Sharpstown principal, 2 administrators accused of failing to report abuse

Houston Chronicle ^ | November 22, 2013 | Ericka Mellon and Cindy George

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The lauded principal of Sharpstown High School and two other administrators were charged Thursday, accused of failing to tell police that students reported being sexually assaulted - in at least one case by a teacher, according to court records.

Assistant principals Jason Thomson, 28, and Silvio Leiva, 50, were accused in criminal complaints of not reporting accusations by at least one male student in October that a Sharpstown teacher touched him inappropriately on campus.

In a separate incident the same month, Principal Rob Gasparello, 58, is accused of not telling law enforcement authorities that a 16-year-old female student said she was sexually assaulted before school, according to a criminal complaint. The document does not say whether the alleged abuser was a Sharpstown employee.

Gasparello, a high-profile leader who has overseen an academic turnaround effort at Sharpstown, told police that he asked the female student to write down what happened, the complaint states. But he did not report the allegation to law enforcement or Child Protective Services, it says.

Gasparello was arrested on the campus about 3:30 p.m., according to the Houston Independent School District. He was charged with three counts of failure to report child abuse. He later was released on $1,500 bail.

Thomson and Leiva each was charged with one count and released on $1,000 bail.

The male teacher who is accused of inappropriately touching at least one male student is expected to be formally charged with three felonies, according to court documents.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

2003: ***But national statistics of school crime, say experts, seem to indicate that more schools should qualify for the classification. In 2000, 72 of every 1,000 students ages 12 through 18 reported being victims of crimes at school. The average far exceeds most states' requirements for a dangerous school.

At the heart of the discrepancy may well be a reluctance on the part of educators to report campus crime fully. A survey by the National Association of School Resource Officers found that 89 percent of school police believe crime is already underreported. "It's the scarlet letter in education today," says Mr. Trump. "Administrators have said to me privately that they would rather be academically failing than be a dangerous school." *** School-safety rankings - or just black marks?

[Thebaddog]

Dang. I’m liking that law. Next should be the college level where lecherous professors prey on coeds.

[al_c]

If only they would let teachers marry ... and allow women to be teachers.

Wait ... what?

Nevermind.

[Bigg Red]

Next should be the college level where lecherous professors prey on coeds.

&&&
Maybe in our days at college, but these days it’s the the women are the ones on the prowl.

[Bigg Red]

In about 5 years, this law will be negated because it discriminates against pedophiles.

[tet68]

With the administration we have in place how much longer
will it be before, “You knew and didn’t tell that X was
a member of the Tea Party or had guns in his home.
This court sentences you to five years penal labor for
failure to report.”
Next case...

The Deluge is upon us.