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I don't understand the question. He was put through hell by this lying girl--and I don't see any justification for the newspaper to protect her identity, by the way--and an incompetent police department. He also has been and continues to get screwed by the school district.
Are you suggesting there is some reason we should not feel sympathy for him?
Do you really think there is some conceivable interpretation of the facts in which he is not an entirely innocent victim?
He was physically playful with 12 yo female students. That's a big no-no in the schools that I have worked in. Did you read the guidelines? I think his supervisor should be reprimanded for allowing it.
He, clearly, is a victim of an incompetent police force--but if he hadn't been "the human jungle gym" as he admitted--this would have never happened.
I feel very sorry for him. Unfortunately, this kind of thing could happen to anyone if a child decides to lie. At 12, they can't legally be held responsible for the lasting damage they can cause to an innocent adult falsely accused.
At the same time (while I agree this man is a victim in all of this), I think he made a mistake in coming into such close physical contact with the kids. In this day and age you have to keep physical space and it's important to avoid touching a student unless absolutely necessary. And while I think it's hard to avoid ever being in a situation where you're alone with a student in a closed area, it's important to minimize that as much as possible. It sounds like he didn't do that in this instance, but it's just another reasonable precaution.
I'm well aware of schools that have strict no-touch policies. In my view they do the kids a disservice and they do absolutely nothing to protect kids from abuse.
I'm well aware of schools that have strict no-touch policies. In my view they do the kids a disservice and they do absolutely nothing to protect kids from abuse.
Perhaps I wasn't clear. I don't think they do anything to protect the kids. An abuser finds ways to take advantage of the situation, whether it's a family member, teacher, authority figure, whoever. There are some sickos in the world, unfortunately.
Refraining from touching students is a measure to minimize risk for the teacher. It won't stop a student hell bent on making up a story, but the less questionable contact the teacher has to explain away, the better. Yes, I agree that there are some students who are starved for love at home and could potentially benefit from appropriate touch, but when you look at cases like this and see how one false allegation could potentially ruin a career, teachers have to protect themselves too.
Sean Lanigan spoke with The Washington Post's Tom Jackman about what it was like telling his daughters he was falsely accused of molesting a 12-year-old girl.
If he has daughters, that would easily explain why he would make a "swoosh" to yet another girl without thinking too much about it.
Poor guy.
Really, how do you think he would feel about some school employee doing it to his 12 yo daughter?
What "some school employee?"
If it were a janitor or say math teacher - I'd be concerned, very concerned.
But we are talking gym teacher here.
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