But that is not what prompts the first post of the week from me. The following piece of investigative journalism, courtesy of the Associated Press, desperately needs to be noted: Sexual misconduct plagues US schools
Story Highlights
* AP: Educators were punished in 2,500 sex cases from bizarre to sadistic
* Accused are overwhelmingly male, often popular, recognized for excellence
* Quiet punishments allow many violators move on to other schools
* One in 10 victimized children reports sexual abuse, say academic studies
There are 3 million public school teachers nationwide, most devoted to their work. Yet the number of abusive educators, nearly three for every school day, speaks to a much larger problem in a system that is stacked against victims.
Most of the abuse never gets reported. Those cases reported often end with no action. Cases investigated sometimes can't be proven, and many abusers have several victims.
And no one -- not the schools, not the courts, not the state or federal governments -- has found a surefire way to keep molesting teachers out of classrooms.
How many hours is law enforcement dedicating to victimless crimes such as prostitution and marijuana use? And how many hours should they be devoting to the protection of America's children?
Forget about a shadey character from the sex offender registry stalking your child's playground, because it sounds like you'd be more successful in shielding your child from sexual abuse by keeping close tabs on their teachers. How does this happen? How do repeat offenders make their way into the classroom? Why aren't they punished?
When did America's priorities get so skewed?
2 comments:
For additional information on this topic and specific cases on sex offender laws, check out The Sex Offender Chronicles at www.SexOffenderChronicles.com
Let the record show that I am no fan of the current structure of sex offender registries, and take issue with numerous points in current legislation---some of which have been noted.
I just think it's insane the amount of time, money, and effort put into hundreds of other "offenses", as well as the flawed system referenced by the above comments, while the people our society puts in control of our nation's youth, for 8 hours a day, can just quietly abuse and then slink away.
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