Even Oprah’s School Finds Itself In Allegations Of Sexual Misconducts
Posted: Monday, October 22, 2007
by Abigail Richards
We see it in the news every day, teachers/administrators in hot water because of allegations of misconduct. As a mom, I hate to tell my child to not trust his teachers, but I find myself closer to doing so every day.
The latest allegation comes from overseas in a poorest of all areas south of Johannesburg, South Africa. The school is none other than the school built by Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey invested $45 million to fund a school for impoverished girls. She helped to choose the first entrants from about 5,000 applicants, has built a house on the school grounds and pledged to spend as much time as possible alongside her charges. To qualify, the girls had to show academic and leadership potential and come from families with household incomes of less than about $711 a month.
The alleged incidents came to light when one of the pupils ran away from the school because the abuse had become intolerable. Her parents informed the school immediately.
Winfrey, also a survivor of child abuse and showing extreme concern in the matter, is turning over documents to the South African police from a self-funded American private investigator that was hired to look into the allegations.
What is happening that so many kids are coming under attack by adults who are trusted with their care? The Associated Press recently requested state records from all 50 states concerning misconduct by teachers. The results were astonishing. An Associated Press investigation found more than 2,500 cases over five years in which educators were punished for actions from bizarre to sadistic. What is more disturbing from the study was that many of these teachers were repeat offenders in other states.
Apparently, many of these cases go unreported. Sometimes when they are reported, teachers are just asked to resign instead of losing their license to teach. There is no national tracking system of allegations so a lot of times teachers just move on to another state.
The AP found stories such as this: "A young teacher in Iowa sheepishly admits that he fondled a fifth-grader's breast. But he doesn't lose his teaching license until one persistent victim and her family go public - 40 years after the first accusation."
Most of the abuse never gets reported. Those cases reported often end with no action. Cases investigated sometimes can't be proven, and many abusers have several victims.
And no one - not the schools, not the courts, not the state or federal governments - has found a surefire way to keep molesting teachers out of classrooms.
Probably the most disturbing finding: "The AP discovered efforts to stop individual offenders but, overall, a deeply entrenched resistance toward recognizing and fighting abuse. It starts in school hallways, where fellow teachers look away or feel powerless to help. School administrators make behind-the-scenes deals to avoid lawsuits and other trouble. And in state capitals and Congress, lawmakers shy from tough state punishments or any cohesive national policy for fear of disparaging a vital profession. That only enables rogue teachers, and puts kids who aren't likely to be believed in a tough spot."
After reading the AP articles, I felt scared as a mom. I trust my son to the care of the teachers. One girl was in third grade when she was targeted by a popular high school football coach. She said that she went from playing with dolls to being an adult. He had brainwashed her into believing he loved her as more than a normal relationship would have ever been like.
These type of sick people scare me. I don't want my son to not feel safe at his school each day, but I also don't want him to be used or hurt. Analysts predict that no matter how small a school is-it most likely has at least one perpetrator in each school. One teacher who crosses the line with our kids exist in every school.
I think it is time for the federal government to step in. I think as parents we also have to educate our kids on rights and wrongs, as bad as that is at such young ages. Teachers need to have guidelines so that they are held accountable. There should never be a time when a student is alone with a teacher and background checks need to be more thorough! It is sad that our society has gotten this bad.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Yes, place your trust in no man. She couldn't possibly be accountable. Many of these preditors prowl every organization from church to governement to business and yes even in our homes and while sad they are found many times where you find children and always under the guise of light. Beware the wolf in ssheeps clothes! Best wishes RTM.Thanks for the comment! It is sad to see what evil people are capable of, especially to children.
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