Posted on 12/19/2004 3:53:35 PM PST by wagglebee
A middle school teacher in South Florida has been arrested for allegedly molesting a male student every week for a year in a supply closet before sending him back to class with a note excusing his absence.
Aaron Mohanlal is charged with 37 counts of lewd and lascivious behavior involving a 15-year-old boy, who recently told his parents about the alleged abuse.
Mohanlal, 37, is a teacher at New Renaissance Middle School in Miramar, Fla., and may have been involved with more than one child, according to police.
"There was such a network of kids around this guy that went beyond the student-teacher relationship," Police Capt. Bruce Keesling told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Detectives are also probing claims the teacher gave other juveniles cell phones.
He was taken into custody Friday and was held on $370,000 bail. A Broward County Schools spokesman says if Mohanlal posts bail, he can return to work at the district, but without any contact with children until an internal investigation is completed.
Officials say the abuse started at the end of the alleged victim's seventh-grade year and lasted some 18 months.
The majority of the molestation is said to have occurred in the art room supply closet when the teacher was free for a work period.
Keesling told the paper several incidents took place at the teacher's house and in the teacher's car.
He said the teen, whose name was being withheld, informed his parents last week, as he sought to end the relationship with the teacher, though Mohanlal reportedly kept pursuing the boy.
The family has hired an attorney, Diana Santa Maria, who said the family is "extremely distraught" and angry about the events, but is trying to give the boy the support he needs to recover.
"They feel betrayed by the obvious negligence of the school board, in which they placed their trust," Santa Maria told the Sun-Sentinel. "The administration and teachers are responsible for the safety and security of children."
Mohanlal has been working for the Broward School District since August 2001, and has no prior criminal history.
"I think parents need to withhold judgment until all of the facts are known," district spokesman Joe Donzelli said. "I'd urge people to let the process work itself out to find out exactly what took place and not make the assumption that everything this child said happened."
well, for one thing, I'd think that a note from one teacher, week after week, to excuse the same student for being late to class would raise some kind of red flag...just MHO
poing
If you can't tell who is the manipulative predator here you need to have your soul examined
"well, for one thing, I'd think that a note from one teacher, week after week, to excuse the same student for being late to class would raise some kind of red flag...just MHO"
That seemed obvious to me too. Where is the common sense today?
I know my son's teacher would have investigated a situation like this. She's a pitbull when it comes to keeping her students safe from harm. I know. I'm in the classroom volunteering two days a week.
This part of the story doesn't pass the sniff test.
I saw all of that - but I saw nothing about any punishment meted out on the male student by the school or district.
I still find it horrid the girl was punished when it obviously appears she was the victim.
Just as I am appalled by the comments in this article that the victim may not be telling the truth.
It took me 40 years to seek help for the years I was abused by my Scoutmaster. This perv abused hundreds of boys, but died never being accused because our society always casts doubt on the victim.
How anyone can be in favor of homosexuals being in contact with young boys is beyond my comprehension. Sexual abuse completely devastates your life for years. Several of the boys I know that were abused committed suicide as adults, some are in prison, some just are totally screwed up.
This pervert needs to be put in prison and never let out.
That is horrible. God Bless you for being able to see that you were the victim and not the problem.
DEATH
That's an ugly way of looking at it. You don't believe that a person has a right to sue if he's been molested? That he should just shut up and take it? For all you know, this kid may need a therapist for years. If the parents sue, that money will help pay for that therapy.
Oh, I think this teacher needs to go to prison. But that "negligence" statement tells me they're already looking for a whole different kind of justice. When did we develop the idea that justice=money?
Thank You
Welcome to FR. Wake up and smell the jerks. Most here do not believe there is any justifiable cause of action for anything. I just hope it is them that has to deal with a true tradgedy and they get a jury of morons with the same views.
Since you can't jail the school system or a corporation for negligence that leads to your child being scarred for life. Have you had to deal with a year of molestation? Any idea what that does to a young boy? What if it was your son? Who is going to pay for the therapy? What if this boy becomes a peter puffer? A child molester? I know you would just suck it up and say son deal with it.
Hmm. Male teacher, male student, but the word homosexual or gay is nowhere to be found in the article. Ping.
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
As someone ably pointed out: Male teacher, molested boy over a period of time, possibly other boys molested. No mention of the word "gay" or "homosexual".
At least they didn't just say "student" and "teacher".
Anyone think that homosexuals should be permitted to teach kids? I don't.
There is no civil right to teach. I can't teach - don't have the education. People with criminal records can't teach, people with mental problems can't teach.
Let me know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.
I have to agree, at least in part, with Wizardoz' point -- from the story above, which indicates that the teacher didn't have a criminal history as a sex offender, it's hard to see where the school district's "obvious negligence" comes into play. It's a big leap from late notes to molestation ... of course, there may have been other signs the article didn't mention that the administration should have picked up on, but it's equally possible that this perv was just very good at covering his tracks.
Here is another NEA/ACLU GAY PREDATOR.
No -- chop-chop....
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