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School District Ignored Warnings, Then Silenced Girls Fondled by Teacher
Seattle Times ^ | 22 October 2006 | Ken Armstrong & Justin Mayo

Posted on 10/22/2006 3:55:05 PM PDT by Publius

She was 10 years old, a fourth-grader in the Northshore School District, when John Carl Leede began fondling her, according to court records.

He was a teacher, but not hers. He would spy her in the school library, approach, turn her away from him and begin grabbing, rubbing her breasts. She'd try to break away, but he would yank her back and put her in a kind of headlock.

The girl told her mother, and the mother called the principal, Ed Young.

It all could have ended there — in the spring of 1996, years before Leede was finally convicted of assaulting girls. Young, the principal at Kokanee Elementary near Woodinville, could have investigated and found other students with similar stories.

Instead, Young called the girl to his office. When she got there, she found the principal and Leede, and no one else. Not her mother. Not a counselor. Young questioned her — and Leede explained it all away. A "misplaced hug," he called it, saying he was a "touchy-feely" kind of guy.

Young didn't discipline Leede. He didn't report the matter to police or Child Protective Services. He didn't even write the girl's story down and file it, to help spot any pattern. His next evaluation of Leede offered only praise, saying: "I have appreciated his professionalism and efforts in helping us 'move outside the box.'"

The girl's mother was stunned at Young's response. The girl would later tell police: "This was brushed under the table." She would become violent and defiant, say Leede was what she got for being "a good girl," and scratch her wrists with broken glass.

(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: homeschooling; molesting; publikskoolz; schools; teachers
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It's not often I run across an article that drives me into a blind, murderous rage, but this one did it. A whole slew of people should be in jail right now, not just the teacher.
1 posted on 10/22/2006 3:55:07 PM PDT by Publius
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To: Publius
A whole slew of people should be in jail right now, not just the teacher.

Took the words right out of my mouth.
2 posted on 10/22/2006 3:57:16 PM PDT by kinoxi
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To: Publius; DaveLoneRanger; Republicanprofessor

Another reason to homeschool.


3 posted on 10/22/2006 3:59:09 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Nihilism is at the heart of Islamic culture)
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To: Publius

Got to be demoCommiecRAT School Officials (Seattle) to let this happen. We are now seeing the effects of too much liberalism in the schools and not in just what they teach, either !!!!


4 posted on 10/22/2006 4:01:50 PM PDT by Defender2 (Defending Our Bill of Rights, Our Constitution, Our Country and Our Freedom!!!!)
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To: LucyT

I think one of your pings was to a comment about a whole bunch of pedophiles must be involved--have to wonder about Boone (and others) with this one.


5 posted on 10/22/2006 4:05:40 PM PDT by justche (If you're afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. - Ronald Reagan)
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To: Publius

This is why tort suits get so outrageous. The principal clearly thought he could get away with that nonsense, so he was imprudent as well as unfair, and he abused his position. Unfortunately, it will probably be the school system (the tax payers) who pay.


6 posted on 10/22/2006 4:05:49 PM PDT by Mad Dawg (Now we are all Massoud)
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To: Publius

The girl's mother was stunned at Young's response. The girl would later tell police: "This was brushed under the table." She would become violent and defiant, say Leede was what she got for being "a good girl," and scratch her wrists with broken glass.
________________
I would have to think that more than a "misplaced hug" or grope would bring this kind of reaction.


7 posted on 10/22/2006 4:06:44 PM PDT by justche (If you're afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. - Ronald Reagan)
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To: Clintonfatigued
Another reason to homeschool.

Yes.

And the goal is to not just insulate - but to prepare our kids for dealing with not only this, but all manner of crap that they face in this world.

After 10 and 8 years of HS, we put our boys into PS recently. They have bullshit detectors fully engaged - a teacher try to get "funny" - well, we got them martial arts training as part of the curriculum. Fool that makes a move like that will pull back a broken arm.

8 posted on 10/22/2006 4:08:25 PM PDT by don-o (Monthly donor and proud of it! There is NO free lunch! Visualize no Free Republic. Not pretty is it?)
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To: Publius
He didn't report the matter to police or Child Protective Services.

And neither did the mother, apparently. If I were in this situation I would tell the principal first but let him know that I was also calling the police and Child Protective Services. They could all fight over who was going to do something but something would be done.

9 posted on 10/22/2006 4:16:12 PM PDT by FreePaul
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To: Publius

Those precious girls are scarred for life.
Not only from the teacher, but from those they told, and trusted, and by whom they were betrayed.

That is even WORSE than the initial molestation.


10 posted on 10/22/2006 4:17:17 PM PDT by b9 ("the [evil Marxist liberal socialist Democrat Party] alternative is unthinkable" ~ Jim Robinson)
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To: FreePaul

Considering what we've seen in public schools, maybe the police should be the FIRST call!


11 posted on 10/22/2006 4:21:24 PM PDT by pelicandriver
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To: Publius; kinoxi

"A whole slew of people should be in jail right now, not just the teacher."

No. Only one. The principal. The teacher should be under the jail. The mother has been punished enough, I imagine, by realizing she should have kept pursuing justice and got her daughter out of harm's way. No one else knew, if I understand correctly.


12 posted on 10/22/2006 4:22:24 PM PDT by unlearner (You will never come to know that which you do not know until you first know that you do not know it.)
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To: Mad Dawg

throw this pervert in jail im sure there are some perverts in there will make him feel right at home being touchy feely like bend over and pick up the soap


13 posted on 10/22/2006 4:22:31 PM PDT by mickey blue eyes
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To: Mad Dawg
This is why tort suits get so outrageous. The principal clearly thought he could get away with that nonsense, so he was imprudent as well as unfair, and he abused his position. Unfortunately, it will probably be the school system (the tax payers) who pay.

Not necessarily. If a claim is filed to cover legal costs associated with the abuse, and the insurance company determines that the district was remiss in not reporting this matter, the insurance company could decide they will not pay. If so, the principal might be sued in an individual capacity. This happened in the Roslyn School District in Long Island, NY - the insurance company refused to pay certain claims (related to embezzlement, etc) - so you ended up with employees being responsible personally for adverse financial rulings. I believe even some Board of Education Members are being sued in an individual capacity.

14 posted on 10/22/2006 4:24:34 PM PDT by Fury
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To: mickey blue eyes
I wonder if the principal has any children.

I suddenly remember a history (an 'istory?) teacher at my daughter's high school who on parent's night near the beginning of the yeqr told us, in no uncertain terms, that she had been teaching a long time and she knew what she was doing and that was all there was to it -- do not bother to speak, she wasn't going to listen.

The very idea that teachers below the college level can have tenure is ridiculous, and one of its consequences is that if you want to sack someone who's been on baord for more then 3 years, it's going to be difficult and expensive.

If we're going to continue to have government schools, we need to start making them more community based -- LOCAL community.

You're going to find more and more of this stuff, I predict. The Dems own the teachers, by and large, and the educrats, and the liberals have no morals to speak of, outside of recycling, maybe -- using the same lunch bag until it falls apart, that sort of thing.

On the other hand, when I was in my late teens, my Epicopal church had as confirmation teacher - pubescent boys and girls, a real groper. Everyone knew, no one would do anything about it, minimization was the order of the day.

/rant off

15 posted on 10/22/2006 4:33:33 PM PDT by Mad Dawg (Now we are all Massoud)
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To: unlearner; Publius; kinoxi

Oops. I just read the full story.

You were both right. More people knew. Multiple people should be in jail.


16 posted on 10/22/2006 4:41:05 PM PDT by unlearner (You will never come to know that which you do not know until you first know that you do not know it.)
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To: potlatch







17 posted on 10/22/2006 4:42:54 PM PDT by devolve ( STAY_HOME?-CNN/CBS is KILLING your KIDS!)
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To: sionnsar

Who is our new keeper of the Washington list?


18 posted on 10/22/2006 5:34:49 PM PDT by Publius (A = A)
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To: Publius

bump


19 posted on 10/22/2006 8:45:03 PM PDT by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Publius

Why didn't Momma call the cops and report them all and then the local newspaper ?

I'm telling you what. My girls gonna know you don't take this $hit. You scream yell kick and watch his sorry a$$ go away in a cruiser.


20 posted on 10/22/2006 8:46:08 PM PDT by festus (The constitution may be flawed but its a whole lot better than what we have now.)
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