more teachers raping students
Cops say a middle school teacher Stephanie Marie Ragusa had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy between Oct. 1, 2006 through May 4, 2007, after he turned 15.
The Bay Area’s most infamous teacherapist, Debra LaFave was busted in June of 2004. It’s been nearly 4 years since the entire nation was in an uproar over the harm done to that underage student. Apparently, teachers have not gotten the message.
In addition to Ms. Ragusa above, since then, there has been Ms. Huggins, Ms. Latoya, Ms. Willis, Ms. Lilley, Ms. Butler, Ms. Wallace… It goes on and on…
And that’s just the females.
And that’s just in Florida.
BadBadTeacher.com is focused on our (male and female) educators (nationwide) accused of behaving badly, usually criminal in nature:
Hardly a day goes by that the news media is not reporting on yet another teacher run amok and often students are victimized in the process.
The website began in May of 2007, and the Florida category already has fifty six entries. You would think that teachers would perhaps read the freakin’ papers or take a glance at a newscast now and again, and take note of all the activity in our schools. Wouldn’t you? But they don’t.
And that’s just stupid.
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March 18th, 2008 at 10:11 am
I agree that the number of teachers having sex with their students is disturbing and should be reported. However, the overall percentage of “bad apples” is low. Why doesn’t the media (Sticks included) ever write about the good we do for the community instead of just the bad? As a teacher, I change the lives of children and their parents in positive ways every day. I challenge media outlets to counter the negative publicity given to the few by reporting on the good the majority of us do every day.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Everyday events such as positive teacher influence aren’t generally newsworthy, ie Dog bites man vs Man bites dog. It’s sad to think that teacher misconduct such as this appears to be becoming so ubiquitous that it doesn’t elicit much shock anymore either. Education is in need of serious reform, but keeping the system underfunded, under appreciated, and downright dysfunctional ensures a perpetual pool of proletariat.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Doing good is part of every teacher’s job. It’s unfortunate that good work doesn’t get recognized (in education, as elsewhere).
BUT it’s unacceptable that the oversite/HR system at the School Board of Hillsborough County is so poorly managed that these bad apples are getting in.
Too bad the education reporters at the Tampa Tribune or St. Pete Times aren’t doing their job, and looking at this as an opportunity to fulfill their function as media watchdogs and do a major investigation into what programs and controls exist (or don’t) in Hillsborough County schools that are designed to keep this situation from happening.
Does each teacher go through extensive ethics/sexual misconduct training (not just an hour-long lecture)? If not, why? Is each teacher given a list of common-sense things to do to avoid sexual temptation in the classroom? If not, why not?
As part of their “community service,” maybe one or more of these fallen teachers should be forced to speak to educators about their experiences.
Additionally, since the current controls aren’t effective, then perhaps there should be more stringent rules about when kids can be alone with teachers (and I’d extend the same rules to priests, by the way).
Meanwhile, what about criminal backgroundinvestigations? Are the ones in place now thorough, effective? A good reporter would look into this area, and find out how many teachers with criminal backgrounds are beating the system, just as a reporter at a small Florida newspaper famously did 20 years ago.
When he went to the trouble of checking, he found that hundreds of teachers in Florida had criminal backgrounds.
And it goes without saying that the education system needs a much higher level of funding, even if that means more taxes. Salaries are ridiculously low, and schools and their equipment are often in terrible shape.
That’s NO EXCUSE, though, for the School
Board not preventing on-campus (and off-campus) sexual abuse of students by bad-apple teachers. It’s really a black eye on our school system - when will the media, the community and legislators take notice and take action?
I agree with the above post - it’s kind of sick that we’re at the point where these cases cause us to simply shrug our shoulders and say, “what are you gonna do?”
Sorry, but simply responding that most teachers are good teachers and, gosh, the school system is trying its best, is not good enough when it comes to protecting our children in a place that ought to be the second-safest environment for kids (after their homes).
March 21st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Yet ANOTHER schoolteacher sex scandal (and another female teacher): This time the perv took some high-school boys to a motel and did it with one of them in the shower, while the others listened.
IS this not a crisis in Hillsborough County schools?
Isn’t it about time that the district launches a major effort to a)ferret out teachers with criminal backgrounds; and b)institute a program of sexual-misconduct training?
Here’s another one: Good companies interested in operating ethically have hotlines, allowing employees and others to anonymously and confidentially report instances of fraud, corruption, sexual misconduct, etc.
does the Hills Co. School Board have a hotline? If so, how is it maintained/operated? How many complaints are they getting, and are they following up? If not, then why not?
Is the school board really going to sweep this under the rug again?
Again, simply pointing out that “most” teachers aren’t having sex with their students doesn’t come close to rising to
the level of response required on this issue.
March 21st, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Funny thing, how Florida refuses to pay its teachers a living wage and thus gets the dredge of society as teachers. Why is everyone so surprised by this?
March 21st, 2008 at 2:39 pm
We have people with serious self-esteem issues being placed in positions of authority with little threat of real punishment. Throw in a little media attention on top. It’s more than just teacher pay, our whole system is in need of reform including the suggestions by Consider the Obvious. How many of us, upon first learning of LaFavre, snickered and commented “where were teachers like that when I was in school?”