Posted on 05/19/2011 8:28:42 AM PDT by Hat-Trick
OPS didn't report abuse allegations
By Jonathon Braden and Jason Kuiper
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS
In December 2008, a 13-year-old girl reported that her teacher at an Omaha middle school touched her sexually and asked her for sex in exchange for a better grade.
She rejected her teacher’s advances, told her mom and reported the incident to school officials.
But Omaha Public Schools officials did not report the allegations to authorities, despite a state statute that requires notification of suspected abuse.
Instead, OPS did its own investigation, and, ultimately, allowed teacher Shad M. Knutson to return to the classroom at Nathan Hale Middle School.
Over the next two years, two more allegations surfaced against Knutson, and OPS — again and again — handled the matters internally.
Now Knutson faces three felony counts of third-degree sexual assault of a child stemming from the three allegations.
It was a parent — not OPS — who notified Child Protective Services about the alleged abuse and brought about an Omaha Police investigation.
Deputy Douglas County Attorney Brenda Beadle said she finds OPS’s actions regarding Knutson “troubling.”
“Any time you don’t report child abuse going on, especially in a school situation, obviously, that’s very concerning,” she said.
State law requires that suspected child abuse or neglect be reported to the proper law enforcement agency or the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Under the statute, school employees, medical professionals and others are required to make a report if there’s “reasonable cause to believe that a child has been subjected to child abuse or neglect.”
Janice Garnett, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said the complaints against Knutson didn’t have to be reported because district officials were unable to prove the allegations.
“We didn’t have any facts to substantiate that there was child abuse taking place,” she said.
However, Jeanne Atkinson, a spokeswoman for HHS, said the state law requires that officials report any suspected abuse, whether it’s been proved or not.
“Other people will investigate it and see if it’s substantiated or not,” Atkinson said.
Failing to report child abuse is a misdemeanor and carries a maximum penalty of three months in jail, a $500 fine or both.
It would be up to the Douglas County Attorney’s Office to determine whether to file charges.
Beadle said her office is looking into OPS’s actions. “We need more time to investigate,” she said.
On Wednesday, Knutson made his first court appearance on the three felony charges and was ordered held on $500,000 bail.
After the court appearance, family members of Knutson left the Douglas County Jail without commenting. Knutson posted bail later in the day.
Knutson, who taught eighth-grade social studies, also had been an assistant girls basketball coach.
Omaha Police started its investigation into Knutson after a mother of one of the alleged victims contacted Child Protective Services on Oct. 22, 2010.
The alleged victim, a 14-year-old girl, told police of an incident earlier that month, according to a police search warrant for school records. The girl said Knutson touched her breasts and asked her not to tell anyone. He told the girl she could “touch my private part any time” and also told her not to worry if she didn’t complete a test in time because he could “give her the grade.”
The girl also provided police with the names of other possible victims. The girl’s account led to one of the charges against Knutson.
The mom, when reached by phone Wednesday, declined to comment.
A second girl told police that in 2009 Knutson brushed his hands against her breasts, according to the search warrant. The girl reported that at first she liked the attention, but it later started “bugging her because of his age.” That girl’s account led to another charge against Knutson.
The third count came after police subpoenaed OPS personnel records and staff files related to Knutson. The files contained the name of the girl who said Knutson asked her for sex in exchange for a grade in December 2008.
In total, the search warrant contained interviews with eight girls — two of whom didn’t report any inappropriate comments or touching by Knutson.
Garnett said Knutson was placed on temporary paid administrative leave during parts of 2008, 2009 and 2010 as the district looked into the allegations.
In October 2010, Knutson was placed on leave and was to remain out of the classroom until police finished their investigation, said OPS spokeswoman Luanne Nelson.
In April, the district told Knutson that his contract would not be renewed for the coming school year, and by the end of that month, Knutson had officially resigned.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1074, jonathon.braden@owh.com
Another reason to homeschool.
There is clearly no father in this childs’ home.
What are you talking about? The article discusses at least 3 to 8 girls.
Every single person in the chain of command at this District should be brought in front of a Grand Jury, indicted, and tried.
If convicted they should be sentenced to the maximum allowed by law.
She rejected her teacher’s advances, told her mom
OPS did its own investigation, and, ultimately, allowed teacher Shad M. Knutson to return to the classroom
It was a parent — not OPS — who notified Child Protective Services
The mom, when reached by phone Wednesday, declined to comment
Had there been a father in the first home, the rest of the cases would not have happened. Had there been a father in ANY of those homes, this teacher would have been taken care of long ago. Dad’s don’t call CPS when their daughter tells them that a grown man touched her inappropriately. Mom’s do that.
I raised two daughters, and am raising a step-daughter. I cannot fathom a situation in which any of my girls would tell me this stuff and my first action is a call to CPS.
Problem being that the maximum punishment is only $500.00 or 3 months imprisonment. Someone needs to get thier state senator to introduce a bill to make “Concealing Sex Abuse Allegations” a felony.
And their union wants the ability to continue to protect these cretins through collective bargaining.
Good idea. With no intent toward ant sarcasm, I would also add flogging for the actual perpetrator.
Good idea. With no intent toward any sarcasm, I would also add flogging for the actual perpetrator.
Planned Paarenthood also does not report statutory rape and stuff even though the laws they must.
Leftists believe they are above laws.
The LARGEST Carbunkles in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area are:
1. The Omaha Public Schools
2. The Council Bluffs Public Schools
3. The Omaha Police Union
4. The Omaha Fire Union
5. Jim Suttle
6. Mike Fahey
7. NE State District 11
8. Mike Groenstal
I am from Nebraska, and over all it is great state. But there is a sickness (google Franklin Coverup sometime), that is running around also.
You are correct - there is definitely a sickness in our community.
The mother should have reported it to the cops and/or child protective services. Then she should have reported it to the school if she chose to do so. Let the cops contact the school.
An administrator said they didn’t have any facts to substantiate the charges? So that means just forget about it?
I love it when schools think it’s in their purview to investigate a crime and not the police.
I’ll bet that the perp wishes he’d been a bus driver for the Vigo County School Corporation.
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Now Knutson faces three felony counts of third-degree sexual assault of a child stemming from the three allegations.
It was a parent — not OPS — who notified Child Protective Services about the alleged abuse and brought about an Omaha Police investigation.
Absolutely the wrong way for the school district to handle this.
They are just as guilty of the abuse as the perp and they should lose their jobs and face prosecution for being complicit and accessories to the crime.
*troubling* is all they had to say. IT'S ILLEGAL!!!!
And why did the girl's mother not take further action when it became apparent that the school was not doing anything about it for over TWO years?
I’ve heard all too often, stories of the school addressing criminal activity internally. More often than not it’s theft and the kid robbed is chewed out for not locking their stuff up, even when they did.
They always blame the victim and nobody chases down the perp.
It sure does seem that schools think that they are either above the law or a law unto themselves.
“Had there been a father in ANY of those homes, this teacher would have been taken care of long ago. Dad’s don’t call CPS when their daughter tells them that a grown man touched her inappropriately.”
Sure they do. But only after the dad and the perp have a “nice little chat.”
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