Oregon sex abuse case becomes catalyst for reform
A 2004 school sex abuse case has become a catalyst for reform efforts in Oregon. When Superintendent Kay Baker of Salem-Keizer Schools in Salem, Oregon, learned that one her of middle school teachers had been arrested for molesting four students, she was taken completely by surprise. However, a subsequent review revealed that parents had been complaining about the teacher’s inappropriate behavior for years. Instead of beating herself up, Ms. Baker took action. She spearheaded a community coalition to teach district employees, parents, and other people who work with youth how to recognize grooming behaviors and other tactics used by offenders, how to talk with children about sexual abuse, and when and how to report concerns. She brought in representatives from local law enforcement, the religious community, and other groups. "We researched what kind of information we can get out to our parents," she says. "What can we do to make our school district a place predators avoid?"
Salem-Keizer's community partnership has become a training model for school districts throughout the state. In addition to community workshops where attendees are taught how to recognize child molesters, the coalition has added workshops about Internet safety, including topics on avoiding Internet predators, cyberbullying, preventing identity theft, and safe use of social networking Web sites such as MySpace. The school district has taken other steps to improve prevention. First, it undertook a comprehensive review of all policies and procedures, resulting in a number of policy changes, such as a new rule that discourages district staff from driving students to events in their personal vehicles. The district also stepped up background checks on all district employees and volunteers. During the summer and fall of 2005, the district conducted three full-day workshops about recognizing the behavior of sexual predators. Nearly 500 school administrators, licensed and classified staff, and school resource officers attended. All district employees also get annual training about recognizing suspected child abuse, responding appropriately, and reporting it. The Salem-Keizer School Board designated $150,000 for sex abuse-prevention projects in its 2005-06 budget. In February 2006, the district hired a full-time prevention and protection coordinator to organize child abuse training and prevention efforts. The district also adopted a new health curriculum for elementary school students that moves away from the "stranger danger" model, because experts agree that most child sexual abuse is committed by someone the child knows and trusts.
In the aftermath of the case against the middle school teacher, state senator Vicki Walker sponsored a bill in the Oregon legislature that made public the discipline records of school employees convicted of sexual offenses. The press had reported that the Salem district had received complaints about the teacher’s behavior but had not placed him on leave, hired an independent investigator, or reported the complaints to the state. Now Sen. Walker has introduced a new bill to clarify that this law also applies to former employees. Districts had interpreted it to mean they had to open the files only of current employees, but it is rare for someone who is convicted of a sex crime to remain employed at a school district. She also is sponsoring a bill to require school districts to provide training to all employees about how to identify and prevent child abuse.
Salem Statesman Journal
By Tracy Loew
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