Predators Lurking in the Schools

I've posted other stories about this before, but many ATS members would rather discuss priests and Catholicism than face a very real threat that potentially affects millions of students in our schools.

Here's a brand new expose' on a (unfortunately) not-uncommon scenario playing out across the country:

A four-month Washington Post investigation of Ricks's career as a teacher, tutor, foreign exchange host and camp counselor has revealed a pattern of abuse that dates to at least 1978 and has left a trail of victims spanning the globe. But despite the abuse, Ricks moved from one teaching job to the next over nearly 30 years, navigating the nation's public and private school systems undetected, evading traps designed to catch him.

In some cases, school officials and foreign exchange companies knew of or suspected Ricks's inappropriate behavior and simply let him go, leaving the next employer with no idea what was coming.

His case underscores the difficulties that educators and parents face when they only suspect abuse but can't prove it, and how reluctant even the most suspicious and well-meaning people can be in coming forward with allegations. It shows how someone can for decades wear a mask of trusted role model while using that powerful position to lure unsuspecting boys.

www.washingtonpost.com.../components

Want to see how widespread the threat really is? Look here for just the tip of the iceberg:
Conspiracy of Silence: US Public Schools sex abuse goes unreported and unpunished

If you've got kids in school, you need to wake up to the REAL threat.

[edit on 24-7-2010 by jdub297]

As long as there are pedophiles, there will always be a problem with pedophiles lurking in schools. Just as lions go where the gazelle gather, pedophiles will always go where kids gather.

The key to keeping your kid safe is not to isolate them from schools, churches, or any other place a pedophile might lurk. Just as the lion goes after the weakest gazelle, the pedophile goes after the weakest kids. You have to make your kids strong.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
As long as there are pedophiles, there will always be a problem with pedophiles lurking in schools. Just as lions go where the gazelle gather, pedophiles will always go where kids gather.

The key to keeping your kid safe is not to isolate them from schools, churches, or any other place a pedophile might lurk. Just as the lion goes after the weakest gazelle, the pedophile goes after the weakest kids. You have to make your kids strong.

I absolutely hate the survival of the fittest philosophy. It needs an update.

reply to post by hotpinkurinalmint


Absolutely true.

There always have been and always will be abusers of all types and the key is don't straggle from the herd.

And do keep yourself and your kids strong.

First, I'd like to mention that I'm a proud parent of two and then I'd like to comment on why I don't agree with this article.

This article is suggesting that we somehow label "suspected child molesters" as "child molesters", even if they aren't found guilty, so that any future employers or community members can know who they are dealing with. This is a very bad idea.

When someone is accused of child molestation or pedophilia, they are pretty much guilty in the minds of everyone. I have found myself thinking in this same manner, to where I automatically convict someone in my head just from hearing the accusation. Socially and financially, their lives are over even if they are found innocent. All it takes is one accusation, irregardless of how frivolous that accusation is.

Women will often accuse their "baby's daddy" to be a child molester, just to try and "get him back" or ensure that the father won't have visitation rights. How do I know this? Well, when I was a child my mother did it to my father after they went through a vary nasty divorce and all my mother had to do, was utter those words and it was all over for my father. Never mind evidence or any logical or reasonable thinking, as those aspects are thrown out of the window when it comes to that particular accusation. Since seeing how this had destroyed my father, even though it was quickly found to not be true (after several hundreds of thousands of dollars), the damage was done and he was still guilty in everyone's mind, except the people he was accused of hurting, his children.

After growing up and this same thing happened to a friend of mine, I decided to become an activist against women using this easy out. I was floored and appauled to see how often it happens and how logic and reason are completely thrown out of the window when dealing with such a thing. Women make these accusations because it is easy and extremely affective. Unless you have thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars for your defense, irregardless of how frivolous or baseless the accusations are, you are going to be found guilty and even before you are found guilty, you are treated as guilty. All a mother has to do is utter four or five words and she basically wins her case, no proof or evidence necessary.

If a women is doing this to "get back at you", then it works as it ruins your reputation and credibility. It also causes your friends to shun and abandon you and your support base to quickly dry up. This is before you are ever even given a chance to explain the accusations made against you and your child.

If a woman is doing this to gain custody or take away your visitations, it works as no court in their right mind is going to allow you to see your child while this accusation is hanging over your head. Until you clear yourself, which often takes years, if ever at all, you won't get to see your kids. When you finally do clear your name, you have gone years without seeing your children and no court is going to allow you to just jump into your kid's life, as the child isn't used to you and s/he doesn't know you. Even if you are found innocent, the mother will often still bring that up in custody court, that you have been accused of it in the past, thereby casting doubt over you.

It is a guaranteed win for whatever sinister mother chooses to do this. If the mother is found to be lying, there is absolutely no penalty or consequences for her doing this. It doesn't even make her look bad in the eyes of the court or the law. It is a win-win for these evil mothers. In fact, many divorce or family lawyers will recommend this strategy to their female clients as it is a guaranteed win, without any risk of having it back-fire.

These women and their attorneys do not have the children's best interests at heart, as this kind of thing only hurts the children the most. They go from interview to interview, being asked about their dad's penis, what it looks like and how did he have sex with you. For instance, "Did he make you put it in your mouth?" is one of those questions. When the children try to refute those questions, they are told over and over again about how it's okay to say that he did. They will repeat the same questions over and over again until you admit it. They then show you anatomically correct dolls and teach you about the penis and balls and basically teach young children about the birds and the bees, irregardless of how young the children are. This kind of abuse from the investigators is very traumatic for children and is just as bad as molesting the child, in my opinion. These children are made to believe that their father molested them, even when these children know that he didn't.

You would really be surprised at how often this happens. Child protective services won't give you any statistics, but anyone can walk into any family court in America and just listen. I have done my own statistics after visiting dozens of family courts in several states. I would put the number to be 1 in every 15 cases or so, the woman will claim child molestation against the father, with maybe 10 percent of those actually going to criminal court and about 99 percent of those cases are actually found guilty. Everytime the accusation is made, the child has to go through the rigorous and traumatic interviews and interrigations. Again, even if it doesn't go to criminal court, it will take many years for the father to clear his name, and in the meanwhile the woman has done her damage to both the child and the father.

This is just one form of false sex-abuse allegations and while this kind of false accusation is done with malice, many are really stemming from only good intentions. Either way, malice or not, false accusations of child sexual abuse happen allot, probably more than any other crime. If you are accused of it, you are done. Not only will you spend a fortune in defending yourself, but it will wreck you emotionally, physically (with the stress), financially and it will drive away your family and friends because this alleged crime is so horrendous. Sometimes, even people innocent of the crime will wind up being convicted of it because people automatically make their minds up when confronting someone accused of such.

With all of this being said, I would like to see it become illegal to not only make false sex-abuse accusations against people, but also to claim that people could be child molesters when they have never been found guilty of such a thing or to spread rumors that someone is a child molester or pedophile. There are other ways to protect our children and we don't need to wreck the lives of innocent people to do it. I would say far more people are accused of this crime, than are actually guilty of it and being accused of this particular crime will ruin your life, irregardless of whether or not you are found innocent. Every time that someone is accused of this crime, the authorities take it very seriously, irregardless of how baseless the accusation is.



--airspoon


[edit on 25-7-2010 by airspoon]

when I was in school we would hear stories about the creepy janitor.



I hear more and more about female teachers recently

www.wnd.com...

Originally posted by Zeta Reticulan
when I was in school we would hear stories about the creepy janitor.

I hear more and more about female teachers recently

www.wnd.com...

Beat me to the punch

reply to post by hotpinkurinalmint

there will always be a problem with pedophiles lurking in schools.

While that is indeed true, the great danger is the fear of schools, administrators and school districts of being pro-active.

Strong unions keep student advocacy at bay with threats and coercion.

When we put our children's needs ahead of teachers' comfort and desires, our kids will be safer.

reply to post by rusethorcain

I absolutely hate the survival of the fittest philosophy. It needs an update.

How true! Since when have we become afraid of teachers and other school employees, like bus drivers, coaches and custodians?

If these public employees weren't so secure in their jobs, maybe they'd think twice before taking chances at our kids' expense.

When are we going to decide that our children's rights override those of government employees?

Until we do, our kids remain at greater risk than they need to be.

reply to post by airspoon

Your perspective is flawed due to others' unethical behavior. You equate personal animus with child-protection, and they are clearly distinguishable.

This article is suggesting that we somehow label "suspected child molesters" as "child molesters", even if they aren't found guilty, so that any future employers or community members can know who they are dealing with. This is a very bad idea.

When someone is accused of child molestation or pedophilia, they are pretty much guilty in the minds of everyone. I have found myself thinking in this same manner, to where I automatically convict someone in my head just from hearing the accusation. Socially and financially, their lives are over even if they are found innocent. All it takes is one accusation, irregardless of how frivolous that accusation is.

You have distorted reality, and changed the context from an innocent child taken advantage of, to a vindictive accuser with evil motives. That ignores the fact that parents of schoolchildren and school employees rarely have personal animosity or financial and/or emotional gain from questioning employee conduct with their children.

Most public school pedophiles are NEVER investigated, but are asked to move along, with a promise of good referrals.

Your situation is regrettable and your feelings understandable in the context of theft, destruction and hatred that permeates some inter-personal relationships.

HOWEVER, these are not the context of student-teacher, or student-provider relationships. Placing the teacher, coach or custodian in the shoes of the beleaguered spouse is disingenuous and dishonest.

I have witnessed, first-hand, extensive investigations in my community of horrible conduct. These were conducted in public anonymity, and without exposure of innocent people to threat or ridicule. Legitimate inquiry, and mutual respect, leads to excellent solutions and resolutions.

Surely you cannot be advocating that the administrators "look the other way" out of fear for the predator when predation is suspected?

I would say far more people are accused of this crime, than are actually guilty of it

I would say far more people get away with this than are ever accused. Would you prefer to let the guilty escape to avoid legitimate investigation?

The fact is that millions of children WILL BE molested during their school-lives by school employees. Is this the status quo you prefer?

What is wrong with vigilance in our schools? School employees ARE NOT the equivalent of embittered spouses. Confusing to two fails to address the threat.

[edit on 25-7-2010 by jdub297]