Number of reported child abuse cases increases (within local school district

Number of reported child abuse cases increases
The number of reported child abuse cases within the local school district increased by more than fifty percent. District officials say “heightened awareness” could be attributed to the increase.
By Jonathan Friedman / Special to The Malibu Times
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 12:15 PM PDT

The number of reported cases of child abuse in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District jumped from 77 in the 2007-08 school year to 123 in 2008-09, according to the Annual Child Abuse Report that the Board of Education reviewed at its meeting last week. One of the cases involved a district employee.

District Deputy Superintendent Mike Matthews said in an interview after the meeting that “heightened awareness” by teachers and other district staff who work directly with students could be the reason for the increase.

“It could be any variety of factors,” Matthews said. “I know one change is we did revise the [child abuse reporting] policy and retrain our staff to abide by the new policy.”

The policy was revised last year following the arrest of a longtime teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica on sexual molestation charges. Thomas Beltran pleaded guilty to 10 counts of child molestation in December and is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence without the possibility of parole.

A feature of the updated policy is that district staff must prepare a document every fall for the Board of Education listing the number of reported cases of child abuse during the previous school year. The district has kept track of reported child abuse numbers in prior years, but the information had never before been presented to the Board of Education in a formal document.

The suspected abuses were of alleged incidents that took place away from school, except for the one involving a district employee. Teachers and other SMMUSD employees who work directly with children are supposed to report suspected cases to law enforcement or county child welfare officials within 24 hours. The employees are not supposed to investigate the matters on their own. The district does not keep official statistics on what happens with the allegations after they are reported.

The report broke down the allegations by type and school level. The most reported cases involved elementary school children (52). Thirty-seven involved middle school students and 34 were regarding high school students. There were no reported cases from the preschool or after-school programs. Physical abuse was the most reported, with 77 cases. Twenty reports involved emotional abuse, 15 were about “general neglect” and 11 involved sexual abuse.

A quick Yahoo news search covered one day of headlines -

Fired Greenville teacher tells his side of story at hearing
Fired Greenville teacher Jon Ross took the stand in his own defense Friday, the fifth day of testimony in his appeal before the state Labor Relations Board in Pittsburgh.
The Sharon Herald - 36 minutes ago

District must apologize to student
As part of a legal settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District will provide a written apology to a former Corona del Mar High School student who claims school officials did little to stop four varsity athletes from harassing her with homophobic and sexist taunts, attorneys in the case announced Wednesday.
Daily Pilot - 1 hour, 11 minutes ago

Dugan links self to unsolved '77 teacher assault
After he received life sentences for two murders, Brian Dugan gave authorities details linking him to the unsolved 1977 sexual assault of an Elmhurst teacher, an investigator testified Friday.
Chicago Sun-Times - Oct 10 2:18 AM

Teacher admits to sex with student, police say
FLORIDA — A high school English teacher accused of having oral sex with a student on "numerous occasions" in 2004 and 2005 interacted with her after school both as a coach of the girls' junior-varsity basketball team and as a yearbook adviser...
Middletown Times Herald-Record - Oct 09 11:10 PM

Teacher faces trial for sex crimes
A former Richardson coach and teacher will face a jury trial Monday for engaging in sexual relationships with two students.
Plano Courier - Oct 09 10:52 PM

District judge postpones teacher sex scandal trial
The jury trial for a former teacher accused of committing multiple sex acts with multiple students was postponed Monday morning. Collin County District Judge Chris Oldner postponed the trial for the former Richardson High School coach due to a full docket.
Plano Courier - Oct 09 10:52 PM

Sex cases involving educators continued to November
MONTROSE — The cases of two educators who are separately accused of sex offenses will be heard in November. Thomas Helmbrecht, 50, appeared in court Monday. He was charged with sexual exploitation of a child.
Montrose Daily Press - Oct 09 9:55 PM

Fired teacher files whistle-blower suit against Greenville School Board
Jon Ross claims Greenville Area schools Superintendent Pat Homer had labor attorney Charles Steele reopen a dismissed charge of sexual harassment after a June 28, 2008, board meeting.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Oct 09 9:02 PM

Woman recalls parking lot encounter with Dugan
The Aurora woman was six months pregnant and at the Fox Valley Mall to pick up a package for her 20-month-old daughter, she said, when a man wearing a ski mask approached her in the parking lot and pointed a gun at her in 1979. He ordered her to get into her car, the woman told a DuPage County jury on Friday, recalling that March day 30 years ago. "I tried to scream, but I couldn't get a sound ...
Chicago Tribune - Oct 09 6:44 PM

Ex-Phoenix teacher sentenced for sex with student
PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities say a former teacher at Phoenix's Shadow Mountain High School was sentenced Friday to four years in prison plus lifetime probation for having sex with a 17-year-old female student.
FOX 11 Tucson - Oct 09 5:57 PM

Valley teacher gets 4 years in student-sex case
A former Shadow Mountain High School teacher was sentenced to four years in prison and life on parole on Friday for a purported sexual encounter with a 17-year-old female student.
12 News Phoenix - Oct 09 5:24 PM

Ex-Taravella teacher sentenced to 5 years for affair with student
For a yearlong dalliance with a student, Noygel "Tony" Massop, 42, former English teacher and basketball coach at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, will spend five years in prison, Circuit Judge Jeffrey Levenson ruled Friday after an emotional two-hour hearing. Police said from November 2007 to November 2008 he had sex with a 16-year-old student in a classroom, a locker room, cars and ...
Sun-Sentinel - Oct 09 4:25 PM

Grand jury indicts longtime East Brunswick teacher charged in sexual assault
A Middlesex County grand jury has handed up indictments against a longtime East Brunswick middle-school teacher who is accused of sexually assaulting a student earlier this year.
MyCentralJersey.com - Oct 09 4:17 PM

Ex-Taravella High teacher sentenced to 5 years for affair with student
For a yearlong dalliance with a student, a former high school teacher will spend five years in prison, a judge ruled Friday after an emotional two-hour hearing.
Sun-Sentinel - Oct 09 4:04 PM

Former middle school teacher to face more charges
A former Millard middle school teacher accused of having sex with an eighth-grader will face more charges in her December retrial.
Lexington Clipper-Herald - Oct 09 3:42 PM

11-year-old reveals sexual assault in school essay
The man, 23-year-old Liominico Contreras, remains in the Bexar County Jail and is charged with sexual assault of a child.
WOAI San Antonio - Oct 09 3:26 PM

Valley teacher gets 4 years in student-sex case
Tom Krepelka also gets life on parole.
The Arizona Republic - Oct 09 3:14 PM

Everman Sub Accused of Sex Abuse
Fort Worth police are investigating a substitute teacher for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old Everman Junior High School student.
FOX 4 News Dallas - Fort Worth - Oct 09 3:06 PM

Police: Teacher's oral sex with student was consensual but illegal
FLORIDA — A high school English teacher charged with having oral sex with a student on “numerous occasions” in 2004 and 2005 interacted with her after school both as a coach of the girls’ junior-varsity basketball team and as a...
Middletown Times Herald-Record - Oct 09 2:23 PM

Board revokes teaching license after unlawful contact conviction
A former Boulder City middle school teacher had his license revoked today by the State Board of Education following his conviction for unlawful contact with a child, a gross misdemeanor.
Las Vegas Sun - Oct 09 1:54 PM

Geneva teacher accused of making bigoted remarks in class
Geneva school authorities are investigating a student's complaint that a teacher made bigoted remarks to a classroom full of students Monday.
Daily Herald - Oct 09 1:21 PM

CHS student arrested
CLIFTON — During the 11 a.m. metal shop class at Clifton High School, police said a student loudly asked his teacher: "do you like boys or girls?" When the teacher ignored him and continued to teach, the student asked again, using a derogatory gay term for men.
The Record and Herald News - Oct 09 11:44 AM

Ex-Cottage Grove teacher denies sex charge
COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. -- A former teacher at Cottage Grove High School has pleaded not guilty to an accusation he had sexual contact with a girl who attended the school when he taught there.
KGW NewsChannel 8 Portland - Oct 09 10:53 AM

Former Davie County Teacher Back In NC
The investigation against Doug Ebersbach began after the Sheriff's Office got a complaint of inappropriate activity from another middle school teacher.
WFMY News 2 Greensboro - Oct 09 8:51 AM

1-Year Sentence For Ex-Teacher In Student Sex Case
Rebecca Dawn Bogard, a former Biloxi teacher, will spend a year in jail for the 2008 statutory rape of a 15-year-old student.
WAPT Jackson - Oct 09 8:23 AM

New Charges for Teacher Accused of Having Sex with Student
A former Omaha middle school teacher, accused of sexually assaulting a student, is facing new charges.
WOWT Omaha - Oct 09 8:19 AM

Teacher jailed for sex with pupil
A former music teacher has been jailed for sexually abusing a 13-year-old pupil 25 years ago in Nottinghamshire.
BBC News - Oct 09 7:33 AM

Class Assignment Leads To Arrest
A 23-year-old man is charged in the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl who made a cry for help in a class paper, according to an arrest affidavit.
KSAT San Antonio - Oct 09 7:13 AM

Ex-Omaha Teacher Faces New Charges in Assault Case
A former Omaha middle school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student seven years ago is facing new charges.
KOLN Lincoln - Oct 09 6:43 AM

Charges In Teacher Sex Case Dropped
Charges have been dropped against a South Florida middle school teacher accused of having sex with a student.
Local 10 Miami - Oct 09 5:50 AM

Teacher pleads to sex charges
A former substitute teacher and basketball coach at New Haven High School pleaded no contest Thursday to charges related to having sex with two female students.
Macomb Daily - Oct 09 5:17 AM

Everman substitute teacher under investigation
A substitute teacher in the Everman school district is being investigated by Fort Worth police after he was accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old Everman High School student during the summer.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Oct 09 5:02 AM

Sex with student case: Former Biloxi teacher gets 1 year in jail
BILOXI, Miss. -- A former Biloxi school teacher will spend a year in jail for the 2008 statutory rape of a 15-year-old student, The Sun Herald newspaper reports.
Mobile Press-Register - Oct 09 4:53 AM

Conduct unbecoming
In the hot-house environment of the staffroom, it’s all too easy to get drawn into a relationship with a colleague. But what happens when it all goes wrong?
Times Education Supplement - Oct 09 4:20 AM

REPORT: Student says text messaging is reason for Saltillo teacher's removal
SALTILLO - A Saltillo High School student says it was his text message communication with a teacher at the school that was behind the teacher being removed from her classes last Friday, WTVA reports.
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - Oct 09 4:19 AM

Former Davie Co. Teacher Brought Back to NC
A former Davie County middle school teacher arrested in Ohio on sex charges over the weekend was extradited to North Carolina on Thursday.
FOX 8 WGHP - Oct 09 4:12 AM

Teacher charged with engaging in sex act with student
VILLAGE OF FLORIDA – A Sugar Loaf man, who is a teacher at S.S. Seward Institute, the high school in the Village of Florida, has been charged with criminal sexual act in the third degree, a felony.
Mid-Hudson News - Oct 09 4:00 AM

Bogard to serve one year for sex with student
GULFPORT — Former Biloxi school teacher Rebecca Dawn Bogard, 29, will serve one year in prison for the statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy.
The Biloxi Sun Herald - Oct 09 2:21 AM

Kentucky Church Ordains Sex Offender As Minister
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A tiny Louisville church's newest minister is a gifted music leader and popular among its three dozen members.
The Morning News - Oct 09 12:37 AM

Teacher denies sex charges
COTTAGE GROVE — Investigators suspect a former Cottage Grove High School teacher’s sexual exploits with teen girls occurred in three Oregon counties and two continents, a prosecutor said Thursday. The teacher, Shane Adrian Mast, 31, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Cottage Grove Municipal Court to a misdemeanor count of third-degree …
The Register-Guard - Oct 09 12:29 AM

Child abuser jailed for life
An Opp man convicted in August of sexually abusing a family member was sentenced to life in prison ...
The Andalusia Star-News - Oct 08 11:53 PM

Class-assigned book irks Cortez parents
A book assigned in an English class to a Cortez high school student was offensive, vulgar and demeaning, a parent told the Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1 Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, and she suggested a parental review committee to guide the selection of required reading.
The Durango Herald - Oct 08 11:36 PM

Seward High teacher accused in sex act with student
Florida — A teacher at S.S. Seward High School was arrested Thursday, accused of having oral sex with a female student in the school on multiple occasions.
Middletown Times Herald-Record - Oct 08 11:10 PM

Teachers trial moved to February
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The trial of a St. Albans music teacher accused of molesting students has been postponed until February 2010.Jack W. Pierce, 62, pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual abuse involving three students listed in an indictment returne...
Charleston Daily Mail - Oct 08 9:33 PM

Prosecutors Bring More Charges Against Former Teacher
A former Millard North Middle School teacher faces new charges of sexually assaulting a student seven years ago.
KETV 7 Omaha - Oct 08 8:49 PM

Ark. Ex-teacher Pleads Guilty To Sex With Student
MAGNOLIA,, Ark. (AP) -- A former Magnolia Junior High School teacher has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree sexual assault stemming from a relationship with a 15-year-old boy.
KTHV Little Rock - Oct 08 8:34 PM

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.