Action Alert

Seems like its open season on children. This is not meant to be a flip statement, but have you watched the news? Everyday children are being victimized by members of the school community. The usual reaction is, how can a teacher do that?

I have the answer.

They are not teachers who molest, assault, rape their students.

They are molesters masquerading as teachers. They are molesters first and foremost. They prey on children.They found the teaching profession alluring, because they have more access to children to victimize.

Once we realize this then we can get passed the shock.  

Once we are passed the shock, we can react.

We have to put a halt to the predators lurking in plain sight. We need to hold the administrators and colleagues who cover the heinous crimes against children accountable for the crimes of the predators. By dismissing or covering up the sexual abuse of children they are culpable and therefore GUILTY too.

What can you do to stop them?

#1 Be vigilant- If something appears wrong, report it to the police. Do not dismiss your instincts. After reporting it, follow up.

#2 Be loud- Do not stand idly by. Raise the awareness of those around you. Student abuse is rampant, and many school districts sweep it under the rug.

#3 Be involved- check out http://www.september12009.com/ The Global Group of Clergy Abuse Survivors. There are many other groups that speak up for children. Join one or join them all.

#4 Be an advocate- call or write your legislator, they work for you. To find your legislator use the search feature at PA School Watch

#5 Be supportive- survivors of sexual abuse need you.

Some recent news stories about the sad state of education

Teacher sentenced in NJ

Recent Teacher Certification Actions from the PDE

Husband of teacher that received ARD sentenced see previous post about the ARD here

Of course it's not just teachers who assault children (or cover it up) it's also Senate staffers

Orie aide charged with soliciting a boy 

Editor note: Senator Orie was the first supporter of PA School Watch. I applaud her commitment to protecting children. The staffer's "activities" do not reflect on her leadership.

This is not the first instance of a legislative staffer trolling the internet  see this previous post.

One last thing- get invloved.

 It is the only way to break the cycle and keep our children from becoming prey during the never ending "open season"

back to

Senator Robert Wonderling has introduced PA Senate Bill 545 this week. The Bill is a renewed version of our last effort  The main points are:

Annual National Criminal Background Checks and Child Abuse Clearances for ALL school employees and independant contractors- (employed by public, private, vocational schools and IU's) everyone who has contact with children- our children. Simple right? Not in Pennsylvania - It has always been a "once and done deal" here;  persons are only checked when they apply for employment then their "clearance" is filed away NEVER to be repeated- It's a BIG Assumption that a person who came up "clean" will remain crime free. Not to mention applicants were only checked in PA if they have lived here for more than 2 years. Crazy-

A PERMANENT BAN on employment for anyone who has been convicted of a serious crime as listed in the Title 18 crimes code- A "no brainer" you say well not in Pennsylvania. If a person has been convicted of a crime- even a crime against a child- and it has been a mere 5 years since their conviction they are once again welcome to work in a school with children- our children

Requiring a background check on everyone aged 18 years old and up. Now the age requirement is 21, we all know no one under the age of 21 has ever committed a crime- right?

Changing the procedure for filing a criminal background check and child abuse clearance. Instead of the employee filing for the clearances, the school district will be -although the employee is still required to pay the fees associated with filing- Why is that important? you may ask- To reduce the occurrence of forgery- A background check can be reproduced with a scanner and home computer  -and this is what we are using to safeguard our children -flimsy documents that can be easily reproduced -that is why it's so important to change the procedure

Call / write your Pa State Senator tell them you support SB 545 and want safer schools for our children. Tell them what you've read here and that you expect them to stand up for children, all children. The addresses/phone numbers can be found on the PA School Watch web site. Please send me an email and let me know whom you have contacted. We are looking for coordinators in each county to be a contact person - if you are interested please respond to info@paschoolwatch.org