Teachers Vs. Priests - Unequal Treatment In the Media?

NCR ^ | December 2, 2007 | WAYNE LAUGESEN

[redgolum]

On a per capita basis, the rates were higher for priests. On a total number basis, the rates are higher for public school teachers.

What I haven’t seen any good numbers for is the time frame of abuse. Most of the priest abuse happened years ago, while teacher sexual abuse is ongoing. And most of the time the law is such that a teacher will be allowed to leave with a good letter of recommendation rather than have it fought out in the courts. I know of at least three cases in the last eight years in my home county in Nebraska (not a very big place) where this is what happened. And the teachers jumped to Iowa or South Dakota, and started up sexual contact with students again.

The other thing that makes this hard to track is that in many cases it is a female teacher with a male student. Many women say “Oh they are in love!” and many men snicker and fantasize about being the student. I mean look at the various FR threads! So there are many cases that go unreported and untracked.

I suspect that the abuse/illegal sexual contact with a minor is greater in the school system, but there is no school board, state, or federal agency that will ever do much about it with out a lot of pressure. The culture is one of "protect your own", and for those parents who do file charges the battle is very much uphill.

[phatus maximus]

Can we all agree that any abuse by a teacher, priest, pastor, sunday school teacher, nun, vicar, 3rd year seminary student, babysitter, coach etc, etc, etc is bad and just quite griping about how unfair it is that one group gets more media attention than others about it.

The bottom line is none of us want these things to happen to children but because of sin we have those who are unable to resist the urge to commit these sad and harmful acts. That’s the true tragedy; not how many times the report is about one group or another.

I ask that we all pray for the end of abuse of children by ALL people who are charged to oversee them and lead them.

Blessings in Christ to all who read my post.

PM

[steadfastconservative]

I agree with you that hypocrisy has definitely been an issue in the clerical sex abuse scandal. The sad fact of the matter is that abusive priests knew that they were not only breaking their vow of celibacy but they were also using their image as celibate men to get access to their young victims. The press did the right thing by bringing this scandal to the attention of the public while the bishops who covered up the scandal and who refused to punish guilty priests have been rightly condemned by the press and the public.

Priests should be held to a higher moral standard of conduct than other members of the public. However, everyone should be held to the same legal standard. It is wrong to presume that someone who is accused of abusing a minor, whether it is a priest or a layman, must be guilty. Yet, both the press and the public assume that every priest who has been accused is guilty. They do not assume that every teacher who is accused of sexually abusing minors is guilty. This kind of double standard is wrong.

Finally, while the press may expect bad behavior from teachers or even wink at such behavior when it involves female teachers and “lucky” male students, that does not mean that we as a society should tolerate it. Teachers have power over students and it is never right for them to abuse that power in order to obtain sexual “favors” from students. Once upon a time, teachers had “morals clauses” in their contracts and were held to a high standard of behavior because they were expected to set a good example for their students. I’m pretty sure that the NEA worked to eliminate morals clauses from teachers’ contracts but it is becoming increasingly clear that this was not a good idea.