms with aggressive lawyers and most sadly of all, by fellow students, children they grew up with who can't imagine themselves as victims and let their fondness for popular teachers sway their opinions.

Why must children have to be burdened with changing the system? Why should they have to wait for laws that make sexual abuse by teachers a felony with automatic registration as a sex offenders? Why must children wait for cameras to be required, mandated, for classrooms where there has been one complaint, one whisper, one indication of a problem?

The first blog I ever had was about teacher misconduct. It was in 2002 and for one month I tracked stories about teachers who were arrested for sexual abuse of their students. In one month there were two stories a day on average. That was five years ago. That was when there were significantly less newspapers online and fewer, less effective, search engines. It took 5-7 hours a day to find the stories and no hope of following up.

With the exception of laws that criminalize teacher/student sex in several states, not much has changed. There are discipline records online in many states, but few list the details of the criminal charges or explantion of how a teacher can have their license revoked for sex with a student when no criminal charges can be found. And there is no explanation why teachers convicted of a crime against students haven't had their license revoked even two years later. In other states it never happens.

Some things need to change.

This blog still couldn't follow so many stories without the help of online friends and readers who send in stories and updates, local angles. Not to mention, their suggestions and thoughts. It's very much a joint effort. Thank you.

How?

EDITORIAL


Sept 17-2007 - From the The Greenville Times, "How can schools prevent sexual crimes?"

Universities and public school administrators do take pains to encourage and enforce moral and ethical behavior on the part of teachers. In most all university education courses, for instance, prospective teachers are reminded that they are acting in loco parentis -- and must be good role models, maintaining high standards of conduct.

New teachers in South Carolina, meanwhile, are mentored through the ADEPT (Assisting, Developing and Evaluating Professional Teaching) system, which stresses high ethical and moral standards. All teachers and principals undergo some form of mentoring. Appropriately, the state is revising its ADEPT standards of conduct to even more aggressively emphasize high standards of behavior.

Principals, most of all, set the tone in a school. If there's anything to be done to prevent cases of teacher misconduct, it probably depends on principals making it clear that any sort of unethical behavior by teachers will not be tolerated.

TT - We find most of the teachers are arrested for sex crimes, are not 20-somethings, although there are a lot of those. Most are 30 and up. They are well-established, popular teachers, very effective, respected by their peers, often married with children. They attend all the annual lectures on classroom behavior, listen to advisories never to be alone with students, show up for the the styrofoam-cup-and blackboard chalk talks on what constitutes teacher misconduct and the consequences.

Flat out, we advocate random lie detector testing to ask teachers if they have been involved, or know of anyone involved, with a student. Because teachers know when other teachers are having sex with their students. They simply don't report it.

Pleasantville, NEW JERSEY

How does it cost $65 million every year to educate 3,600 children?

When you live in New Jersey, you don't ask those kinds of questions because it is a given that taxpayers are the best kind of Jersey cows - one that gives and gives and keeps right on voting for the crooks who steal everything that isn't nailed down.

September 7, 2007 - Without irony, the headline of the Philadelphia Inquirer story was, "Another 'horrible day' in Pleasantville district". They were playing off the words of the state monitor who oversees the schools. He wasn't kidding.

In this Atlantic County town's beleaguered school district, 13 superintendents have come and gone in the last decade, and allegations of fiscal mismanagement and corruption have been regular items on the school board agenda.

FACT: A state monitor was appointed in the spring by the state Department of Education after financial audits of the district found a number of discrepancies.

FACT: The district receives $65 million a year in school aid from the state for 3,600 students. (66% are black; 31% are Hispanic)

FACT: Last month, a county grand jury indicted board member David Thomas on charges of official misconduct involving his job as assistant director of public works in Atlantic City.

FACT: A law firm's investigation in the last year over a disputed bill accused several past and present school board members - including Adams, a former president - of violating the federal Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act with what appeared to be "pay-to-play" deals involving campaign contributions and contracts for insurance and roofing.

The law firm said the actions had involved more than 20 individuals and businesses, including officials aligned with another Callaway brother, Craig, a former Atlantic City Council president who was sent to federal prison this year on bribery charges.

Eleven officials were arrested yesterday. From the New York Daily News: Among those arrested yesterday was Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera, 60, allegedly accepted $5,000 at a secret restaurant meet, offering to use his influence to name the dummy company Passaic's official insurance broker.

Rivera, a former cop with a checkered history, was also a featured member of Hillary Clinton's long list of campaign endorsements. He was on Clinton's Mayor's Council and her National Hispanic Leadership Council.

Also arrested: The Rev. Alfred E. Steele, 53, is the Assembly's deputy speaker and, until resigning under pressure Thursday, was a Passaic County undersheriff.
See yesterday's arrests posting.

Educators and CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

SENTENCED
"Every picture is a crime scene."



Teachers, administrators sentenced since mid-October 2006.

John Armstrong, 59, Arizona middle school teacher.
Sentenced to 10 years, registration as a sex offender.
School computer used to access pornography.

Jon Blaisdell, 41, pre-kindergarten teacher in Massachusetts.
Sentenced to 6 years.
Receiving and possession of child pornography.
Twenty-five notebooks of pornography and stomach-turning stories he'd written about raping children.

Joseph Briley, 40, a band teacher in Kentucky
Sentenced to 87 months, supervised release for life.
Downloading and possession of child pornography.

William Cockerham, 61, a Fresno biology professor.
Sentenced to four years, 10 years probation.
Admitted to addiction to pornography that led to child porn.

Dennis Wayne Casolari, 56, a sixth-grade teacher in Illinois.
Sentenced to 25 years.
Attempted sex act with a minor boy and pornography possession.

Zachary Daubenmire, 24, a special ed teacher in Ohio.
Sentenced to 5 years probation, sex offender registration.
Downloading child pornography.

Garland Eary, 54, fifth-grade teacher in West Virginia.
Sentenced to 42 months, probation for life.
Child pornography possession.
Three former colleagues wrote to the court to support him.

Christopher Ernest, 27, a Wisconsin middle school teacher.
Sentenced to 6 months, five years probation.
Downloading child pornography into a Yahoo group web site.

Waylon Kaus, 27, teacher, scoutmaster in Missouri, head of Head Start program.
Sentenced to 20 years without parole.
Production and distribution of child pornography.

Louis Konetski, 65, a teacher in Alaska
Sentenced to 5 years, another 8 1/2 suspended, 10 years probation.

John McColgan, teacher in New Jersey
Sentenced to 48 months.

Ron Nash, 39, a high school teacher in Washington.
Sentenced to 8 years.
Possessing and trading child pornography.

Curtis Oishi, 36, a child development teacher in California.
Sentenced to 1 year, 3 probation, registration for life.
Distributing child pornography.

Steven Rubinstein, 50, an assistant principal in N.Y.
Sentenced to 10 years, 5 years probation.
Trading child pornography, attempt to intice two minors.

Steven M. Smith, 55, a shop teacher in South Dakota
Sentenced to 6.5 years and sex offender registration.

David Stein, 48, Special Education teacher in California.
Sentenced to 4 years and registration as a sex offender.

Steve Dennis Thomas, 48, an elementary school principal in Alabama,
Sentenced to 12 years.
Possession of child pornography.
Including images of bestiality and rape of a 4-year-old girl.
Sent e-mails with personal information about his two neices to pedophiles.

Denzial Tittle, 50, science teacher in Texas
Sentenced to 14 years, without parole, 10 years probation.
Distribution and possession of child pornography.

Genaro Vela, 58, coach and Boy Scout Leader in Texas
Sentenced to 14 years.
Possession of child pornography. Faces charges of child molestation.

Dennis Vickery, 61, "baby porn teacher" in Pennsylvania.
Sentenced to 10 years, 10 years probation, registration as a sex offender.
100,000 child porn images, 30 of them infants, one as young as 1 -years-old.

Lawrence Scott Ward, 64, professor at Univ. of Pennsylvania.
Sentenced to 15 years, 3 years supervised release after incarceration.
Producing child pornography for importation into the United States.

Ron White, middle school science teacher in Florida.
Sentenced to 5 years.
Possession of child pornography.
Elected to City Commission 1987, elected Mayor 1989 -2004.

COURT REVIEW
Morton Berger, 52 at time of arrest, sentenced in 2004 to 200 years for child pornography.
U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his sentencing.
Arizona law requires that the sentences be served consecutively and that they be served without the possibility of probation, early release or pardon.

NEWEST SENTENCING

Daniel Platt, 50, sentenced to ten years in prison and lifetime supervised release for possession of hundreds of images of children involved in sexually explicit activities. He still faces charges for sexual abuse and sodomy of an 11-year-old girl.

William. T. Gardner, 66, Professor Emeritus, School of Educ. San Francisco. Sentenced to 63 months and three years of supervised release. There is no parole in Federal sentencing.

Wayne D. Kuklinski, 59, a Lake Zurich, Illinois football coach. Sentenced to two years probation and six days in jail. The pornography showed more than 50 images of children, as young as infants, engaged in sexual acts including sexual penetration and bondage.

Scott Beyer, 39, Michigan High School Teacher.Possession of child sexually abusive material. Sentenced to one year probation, registration as a sex offender.

Robert Michael Boyden, 60, Wyandotte “Teacher of the Year, sentenced to 12 months despite an agreement with Federal prosecutors to a sentence 51 to 63 months.

Richard Beebe, 68, a Maine school volunteer, sentenced to serve 60 days of a one-year prison sentence, as well as a two-year probationary period. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

David Chauncey, 58, an Arizona High School teacher, sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty to guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor younger than 15 and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor younger than 15.

Patrick Bogan, 42, gymnastics teacher, Baltimore (MD) Possession and receiving child pornography. Five cabinets in Bogan’s residence, including one that contained 49 videotapes and discs with hundreds of sexually explicit images of children, children's panties and evidence he was part of an international child pornography ring.
Sentenced to 6 1/2 years and ten years supervised probation.

Randy Scott Jennings, 43, business education teacher and coach, Charlotte (NC)
Pleaded guilty to five charges — three counts of production and distribution of child pornography, one count of electronic solicitation of a minor for sex and attempted indecent liberties with a child.
Sentenced to six months' in jail. New charges being pursued.

Michael Postma, 26, a third-grade teacher at an elementary school, Plantation, (FL)
Plea agreement to pornography distribution.
Sentenced to 17 and a half years in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release.

Paul Held, 68, retired middle school teacher in Connecticut.
Possession of child pornography.
Three to four million images of child pornography, also photographs taken under desks of students.
Sentenced to more than 10 years, registration as a sex offender and Federal monitoring for life.

Christian Cornwell, 34, high school teacher in Hawaii.
Possession of 10,000 child pornography, including infants.
Sentenced to seven years, three months.

Joseph Nurek, 58, principal at a Chicago charter school.
Pleaded guilty to downloading child pornography.
Sentenced to 20 years.

William Lee Hunter, Jr., 41, an elementary school teacher in Oklahoma.
Pleaded guilty to felony possession of pornography.
Sentenced to four years' probation.

Leland Easterling, 60, 10th grade geometry teacher in Texas.
Pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.
Sentenced to eight years and one month in prison.

Barry Ostrander, 43. Minnesota teacher.
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
Hidden camera in his bathroom to videotape young girls.
Sentenced to 15 years in prison.

William Zwiebel, 63, a radiology professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
Enhanced sentence for images of child pornography contained "sadistic and masochistic" behavior toward children.
Sentenced to 63 months in prison, followed by 10 years' supervised release.

Melvin Logan, 67, teacher in the 1980s with a child endangerment conviction.
Possession of child pornography.
Jury convicted of 19 counts of possessing sexually explicit material.
Sentenced to 18 months, followed by six years' intense supervision.

Richard Saunders, 55, a chemistry teacher in Florida
Convicted of possession of child pornography.
Admitted in courtroom to possessing 1 million pornography images
Sentenced to 15 years followed by 40 years probation.

James Mircovich, 45, former teacher in Texas
Left teaching after being accused of inappropriate touching and contact
Sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Enrico Tyler, 41, a 7th and 8th grade teacher in California.
Pleaded guilty to child pornography possession.
Sentenced to two years and registration as a sex offender.

Pedro Calderon III, 42, a teacher from Mission, Texas
Possession of child pornography obtained via the Internet.
Sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, followed by 2 yrs of supervised release.

Kollin King, 26, 4th grade teacher in Blasdell, New York
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and admitted using the internet for attempted seduction of a minor.
Sentenced to 8 years, 6 months.

Frederick Tom Robbins, 51, educational assistant in Cincinnati, Ohio
Sentenced to 9 years, 4 of which were for child pornography possession.

Thomas H. Moody, 56, Oregon elementary school teacher
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography while on probation.
Convicted 2005 of six counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Accused in 2004 of fondling and inappropriately touching 10 girls dating back to 1998.
Sentenced to 14 months in prison; and 15 years registration as a sex offender.

David D. Koepp, 40, an Omro School District teacher
Pleaded guilty to charge of attempted receipt of child pornography.
Sentenced to five years in prison.

Justin Gillen, 26, an Oregon high school teacher
Pleaded guilty to child pornography possession.
Sentenced to 27 months, followed by three years supervised federal release.

Robert Lamascus, 39, a social studies teacher at a H.S. in Texas.
Pleaded guilty to possession of between 300 to 600 images child pornography.
Sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 7 years of supervised release.

Gilbert Telford, 68, a substitute teacher in Maine.
Pleaded guilty to possession of pornography.
Police seized 5 computers, found 7,500 images, 300 CDs, various books and spiral notebooks.
Sentenced to 6 months in prison and 10 years' probation.

Bradford Moore, 49, drama teacher in Aspen, Colorado
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
A backdated plea agreement allowed him to plea to one misdemeanor count.
Sentenced to three years' probation.

Ronald Garney, 59, a ninth-grade teacher in Amherst, Mass
Pleaded guilty to 11 counts of possessing child pornography.
Admitted he has collected for 10 years. Former president of teachers union.
Sentenced to 2½ to 3 years in prison a house of corrections.

Karsten Gronwold, 49, a second-grade teacher in Lake Tahoe, CA
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
Sentenced to a "little more than eight years".
He will be deported to Australia after his sentence is completed.

Todd O'Brien, a Kingston, New York high school teacher
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
Sentenced to 2 1/3 years in prison, 3 years supervised probation, registration as a sex offender.

Greg Watson, 46, a Michigan teacher
Pleaded guilty to child pornography possession.
Sentenced to one year and three months to 20 years behind bars.
He must register as a sex offender.

Marc Sardella, 48, a teacher at the Gardner-Dickinson Elementary School
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
Sentenced to 78 months in federal prison and lifetime supervised release.

Barrett Keith Williams, 44, an elementary school teacher in Phoenix, AZ
Sentenced to three years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
He will be on lifetime probation.

David Davies, 53, a teacher in Brush, Colorado.
Sentenced to one year in jail for child pornography.
To be tried again in Missouri, then possibly two other states.

Stephen A. Spiese, 57, actor and part-time teacher at Lebanon Valley College, PA
Sentenced to one month to one year in Lebanon County prison and 11 years of state probation
Possession of child pornography.

Gary E. Rademacher, 53, teacher union president in Missouri.
Sentenced to five years probation.
Possession of child pornography.
Registration as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Mark Mason, 47, Lakeland, FL Catholic school teacher.
No contest plea to 50 counts of possession of child pornograpy.
Sentenced to five years in prison and five years' probation.

Tracy Meadows, a band instructor in Arkansas.
Sent child pornography to an undercover FBI agent.
Sentenced to 18 years in prison for distributing child pornography.

Kenneth Fire, 49, elementary school teacher in Florida.
Pleaded guilty to distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography.
Sentenced to five years in prison.

Allen Julier, 54, a Scarsdale (NY) high school teacher
Pleaded guilty to possession of more than 100 images and more than 10 video files.
Investigators found 100 images and 500 videos of child porn on his computer.
Sentenced to 51 months in prison.

Ruben Renfrow III, 72.
Mississippi retired teacher and principal.
Jury verdict guilty of child pornography possession.
Sentenced to 15 years in prison and registration as a sex offender.

Michael Gogerty, 41, a Nevada elementary school teacher.
Pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography over the Web.
Sentenced to more than 8 years in prison.

Chad Roby, 33, an Illinois elementary school teacher.
Pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography.
Sentenced to two years in prison.
Other charges pending in Indiana.

Edgardo Vilas, 42, special education teacher at a detention school in Calif.
Pleaded guilty to possessing more than 600 images.
Sentenced to three years in prison, 5 years parole.
Registration as a sex offender.

Anthony Ularich III, 60, a special education school teacher in Louisiana.
Sentenced to 7 years in prison for 275 counts of possessing child pornography.

Timothy Sheehan, 51, a middle school teacher in Seattle (WA)
Pleaded guilty to possession of 39 photographs of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Sentenced to two years - suspended, and sexual-deviancy tratreatment.
Registration as a sex offender.

Timothy Brumit, 48, a high school teacher in Batesburg, S.C.
Pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a person he believed to be a 13-year-old boy to engage in illicit sexual conduct and to transporting child pornography, via the Internet. Traded over 44,000 images of extremely graphic child pornography
Sentenced to 25 years, court supervision for the rest of his life.
Registration as a sex offender.

Geoffrey S. Hulburt, 32, a middle school teacher in Elmira, NY
Pleaded guilty to possession of more than 600 child pornography images.
Sentenced to 6 and a half years in prison and 8 years of supervised release.

Kenneth Kothe, 61, First-grade teacher, Lynwood, California
Guilty plea to possession child pornography.
Sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison, ten years supervised release and sex offender registration for life.

Ronald Norris, 55, Frontier High School, Hamburg NY teacher
Guilty plea to possession of child pornography.
Sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison and five years of supervised release.

Werner Bloch, 41, a teacher in St. Petersburg, FL
Possession of child pornography. They found 16,000 pictures on his computer.
Sentenced to six years in prison and lifetime supervised probation.

Eric Don Standefer, 48, a middle school teacher in California
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
Police found him using a hammer to destroy his laptop.
Sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison. Registration as a sex offender.

Michael Eugene Noel, 36, teacher in Tennessee
Guilty plea to child pornography.
Sentenced to 26 years in prison. Lifetime supervised release.
Still faces sex charges in Sullivan county.

John B. Shulick, 53, a Gainesville, VA, middle school teacher.
Pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.
Sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by 10 years supervised release.

Randy DeJaynes, 56, an English teacher in Illinois
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
Sentenced to two years of probation. Molestation charges dropped.

Stanley McCleave, 51, an adjunct photography instructor at Maryville College.
Pleaded guilty to receiving and possessing child pornography.
Sentenced to 97 months in prison, registration as a sex offender and lifetime supervised release.

Coen Potts, 37, a Kansas elementary school art teacher.
Pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.
Sentenced to 85 months in federal prison.

Carlos D. Araiza, 44, a Pacifica, California, high school teacher.
Pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography.
Sentenced to five years in prison.

Anthony Glinski, 31, a Solvay, NY, middle school teacher.
Pleaded guilty to felony charges of possessing a sexual performance by a child.
Sentenced to 10 years of probation.

Chad Michael Hutchins, 28, a middle school teacher in Texas.
Pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography possession.
Sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender.

David Lista, 35, English teacher at a high school in Millbrae, California.
Pleaded guilty to felony possession of child pornography.
Pleaded guilty to taping the girls in the bathroom. (voyerism)
Sentenced to 16 months for possession of child pornography.

SEE Educators guilty but not yet sentenced.

READ FIRST

STYLE
Entries are not classic blog posts but updated to follow the cases as they proceed through the criminal court system. This format provides latest information for those who follow a particular case and also serves to illustrate the lengthy process that leads many to believe that most allegations of misconduct amount to false charges. That may be a comforting myth to educators, but it is not supported by public record.

DATES
Dates given are publication dates of the news item. When the link no longer works, you are encouraged to visit the news source archives.

CATEGORIES
In the coach or band category, we only label when it is apparent the teacher or coach was involved with the student through the role as coach or band instructor. Sometimes it is impossible to determine from the online stories. Nevertheless, we track as a study, not because we dislike band teachers or coaches.

We do not usually follow stories about coaches accused of physical assault on players as most stories seem to be overblown and result in little or no lasting damage. Physical contact is a component of sports and emotions run high. For some unfathomable reason.

We do follow stories that involve drugs or alcohol. We do because drunk driving kills. Twenty-eight percent (28%) of 15- to 20-year-old drivers who were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2005 had been drinking. (Source: SADD - Students Against Drunk Driving)
Peer pressure is hard enough to resist without having teachers serve as role models to drink and drive or do drugs.

Other categories change as needed or where need is indicated.

COMMENTS
We welcome comments.

Readers are solely responsible for the content of the comments they post here. Comments do not necessarily reflect the opinion or approval of the blog administrator.

Posts that attempt to identify victims by name or indication will be deleted.
Posts that denigrate or demean victims will be deleted.
Posts that attempt to shut down debate by threatening other posters will be deleted.
Posts that are determined to be excessive and non-productive rants will be deleted.
It happens sometimes that someone will post a comment that they later regret that self-identifies and creates discomfort. Contact us. We will delete.

Our comments at stories are usually in this color.

UPDATES
If you have an update or a correction, please e-mail us at mediaskeptic@hotmail.com
Sending links is preferable. We do not open attachments. Ever.

Posts are derived from published items found online. Sometimes news sources do not bother to follow a case beyond the initial arrest story that was based upon the press release from the police. If you find an entry that needs to be updated and no story is found online, we suggest three things:

- Contact the newspaper or news staff that published the original story.
- If you have trouble determining who you should contact, contact us. We'll help.
- Ask them to print a follow up story to set the record straight. If you need, we will help you write a request.

They owe you that much. We do, too, and we guarantee to act immediately.

SUGGESTIONS
Your suggestions are welcome. This blog wouldn't exist without readers who send us updates every day.

ADMITTED BIAS
We are unashamed supporters of the victims and their families. For one, minors lack the maturity to appreciate the consequences of their actions. That's why we have age of consent laws and limit their legal decisions. But it's also because the student who complains is excoriated by fellow students and teachers alike. That makes them double victims. When they appear in court, the defense usually victimizes them all over again in the most public forum possible - again, without the support of fellow students or teachers. It takes great courage to come forward when it would be so much easier to hide the truth.

It would take less courage for fellow teachers to come forward to voice their suspicions about their colleagues before it gets to the point of criminal conduct. That they do not do so in large numbers speaks poorly of their decency.

AND NO, WE DON'T HATE TEACHERS
Every student has a favorite teacher they remember even 60 or 70 years later. The teacher may not have been a favorite at the time, but, usually, for most of us anyway, they were the person who most believed that learning was a joy, education was a wonder and expected more of us than just about anyone else. They also asked more of themselves and did the same for us. That's the true definition of a teacher.

To the Miss Plunkett's of the world, you made a difference in the world.

Thank you.

Talking Points

TALKING POINTS about the Proposed 2-year policies. (I know that is a lot of information so please use what you feel comfortable stating.)

Did you know that double dipping for education legislators was eliminated in 2002 by an opinion of the Alabama Ethics Commission?

Is there any need for these policies? Just make sure that the Ethics Commission ruling is followed.

Is it right to punish every two-year employee if only one or two have done something wrong?

Did you know that these policies essentially eliminate flextime for all two-year college employees?

Do you realize that the policies will eliminate the strongest supporters of education in the Legislature?

Who is left to protect the Education Trust Fund from raids, protect the funding of PEEHIP, or protect the integrity of the Teachers' Retirement System?

These policies are flagrantly discriminatory against educators.

Lawyers can work and serve. State employees can work and serve. Doctors can work and serve. Bankers can work and serve. Car dealers and insurance salesmen can serve, but under these policies, educators will be prohibited from serving if they are employed at a two-year college.

Legislators employed or contracting with universities are not prohibited from legislative service.

Since 1819, no occupational class of Alabama citizens has been denied the right to serve as a legislator in the state's part-time legislature.

These polices will deny any and all employees of a two-year college from serving on county commissions, city councils, or public utilities, or even getting reimbursed for mileage or food for going to a district Boy Scout meeting, helping United way, or taking children to a church youth group retreat, if they go more than 10 times in one year. If a two-year college employee helped during a disaster like Katrina and was given food or reimbursed any expenses, they would be in violation of the policy and subject to dismissal.

These policies override the Alabama Constitution that sets the qualifications for serving in the Legislature. It is up to the people of Alabama to determine who serves, not the governor, or the chancellor, or any other executive.

The majority of legislators who are educators will be immediately affected during the next session, yet almost all legislators were employed as educators when they were elected.

The practical elimination of flextime means that legislators will be forced to choose between providing for their families and serving their citizens.

Policy 609-04:

Prohibits any postsecondary employee, including the presidents and support staff, from using annual or personal leave as they wish, although these employees have earned this leave and the law says they can use it as they please.

No two-year college employee can use personal leave or annual leave to make money no matter how small an amount.

The policy says that legislators who are employees must use unpaid days only, and that they are allowed only 10 unpaid days per year.

This policy will supersede all other polices previously adopted without regard to past practices, traditions, or custom, or the directives of the members of the elected members of the State Board of Education.

This policy disregards the recommendations of a statewide policy committee made up of properly elected postsecondary employees.

All authority regarding employment rests with one man, Bradley Bryne, without oversight or accountability to anyone. Flextime is essentially eliminated unless you curry the favor of the chancellor.

Policy 220-01:

Eliminates employees of two-year colleges from serving in the Legislature.

Prohibits legislators, with as little as a 5% interest in a company, from contracting with any college in the two-year system. Does this mean that a car dealer who won the state bid on cars could not sell the same car to a two-year college and remain in the legislature?

Policy 602-01:

Gives the chancellor unfettered power to reverse any appointment or assignment of personnel that has happened or ever will happen at his whim without oversight or accountability to anyone, although state law gives the authority for personnel decisions to the presidents of two-year colleges. This policy is an attempt to override state law.

Even if a 30-year employee of the two-year college system has done a great job, and some fault is found in the past hiring practice, no matter how minor, this policy would allow the chancellor to initiate termination.

Janice J. Charlesworth
Executive Secretary
Alabama Education Retirees Association, Inc.

Stages of a Criminal Case

From FindLaw: Stages of a Criminal Case

Arrest
Booking & Bail
Arraignment
Plea Bargain
Preliminary Hearing
Pre-Trial Motions
Trial
Sentencing
Appeals

How Bail Works from Apollo Bonds

Standardized Testing

Continued from TT blog.

TT - Where to begin? Education isn't horse race; it's a process of learning and accomplishment. Testing is a tool that measures accomplishment. The National Report Card isn't a competition between states but a means of trying to curb the 30-year trend of dumbing down state tests to disguise lower expectations for students and hide the lack of classroom instruction.

Every excuse in the book has been used. For 30 years schools have complained that the problem was that poor students, students whose first language isn't English, or students who were victims of cultural deprivation were the reasons for turning out illiterates who then moved on to college and spent one year taking remedial classes just to perform at high school level. Only to drop out. It's been happening since the 1970s.

Educrats in every state asked for a pass so that special category students could be treated separately, but unequally, on tests catered to "their needs." As if the students were mentally unfit to learn. We weren't spending enough money. Classrooms were too crowded. Eubonics would help communicate better.

The influx of Asian immigrants in California and other states challenged that smugness. These students suffer from the same language deficiencies but perform at the top of their classes. Sites like GreatSchools.net show the average classroom sizes and, guess what? Schools with 12 students to a teacher are no more likely to test well than schools with 30 students. The money that the District of Columbia spends on education is the highest in the nation. Their failure rate is also the highest in the nation.

The District of Columbia spends a staggering $13,280 per student. The pupil/teacher ratio is 14.2 Their scores are abysmal. Unless you're an outright bigot and believe that blacks and Hispanics are incapable of learning, how do you explain such colossal and expensive failure?

Money isn't the answer. It's the problem.

We don't have Public Schools anymore. Public Schools were created to assimilate and teach immigrants to give them an opportunity for upward mobility. Public Schools taught children and were proud of their achievements and the achievements of their students. Public Schools hired professionals and established standards of conduct and performance that guaranteed teachers of impeccable character and purpose.

What we have now are Government Schools. Think DMV. Cause that's what we've got.

Standardized Testing

June 3, 2007 - The media campaign against standardized testing for high school graduation in Texas continues in the Dallas Morning News. "Analysis shows TAKS cheating rampant" is the first of three parts.
Part Two: At TEA, years of inquiry, few concrete results
Part Three: Common questions about analyzing tests for cheating

They base much of their opinion on an analysis by George Wesolowsky, a professor at McMaster University in Canada who studies cheating on multiple-choice tests like the TAKS. He is quoted as saying, "The evidence of substantial cheating is beyond any reasonable doubt."

Another Canadian, David Harpp, a professor at Montreal's McGill University who studies cheating and reviewed the analysis was also quoted. ""What we have here in many of the schools, particularly charter schools, is rampant cheating involving many students."

Both Canadian academics based their opinions on "statistical analysis." The Texas Education Agency (TEA), according to the Dallas Morning News, has cleared 98 percent of the schools in its recent round of investigations, in most cases because school officials did not volunteer knowledge of improprieties. Many of those schools were found to have widespread cheating in The News' analysis.

The newspaper also depended upon input from Caveon, a test security firm. Caveon markets their services of detecting, correcting, and preventing test fraud. As part of that they provide, in "conjunction with your in-house or contracted legal team, prepare basic admonitions; file and litigate suits." [No explanation, but the logical question is who is being sued?]

---

There are some obvious questions that come to mind.

If there is such widespread cheating as alleged, is Texas unique in the number of students who cheat? If there is widespread cheating and the problem is as big as they allege, doesn't it call for the collusion of test examiners? The example of 4-5 students having a cluster of answers would suggest actual conferences during test taking. Are monitors lax or deliberately sabotaging the tests?

Some schools, according to the article, have new rules about open doors during testing and roving monitors. This, again, indicates that test cheating is assisted by test monitors - teachers.

The stakes are high for schools who are found academically failing, not only for the student, but job security for teachers and administrators. There are substantial bonuses for schools and personnel for higher scores. And substantial penalities for failing, especially for charter schools.

But the biggest unaddressed question is, if students are unable or unwilling to pass 11th grade examinations, how can they expect to pass more rigorous examinations at the college level?

And why aren't monitors who proctor exams disciplined for abetting cheating?

New York state has had standardized testing in the form of Regents Examinations for decades. It is not now, nor ever has been, the political football that standardized testing is in Texas and other states that resist verification that the student actually learned something.

If a school or a teacher was found to have unacceptably high rates of failure on the Regents exams, it was assumed that the teacher wasn't following curriculum. It was assumed that the school was lax. Not that the exam was flawed. Not that the Regents were out of touch. Not that the students were liars and cheats. The monitor was fired and standards were established.

The debate should not be whether to abandon the exams, but who to blame? Those who write the tests or those who conduct them?

That last just never seems to occur to the media.

Arkansas Education

Arkansas State Board of Education website.
Arkansas employs 35,000 teachers.
Maintains a list of Arkansas colleges and universities that have been approved by the State Board of Education to offer teacher preparation programs.

Some Arkansas disciplinary decisions are in the monthly state Board of Education meeting minutes. They do not contain reasons for suspensions or revocations.

Some waivers state that a teacher is given a waiver for a previous conviction. Here Here Here
No online teacher code of ethics or guide. No statement of ethics in education.

Child Pornography

Child Pornography

Guilty but not yet sentenced


Michael Kelly Reiner, 46, 4th-5th grade teacher on Long Island.
Possession of child pornography. Caught trying to enter Canada with disks. Operated a web site devoted to sadistic fantasies and cannibalism.
To be sentenced August 10.

Gerald Thomas, 46. Texas teacher.
Pleaded guilty to one count child pornography.
To be sentenced April 18.
No online followup stories.

David Bergland, 42, a high school teacher in Massachusetts.
Pleaded guilty to child pornography possession. 150-300 images.
No sentencing information.

Joshua Evans, 25, elementary school music teacher in Georgia.
Pleaded guilty to charge he attempted to receive child pornography over the Internet.
No sentencing date given.

John McNair, 59, science teacher at a middle school, Pensacola, FL
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. Police found 160,000 images.
To be sentenced Jan 17, 2008

Jennifer Jacobi, 35, a substitute teacher in Indiana
Pleaded guilty to two charges of child pornography production.
Previously sentenced to 66 years for sexual abuse of two children.
To be sentenced Dec. 30.

Scott Southerland, 49, an Illinois substitute teacher
Pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges.
No sentencing date given.

Ronald Keith Neil, 41, a Boise, Idaho teacher.
Pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
To be sentenced May 14.

Craig Lee, 53, Superintendent of the Lagunitas School District, California
Pleaded no contest to one count (out of 13) for child pornography possession.
To be sentenced June 30, 2008.

Edgar Selavka, 48, an assistant teacher at the Center for Early Childhood Education at Smith College.
Guilty plea to 11 counts of possession of child pornography.
To be sentenced in June.

David Tanguay, 61, biology teacher in Wyndham, Maine.
Guilty plea to one count possession child pornography.
No sentencing date given.

Stanley DeLoach, 48, Culpeper, Virginia, Middle School teacher.
Guilty plea to 12 felony child pornography charges.
To be sentenced August 5.

Peter Lamana, 41, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, math teacher.
Guilty verdict to one count of sexual abuse of children for possession of child pornography.
No sentencing date given.

Harold (Bo) Scallon, 60, Rusk, TX teacher
Guilty plea to child pornography possession.
Sentenced to 78 months in prison, 5 years of supervised release.
Registration as a sex offender.

Richard Foster, 51, a 6th grade teacher in Bradford, Vermont.
Pleaded guilty to two charges of production of child pornography involving children under the age of 12.
To be sentenced December 22.

David Hassler, 62, a relgious studies teacher at a Catholic school, Pasadena, CA.
Pleaded guilty to Possession of child pornography.
To be sentenced January 26, 2009.

James C. Love, 37, minister and substitute teacher in Illinois.
Pleaded guilty to producing sexually explicit photos of minors while they were sleeping.
To be sentenced January 23, 2009.

TT - List of educators sentenced for child pornography.