Pedophile teacher busted

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowshiv

Apparently, all of the staff at the school will be getting let go due to the actions of this teacher and another teacher who was put into custody on suspicion of molesting two young girls. I think that is an overreaction to say the least, as there are 100 staff members there. It says that they will still be getting paid, but for how long and what the heck are they supposed to do for a job in the future? Also, what about their pensions? Here is the article, from canoe.ca.
LOS ANGELES - In an attempt to regain parents' trust, educational officials said on Monday they are replacing all staff at a Los Angeles school where two instructors are accused of having sexually abused children.
Police on January 30 arrested Miramonte Elementary instructor Mark Berndt, who they say placed cockroaches on students' faces and offered them spoonfuls of a substance found to be semen. Four days later they arrested another teacher, Martin Springer, on suspicion of molesting two students.
The arrests angered parents with children in the school, which is located in a poor and largely Latino area near South Los Angeles, and raised serious questions about oversight on the campus.
"The superintendent feels the changeover is important given what is happening in the school," said Tom Waldman, a spokesman for Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy.
The school district decided to replace the...

Quote has been trimmed, See full post:

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

Wow. That seems rather extreme. They'll have to place them elsewhere or else open themselves up for multiple wrongful dismissal cases.

I take it the principal is going nowhere though.

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowshiv

The problem is that the unemployment there is so high that there are literally enough teachers that would be able to fill all the vacancies immediately. I don't think that there would be a place for the ousted staff to go to!

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

True enough, if they have enough of a waiting list that they can replace 100 positions in two days. This is the board and/or principal trying to make it seem like they are doing something by doing anything. And it's a bad idea.

For some reason it reminds me somewhat of the backlash/paranoia against daycares back in the eighties when there was that one daycare, I think also in California, where there was rampant molestation. (At least I think, I may be remembering it wrong).

Punish all the innocent by-standers, that'll learn 'em.

Some do, some don't

Quote: Originally Posted by earth_as_one

a) Pedophile
b) Sadist
c) Insane
d) All of the above
e) Some of the above
f) None of the above
I pick d.



I support justice.

Legal Judgement
Responsibility for Actions
Punishment
Rehabilitation
Victim Compensation

Excuse me for not joining a vigilante lynch mob.

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowshiv

In high-profile cases such as this, there always seems to be that overreaction(like the incidents you mentioned), and the people that had no way of knowing this was going on end up suffering for one person's(two in this case) misdeeds. I think that there may be some wrongful termination lawsuits if this ends up happening. It's a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

It's not that it's a high profile case, it's that it was a case of systematic, repeated, abuse. The problem is that it's super tricky to know how far that abuse spread. If this was taking place, who knew? Who helped? Who excused it?

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

It's not that it's a high profile case, it's that it was a case of systematic, repeated, abuse. The problem is that it's super tricky to know how far that abuse spread. If this was taking place, who knew? Who helped? Who excused it?

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

All valid questions for sure but my gut tells me this is something that was done to appease a group of parents.

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowshiv

Perhaps some other staff members knew(but that would make them just as bad as he is), but there is no way the entire school would know! I don't agree with what they did.

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

All valid questions for sure but my gut tells me this is something that was done to appease a group of parents.

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

Anyway if the logic behind the mass layoff/firing was that they should have known and did nothing then I think the principal should also be out of work right now. It is, after all, his or her job to know what is going on in the school.

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

According to shadow's article, the superintendent is referring to laying off the entire staff. That would include the principal.

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

Dont get my wrong, I'm not saying it's right. But, yeah, I'm sure it was done to appease a group of parents, likely the parents whose kids were abused. Because how do you feel safe sending your kid there again? You make sure no one is left who might have been a part of preying on your kid.

According to shadow's article, the superintendent is referring to laying off the entire staff. That would include the principal.

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

I'm sure there were possibly a few who didn't want to know and thus didn't question why the door was locked so often. But how does anyone prove that? If there was anyone like that there, their own cowardice overpowered their conscience a long time ago so I doubt they'll confess to it.

Anyway if the logic behind the mass layoff/firing was that they should have known and did nothing then I think the principal should also be out of work right now. It is, after all, his or her job to know what is going on in the school.