In South Carolina, as in most states across the nation, schools have their fair share of corrupt teachers, both male and female. Some are caught and dealt with through the court system, while others are allowed to resign and move on, to teach at another school, maybe even out of state. Since these teachers are not reported to the law enforcement agencies, they are allowed to move on. Maybe to the same area, maybe to another state, but still, a danger to the students, regardless of where they go next. It appears that schools had rather swept things under the rug, and let the offender go away quietly and without anyone knowing about the troubles in their schools. Bad publicity hurts their bottom line… taxpayers’ money. Funding has seemed to take precedence over felonies committed by teachers.
I know firsthand because I have seen quite a few cases of teachers gone wild, without as much as a rebuke. Usually, no report is made to the local law enforcement people, unless an affected family member goes to the LEO and files a complaint or a report. School administrators lie and the school boards go into cover-up mode, thinking if they don’t acknowledge a problem, there is no problem, and it will all go away. It recently happened in a local freshman academy in upstate South Carolina. A female teacher was allowed to move on, out of state, teaching in a county just across the South Carolina line, in a neighboring North Carolina school. At her former school in South Carolina, she landed there because her contract was not going to be renewed in another North Carolina school, where she was employed.
This teacher was texting students and former students, some while in the classroom and during school time. Some texts were of a sexual nature and some were the students and teacher conversing about the teacher picking up some “bud” (pot, marijuana) for the student. The teacher also sent pictures of herself, as she was in the restroom, on school property, as she displayed herself by pulling her top up, sans bra, and showing her breasts. There were also pictures taken of herself while sitting at her teacher’s desk in the classroom, with her feet propped on the desk, as she masturbated. There were also hundreds of texts sent out regularly, while this teacher was on school property, during school hours. And this is just a portion of the story. Yet, she was allowed to leave, unreported, and move across the state line, and is now teaching again in the state of North Carolina. Again, a South Carolina school with bad administrators that are still employed, allows this to happen, while endangering more kids. Can’t stand that bad publicity, you know.
Further down the protocol line, an investigator claims the case is still open, after about 10 months. All that’s lacking is for the investigator to confirm that the bathroom in the picture is indeed the bathroom at the school, where the teacher exposed herself for her selfie. I’ll say he’s not interested in bringing this to light. I’ll also say he’s not trustworthy, where these school kids are concerned. It doesn’t take 10 months to verify a bathroom in a picture is what it is claimed to be…unless the investigator is waiting for the bathroom to be repainted or something, in order to claim it doesn’t look the same. I’ll also state that the investigator is as big a problem as these corrupt teachers. It’s way past time for this mess to come to a halt. South Carolina is getting a bad name politically. The educational system is not doing itself any favors by allowing these issues to continue, without any accountability.
There is a new superintendent in town. Will she be the one to bring accountability to bear? Will she do what is right? Will she open the phone lines and the doors of her office, to the parents and grandparents of those who have suffered at the hands of teachers who are not held accountable? Or, will she be like…new boss, same as the old boss?
The legislators should get involved, if the school system will not do this themselves, maybe it’s time the state cuts some purse strings to get their attention, along with some prosecutors with backbones to bring these criminals to court so that justice may be served. We the people keep hearing that it’s for the children. Now’s the time to put up or shut up.
