Miles's blog

Overreaction in the name of political correctness reached its zenith yesterday in Los Angeles.  In response to allegations of illegal sexual behavior by two of the teachers at an elementary school, the school district has decided to transfer every single employee of the school to another school and bring in an entirely new faculty and staff.  What?

But that is not enough.  Although the number of children affected is not small, apparently about 23 victims of one teacher and two victims of the other, the district is bringing in a psychiatric social worker for every class.  (I don’t know if that is one for each homeroom or one for each grade level.)  What?

Finally, every student in the school district who at one time attended this public school will be interviewed.  I assume this means that even this year’s kindergartners and first graders will have to be asked whether a teacher ever did something bad. 

Certainly, that should cover it.  Aside from burning down the building, this should assuage the concerns of the most radical picketers who demanded “justice.”  And while I know absolutely nothing of this situation, and only a little about the investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults on children, this response strikes me as wrong on many levels, primarily because I think this does a disservice to the students.

I have seen no press coverage accusing anyone at the school of being aware of any of this abuse and failing to act.  I suppose one might point a finger at the principal or perhaps these teachers’ immediate supervisors for failing to take steps to prevent or at least detect these crimes, but that does not justify the wholesale removal of every single teacher and staff member.  I mean, how does the newly-hired gym teacher have any responsibility for actions which took place years ago on students no longer at the school?  The lunch lady?  I mean seriously.  Let’s not forget children keep secrets well.  Their parents were as ignorant of the crimes as anyone else.  I am not blaming the parents, but I am saying that to put a blanket of culpability over every single school employee is considerable overreaction. 

Have we developed such a low tolerance for sex offenders that those around them contract some sort of cooties requiring these innocent bystanders to be separated from other children lest some of the perversion wear off?  I would think the opposite.  I expect many of these now-removed faculty and staff members are now questioning what they heard or saw which might have alerted them that something was wrong, and that in the future they would be far more sensitive to such abuse.

I can’t believe everyone involved is convinced that completely and totally removing every single person these children have come to know in the past five months since school started is what is best for the hundreds of children who attend this school.  Every child now has to get familiar with a new teacher for every single class, homeroom, assembly, even lunch and the school nurse.  Does the district believe the teachers they are going to have to hire are universally as competent as those they just removed?  Even if they are, lesson plans are out the window, basic everyday school rituals and procedures will be changed, names will have to be learned, and finally, explanations will have to be given as to why Mr. Jones, Ms. Smith, and Principal Figgins are no longer there.  I am sure most adults will give condescending and uninformative answers like “we just thought a change would be good,” or “isn’t it fun to meet new people?”  

But some kids, and I don’t know the highest grade level at this school but I imagine at least fifth grade so what, 11 year olds, will have overheard their parents talking, seen the news or read the newspaper and will know what is going on.  When kids learn the truth and ask “why did Ms. Smith have to leave, she didn’t do anything wrong?” what will the answer be?  What did they tell Ms. Smith?  

Is it really necessary to have psychiatric social workers for every class?  And, should every child who ever sat through a homeroom at that school be interviewed?  I support a systematic approach to discovering other victims, but I would hate to create a McMartin Pre-school situation where the hysteria of the investigation creates false allegations.  That cannot help the prosecution of these offenders, not the children who actually suffered abuse.  Something other than one-on-one interviews with thousands of children who never had any contact with these teachers seems pointless, and carries the potential of causing its own problems for children who, without these public overreactions, may have been either unaware or unconcerned. 

My revulsion about the crimes committed by these perps is as strong as anyone else’s, but I see no reason to turn an entire elementary school on its head in an effort to procure some sort of justice and assure protection for the students.  Just because people carry signs and scream loudly into tv cameras does not mean that they are right or that those in charge should pander to their knee-jerk reactions.