Replies

Here are some updates.

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3740699

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3707305

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3691889

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3694952

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3823756

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3855963

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/44103.htm

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=2750454

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3443894

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3623854

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3031577

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3066629

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=3269340

http://www.bergen.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?=3134203

Thanks for the ping & the update!

From CNN.com, no less

Clergy scandal overshadows teacher-sex cases
June 13, 2002 Posted: 9:46 AM EDT (1346 GMT

SAN BERNARDINO, California (AP) -- A California high school teacher runs off to Las Vegas with her 15-year-old student. A Louisiana teacher is accused of having an affair with her 14-year-old student. In the Bronx, a teacher is charged with statutory rape involving a 16-year-old former student.

Such cases aren't uncommon across the country. But unlike the Roman Catholic Church's troubles with pedophile priests, teacher-student sex cases have received little attention beyond a few sensational cases.

Some experts point to what they see as a permissive attitude toward such relationships and a double standard because cases involving female teachers and male students are treated less severely

"The dynamics of the teacher-student cases are often different than the classic sexual abuse cases because they seem to involve consenting relationships between teachers and students," said David Finkelhor, director of the Center for Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

"... Clear boundaries have to be enforced."

No single national agency tracks sex-related cases against teachers. However, it's estimated there are at least several hundred such incidents each year across the country, said Nan Stein, director of a project on sexual harassment in schools at the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College.

In 1998, Education Week searched newspaper archives and computer databases and found 244 cases in a six-month period involving allegations ranging from unwanted touching to sexual relationships and serial rape.

National attention

This year, one of the few cases to capture national attention was that of Tanya Hadden, a 33-year-old San Bernardino high school science teacher who went to Las Vegas in April with a 15-year-old male student. The boy told police the couple had sex multiple times.

Teacher-sex statistics

While there is no single tracking agency, it's estimated there are at least several hundred such incidents each year, according to Nan Stein, with the the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College.

In 1998, Education Week searched newspaper archives and computer databases and found 244 cases in a six-month period involving allegations ranging from unwanted touching to sexual relationships and serial rape.

Hadden, charged in Nevada with 17 felony counts, is the sixth teacher in San Bernardino County jailed on sex-related charges since March.

In Hackensack, New Jersey, this spring, a judge sentenced 43-year-old teacher Pamela Diehl-Moore to probation after she admitted having sex with a seventh-grade student who was 13 at the time.

Prosecutors had argued for a jail term. But Judge Bruce A. Gaeta disagreed, saying the relationship may have been a way for the boy to "satisfy his sexual needs."

"I don't see anything here that shows this young man has been psychologically damaged by her actions. And don't forget, this was mutual consent," Gaeta said, according to court transcripts.

The judge has since been referred to a judicial disciplinary committee.

The case points up what some see as a double standard: Incidents involving female teachers and male students, although they happen less often, appear underreported and treated less severely because the boys involved don't see anything wrong with it or are reluctant to tell authorities.

"I think our society sort of says to the boy: 'Congratulations, that's great. Everybody fantasizes about having a sexual relationship with an older woman,'" said Bob Shoop, an education professor at Kansas State University and an expert witness in 30 court cases involving sexual abuse in schools.

'Why should we be concerned ...?'

Outrage might be greater if the public knew the full scope of the problem, said Terri Miller, president of Survivors of Sexual Abuse & Misconduct Emerge.

"Schools don't report rumors. Schools don't report allegations. Schools don't report teacher resignations" under suspicious circumstances, she said.

"You can't know how pervasive the problem is until you get better, standard reporting policies in all 50 states."

Only a few national surveys have addressed teacher-student sex cases, and nearly all were sexual harassment surveys.

"In the grand scheme of things, people say, 'Why should we be so concerned about it when students are bringing automatic weapons to school?'" said Nancy Eynon Lark, director of the American Association of University Women's educational foundation. "But there are real consequences of ignoring these kind of actions."

Education officials say a national policy addressing teacher-student relationships is unnecessary because local education codes and state laws are sufficient.

"We clearly see this as an issue of child abuse. In that regard, there is clearly law that directs school administrators not only how to report but when to report," said Barbara Knisley of the American Association of School Administrators.

Prevention and aftermath

Several states, such as Kansas and Mississippi, have laws prohibiting sex between teachers and students, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Other states rely on statutory rape codes.

Some advocate further education for teachers and students similar to the warnings about date rape and sexual harassment offered at many high schools. Miller, of the victims' group, advocates stronger criminal laws and national legislation tightening reporting requirements.

"I think what's going to force it to be addressed is lawsuits, just like the Catholic Church," said Larry Bloom, a psychology professor at Colorado State University and an expert in evaluating sexually abused children. "They are going to do something about it when a school gets sued and has to pay money, lots of money."

At Cajon High School in San Bernardino, student Barbara Padilla, 16, said the atmosphere has been noticeably different since Hadden was charged.

"Teachers keep their doors open or they lock them so you can't come in. It's like they don't want to be seen with you," she said. "My math teacher told the whole class what happened was wrong. He wanted to make sure we knew that."