Posted on 01/08/2008 2:40:05 PM PST by redrunner
Boundaries crossed in coach-student relationships By Doug Schneider Press & Sun-Bulletin StoryChat Post CommentStoryChat
A coach is entrusted by parents with teaching children the physical, social and moral values inherent in high school athletics.
A student-athlete, often near the cusp of adulthood, depends on that adult for the teaching, guidance and discipline associated with pursuing a common goal.
Usually, the scenario plays out without significant issues: The coach acts as role-model, sounding board and sometimes fill-in parent; the student learns, grows, and often leaves the program a better person than he or she was before entering into the relationship.
But sometimes, boundaries are crossed, as in the case of Pamela Balogh, a Pennsylvania woman convicted last month of five counts of sexually assaulting a member of a team she had coached.
Laws are broken, as New Jersey prosecutors allege in the case of Bartholomew McInerney, a baseball coach accused of videotaping students engaging in sex acts.
And trust is shattered, as it was when Denver basketball coach Craig DeBiase began a three-month affair with a 17-year-old player that cost the girl her self-esteem and DeBiase his teaching job -- and 15 years to life in prison.
"This kind of thing can cause long-term psychological scars," said Frederic Reamer, a professor in the school of social work at Rhode Island College in Providence and a member of Rhode Island's state parole board. "I hear that over and over."
It's a story currently playing out in the Southern Tier, where a 37-year-old Lisle man faces felony sex charges in connection with incidents involving 15- and 17-year-old girls he coached.
Authorities say Todd J. Broxmeyer ran The Field Hockey Academy -- a commercial sports program that meets in Binghamton and Johnson City -- and was a volunteer assistant coach in the Newark Valley Central School District. Broome County sheriff's investigators charged Broxmeyer on Dec. 22 with one felony count of rape and one of sexual abuse. Authorities last week added a second set of rape and sex-abuse charges, and also accused him of creating and possessing child pornography.
Broxmeyer appeared to dedicate his life to field hockey after he graduated from New Jersey's Hightstown High School in 1988. He coached at Rutgers, Kent State and St. Joseph's universities, made the U.S. Men's Olympic Team in 1998, and competed in the Olympic Trials in 2004. He coached the Wilkes University women for two seasons before resigning in 2005, then was chosen to coach goalies in the U.S. Field Hockey Association's Olympic program.
About two years ago, he moved to the Tier. At some point, authorities say, he crossed the line with at least five teens who played on his teams.
Background checks
It's unclear how many student-coach relationships move from healthy to improper -- or illegal -- though anecdotal evidence suggests the number of cases being reported and prosecuted is growing. Authorities acknowledge that it has not been uncommon for such situations to be swept under the rug as a way to avoid consequences ranging from embarrassment to lost ballgames.
"Everyone has an investment in the silence -- the parents, the team and the community," sociologist Sandra Kirby told the Seattle Times after the newspaper revealed that sexual misconduct had prompted the firing of 159 Washington school coaches in a 10-year period. "... If a coach has had successes, that's all (people) are worried about.
"They're ignoring the victims."
A similar study by the Houston Chronicle found that 64 Texas high school and middle school coaches had lost their jobs between 1996 and 2001 because of allegations of sexual misconduct with minors; 58 of the coaches were male.
New York Education Law requires that teachers and paid coaches undergo a background check that includes fingerprinting. In addition, the state Board of Regents since 2001 has required that "non-teacher coaches" like Broxmeyer hold state-issued coaching certificates demonstrating they have been trained in first aid and CPR, completed three coaching courses, and have three or more years' coaching experience.
"The coach needs to possess an understanding of the social, moral and physical values inherent in secondary school athletics," New York's coaching guidelines proclaim.
But those guidelines don't extend to coaches at private sports academies like the one Broxmeyer ran. It does not spell out what a school district must do to support a student who alleges rape or sexual abuse by a coach. Nor does it govern everyone who coaches at schools, a state Education Department spokesman said.
"A volunteer assistant coach does not have to be fingerprinted," spokesman Jonathan Burman said in an e-mail. "Only compensated staff are subject to criminal background checks."
In fact, New York law does not require the fingerprinting of anyone whose role at a school is strictly volunteer, according to the Web site for the state Office of Teaching Initiatives.
At Newark Valley, Broxmeyer and other volunteer assistants obtained fingerprint clearance before coaching, Superintendent Mary Ellen Grant said.
His "qualifications were checked," she said. "In the fall when his information was checked, he was a certified (New York State) P.E. teacher, and his fingerprint clearance was verified."
A commercial background check of Broxmeyer reveals previous addresses in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but raises no criminal red flags.
'Arrested development'
Despite the clean background check, hints existed that Broxmeyer maintained close relationships with at least some of his players. His page on an Internet social networking site Friday listed photos of 11 "friends" -- 10 of them female. Nine girls listed the year they expect to graduate; six are high-school age. Two are college undergrads.
On Saturday, after Broxmeyer's additional charges were reported, three of the 11 girls had removed their names and photos from Broxmeyer's page.
There is no evidence that any of the girls on the page are among the alleged victims.
Reamer, the social work professor, said it's not uncommon for adults who commit sex crimes against teenagers to have difficulty relating to other adults.
"I've seen people with arrested development -- remarkably immature people in their 30s, 40s or 50s who are functioning as adolescents," he said. "They tend to be loners who don't socialize with other adults. They feel much more comfortable connecting with minors."
In addition, he said, interviews with convicted sex felons show that they tend to fall into one or more of these categories:
* Manipulative individuals who seek teens who are vulnerable because they're having difficulty at home or with peers.
* People with chaos in their own lives, such as a divorce, where they feel out of control.
* Substance-abuse that might impair judgment.
Less common, Reamer said, are stories of coaches who threaten to bench a teen if they refuse sexual advances. In no case, he said, should a 15-year-old be considered at fault if they become involved in an improper relationship with an adult.
But while children aren't to blame, they could face lasting consequences.
Declining grades and increased difficulty dealing with parents as high-schoolers can spiral into trust issues, marital difficulties and post-traumatic stress disorder in later life.
How can parents reduce the chance that their child falls victim to an unscrupulous adult in a position of authority? Experts stress openness, including regular conversations with a coach, band director or other adult with whom a child will be spending significant time.
Robert Shoop, a Kansas State University professor who produces books and videotapes designed to prevent sexual harassment in schools, suggests that parents make periodic visits to their child's practices, and stay involved in decision-making related to the child's extracurricular activities.
To that, Reamer adds that parents should "have the talk" with teenagers warning them about unscrupulous adults, just as they would discuss the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
"I'd cover two major topics: 'Here are some of the signs (of potential danger),' and 'Here's what to do if anything like this should happen to you,'" he said. "The most important thing you can do is have an honest, constructive talk with your child when they've reached that age."
Boundaries crossed ? That makes it sound like “off sides” rather than sexual abuse . Important post , thanks from a parent .
This article addresses some of your previous concerns about posting teacher-trash... It is much more constructive than just posting stories of the predators that are caught...
Her self-esteem??? What kind of crap is that?
How about her self respect, self worth, just to name a few
This is a natural extension of teaching the students how to properly put on a condom.
Reading this headline, I think of both the opening verse to Lou Reed’s “Coney Island Baby” and the Gym teacher in Nightmare on Elm Street Part II.
The water polo coach at my old high-school nailed all the hot cheerleaders....but back then...no one brought it to the light of day. The issue was typically resolved administratively.
Notice the guy didnt get a slap on the wrist for punishment...
Public education: it’s good for something.
I’m reading this article while preparing my curriculum for the upcoming semester. It’s always embarressing and a little humilatiating to be in the same profession as these perverts.
The article misses the boat. Teachers have real power over the lives of students, and, as Henry Kissinger pointed out, power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Sadly, it makes sense that some teachers would use that power for self-gratification. These teachers did what they did because they wanted to do it and used their position and power to give themselves the opportunity. All the other reasons are meaningless. Period.
That’s one of the reasons why I would prefer older men and women as the teachers of my son. Many of those willing to use students sexually are young - too young, in my opinion, to be the best possible teacher. The age issue isn’t just expressed in relationships with students; maturity also brings depth of experience, knowledge, patience, and sometimes wisdom to the classroom. I know at the age of 51 I’m a better teacher than I would have been at the age of 25. Before I became a teacher, I had been hired and fired; I had been a boss and been a flunky; I had traveled; I had made mistakes due to rash decisions; I had glorious occasions of sublime beauty. There’s a reason why the framers of the Constitution made the age of 35 one of the two enumerated qualifications for president. I believe that teaching should a professional for the second half of life, when most of us are more stable and centered.
And it goes without saying that most of the perverts out there will already be weeded out of the mix, too.
Of course, if we had the schools as outlined by my Uncle Milton, we could pick and choose those kinds of teachers for our children.
The school board president's son had dropped the same information on his dad.
I lived in a small town in Oklahoma. The next morning I was all set to confront the teacher. A group of parents was already there. The president asked us all to wait outside. He was going to handle the situation.
Next: He and the teacher came out of the school. She with all her belongings. He fired her on the spot because she refused to stop talking about her relationship with the children.
Next day the children had a married teacher in his 40s. He turned out to be a terrific teacher.
This could apply for coaches of community sports as well.
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159 Coaches fired? Wow! That’s almost 16 a year in one state! What about the cases not reported?
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A good father in the home! Personally, I am curious about this.
Do these perps tend to choose children who do not have fathers in the home? If a child has a good relationship with his own father, in an intact family, then he/she would be less likely to be seduced. Also, fear of a father’s reaction on the part of the perp may restrain the perp from making advances.
Hey redpoll... thanks for being one of the good guys... and I can appreciate your take on the "trash teachers".. I must point out that many of these women teachers are in their 40's, presumably the second half of life... The formula doesn't always fit... what does fit is the abuse of power... I have an interest in teachers since my oldest son is an English major in college and is pursuing his teaching certificate... He will do well, but I wonder how he can best prepare for this environment... Mostly, will he be able to transition from student to teacher, from mentored to mentor... It's an evolutionary process I am watching unfold... He and I are pretty close, so I not really worried... but will he be ready??? Time will tell...
>>>I must point out that many of these women teachers are in their 40’s, presumably the second half of life<<<
Thanks for the uplifting boost here on the first day of school for 2008. I am going to respectfully disagree with you about those women teachers, though. Most of the ones that I can recall were in their 20s. I don’t have data on this, though, just my memory. It is depressing to think that’s how the public views my profession.
If you’re interested, look up the term “cultural Marxism” to see why those professions which used to be held up as honorable are now debased.
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