Expected more Les.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Morris biology teacher gets suspended sentence
A former West Morris Central High School biology teacher who fondled four students during labs got a suspended five-year prison sentence today, but will be under parole supervision for life.

Robert Fuller, 36, of Oxford, who pleaded guilty in March to four counts of aggravated sexual contact, had to surrender his teaching certificate and can never hold any public office. He will have to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.

The girls, now 16, did not attend the sentencing, and Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood explained that they want to put the incident behind them.

“They really liked him as a teacher,’’ and after the incidents, “they questioned themselves repeatedly, as if they had done something (wrong),’’ she said.

Fuller did not speak at sentencing. Superior Court Judge Salem Ahto restricted Fuller from having contact with children except his own two, who are 7 years old and 11 months.

“I have no idea what prompted you to get involved in what you got involved in,’’ Ahto said.

Ahto concluded that the incidents stemmed from “hedonistic, opportunistic and situational factors rather than sexual compulsion.’’

Fuller admitted touching the breasts and buttocks of four freshmen at the beginning of the 2004-05 school year. Authorities said Fuller sometimes touched the students as they leaned over to use microscopes during science labs. He was indicted last June.

Charges of official misconduct and child endangerment against Fuller were dismissed.

Damn public schools.  Guess, you only get to fondle four girls while I pay you with my tax dollars.

Same shit Les, and with more public schools you can bet your ass there is lots lots more incidents.

When you have some study that compares the two institutions, parochial schools and public, and there is a divergence, then post.  Until then, its just a cheap shot for the benefit of the peanut gallery.

Until such time as I can read up on this, I’ll have to provisionally side with Consi.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the pedophile priest scandal exposed a systemic problem of the Catholic Church. I’m also cynical enough to doubt that the problem would have gotten a lot of attention except for the rising and perhaps ruinous cost of settlements.

If I read the quoted material correctly, the coach had already resigned from his position by the time the allegation were made known to school officials. You can’t very well accuse them of a cover-up unless you can show that they were aware of the coach’s extracurricular activities. It’s also not clear to me what they could have done after the coach resigned, other than to fully cooperate with any investigation.

What I’m not clear about is why nobody faces criminal charges. If I want to get blowjobs from teenage girls without having to worry about legal prosecution, all I have to do is to get hired as a coach?

Uh, no, not the same shit, Consi. Not even close.

For starters, Fuller only made it a week into the school year before he was suspended by the school authorities after the girls came forward with their allegations that he had touched them inappropriately. Our friend Coach Taylor had a two year sexual relationship with at least one girl and possibly up to 4.

Fuller was suspended in short order, arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced. He had to hand in his teaching certificate, can’t hold public office, and is a lifelong addition to the Sexual Offender list.

Taylor quit his job, no charges were filed, and the Catholic school wafted its palms and claimed it did all it could do. He could go back to teaching, could still run for public office, and isn’t on any Sexual Offender lists.

Yep, kids get fondled in public schools on occasion, but isn’t it sad that the public school example you provided seems to have taken the safety of the kids involved a lot more seriously than the Catholic school? You’d think that with all the bad press over the pedophile priest issue that the Catholics would jump all over even the slightest hint of impropriety on the part of one the teachers.

One week versus two years. If ever there was an argument not to put your kids in Catholic school, this is it. Thanks for helping me make my point.

The thing I like about high school girls: I get older and they stay the same age.
-- Dazed and Confused

How much you want to bet that this turd will float to the top of the bowl at some other school?

Uh, Les,

Fuller only made it a week into the school year before he was suspended by the school authorities after the girls came forward with their allegations that he had touched them inappropriately. Our friend Coach Taylor had a two year sexual relationship with at least one girl and possibly up to 4.

The news article you quote begins with:

Palm Beach Post: Taylor, 28, resigned in March. As the girls basketball coach, he led his team to state finals in 2004 and had been on paid administrative leave since Nov. 22. His leave began five days after the alleged victim first told her story to Boca Raton police. His resignation came two months after the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office opted not to press charges.

Which seems to imply that he was put on leave less than a week by school officials after they were made aware of the allegation. Unless you can show that the school officials knew about the alleged comings and blowings all along, something that a quick skim of the PBP article doesn’t support, I’m not sure what you can reasonable accuse the officials of. Perhaps there was a lack of oversight, but for that you’ll have to refer to other sources.

Also, note that it was the State Attorney’s office who chose not to prosecute. Unless they are in the pocket of the Catholic Church, what are you accusing the school officials of?

I would guess that it’s also not up to the school’s officials or the Catholic Church to revoke Taylor’s teaching certificate. Presumably that would fall to the same authority that issued the certificate in the first place, almost certainly an agency of the State. Since no charges were brought, I’m not sure if the legal preconditions to revoke the teaching certificate are satisfied in Taylor’s case.

It’s not that I’m a friend of the Catholic Church - quite the opposite, in fact. However, unless you can show a lack of due dillegence or cover-up by the Diocese, I think you’re being a bit unfair.

That’s when the police were notified, the Assistant Coach, who is a member of the school staff, was told about the incident a full year before the police were notified. Florida law requires immediate reporting of actual or suspected sexual abuse to the state child abuse hot line.

The assistant coach claims he was ignorant of the law, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that he didn’t report the allegations for a full year after the fact. Again, you’d think someone who’s employed by the Catholic church would be instructed on the idea that students having sex with their coaches is a bad thing and that even the hint of it happening should be reported without fail.

Additionally the assistant coach was informed of the names of two other girls Taylor was having sex with at the start of the 2003-2004 school year—by Taylor’s own brother. The assistant coach claims he was “skeptical” of the claims until January 2004 when he saw one of the girls sitting on a couch at Brian Taylor’s home and later in his car, yet he doesn’t bother telling authorities until May of 2005. On top of all that, Taylor’s own sister was also reportedly aware of what was going on and she worked in the school’s development department. That makes two school employees who had knowledge of what was going on well in advance of when the police were notified. I can kind of understand why Taylor’s own sister might be reluctant to pursue the matter, but the assistant coach has no excuse.

I’m accusing the school of failing to train its instructors on the proper course of action when confronted with allegations of sexual abuse of the students. And what the hell is up with the assistant coach turning around and dating the victim after she graduates?

Les, so it boils down to two issues:

First, did the school fail to make its staff aware of their legal duty to report actual or suspected sexual abuse? The article doesn’t say. The assistant coach claims to have been unaware of that law, but what else do you expect him to say once he was confronted with it?

Second, the assistant coach is a see-no-evil kind of guy, to put it mildly, who is personally responsible for the coach getting off longer than he should have. Just to argue semantics, an employee of the school, like the assistant coach or Taylor’s sister is not the same as what I understand a school official to be - somebody in charge of running the school, particularly somebody in charge of pursuing action against an employee.

In summary, it is possible that the school failed to instruct their staff properly, which would belie their claim of having done all they could. On the other hand, a coach banging a student is not uniquely Catholic. To paraphrase Consi, unless you can demonstrate another systemic problem, shit like that happens.

I’m accusing the school of failing to train its instructors on the proper course of action when confronted with allegations of sexual abuse of the students.

Without any first hand, second hand or even third hand knowledge of what that training was.  Nothing like allowing your personal prejudice to throw objectivity to the wind.

Consi writes…

Nothing like allowing your personal prejudice to throw objectivity to the wind.

Hate to disappoint you, but I’ve never claimed to be objective in my writings or that they were free of my personal prejudices. In fact it would be stupid and hypocritical of me to claim either thing and I’ve made a habit of pointing out that my opinions are obviously biased by my personal prejudices.

If you’re looking for objective reporting then you’re in entirely the wrong fucking place.

What I’m not clear about is why nobody faces criminal charges. If I want to get blowjobs from teenage girls without having to worry about legal prosecution, all I have to do is to get hired as a coach?

Local case: a 25 year old Miss America contestant who just started teaching slept with an 18 year old student.  She could face 20 years.

It’s alright there is a get out clause.

Leviticus 4
4:3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.
4:4 And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock’s head, and kill the bullock before the LORD.
4:5 And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock’s blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation:
4:6 And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the vail of the sanctuary.
4:7 And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
4:8 And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
4:9 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.

Les: Hate to disappoint you, but I’ve never claimed to be objective in my writings or that they were free of my personal prejudices.

Ha-ha - that’s why I like reading your stuff. You don’t fuck around puling punches.
I suppose it helps that I agree with a lot of what you write. 

Consi: Nothing like allowing your personal prejudice to throw objectivity to the wind.

Serious question.
Can Anyone be purely objective?
Doesn’t personal prejudice/cognitive training/programming always permeate through to one’s observations, conclusions and thusly to one’s spoken or written words?
I think they do but, what do I know?
I never finished high school. I could have, of course, but raging hormones and the desire for a job, money and ‘freedom’ seemed to take precedence over my ability to concentrate on school work BUT as Edith said: je ne regrette rien.
Back-ish on thread, I’ve read that appreciation of every experience is filtered through that which we learnt before we were five, six or seven.

Can Anyone be purely objective?

People can be purely asshole, but beyond that I don’t know.

It bears remembering that Consi isn’t the standard-issue True Believer that we see often enough around here. I doubt he’s primarily out to win an argument with Les or anybody else, as opposed to giving us heathen lefty moonbats enough rope to hang ourselves in the eyes of the accidental conservative reader.

Read the source article and this thread again, this time with Consi’s modus operandi in mind. Objectively, if you will.

Elwed: Consi isn’t the standard-issue True Believer … Read the source article and this thread again

(Shit A. I’ve been fucking round for half an hour trying to ‘update’ my avatar and thinking - fuck it, won’t work, give it up - so I scrolled up and there I am. Photo musta been taken about 10 years ago coz there’s grey in the beard but the hair’s still dark ... ish. )
Ah, so if I comprehend you correctly, you’re accusing our dear Consi of being a nit-picking arse’ole. Now I understand.
Hey Consi!! Oh, now I forgot what I was going to say … woops … outside words and inside words. They were supposed to be inside words – gobble, gobble.
Back on thread – it sounds like a damned tangled web to me.
Cut ‘n dried ‘n keeping it simple, it comes down to Teacher on Student = he’s in the wrong. QED!
One can’t ‘realistically’ make any other conclusions other than that, for if you do, you get into another playground which is where Consi wants to take our game, by painting with an 8�? brush, by saying that his taxes are going to foundling teachers in Catholic schools … and …and ...
Was that a mixed metaphor?

Ah, so if I comprehend you correctly, you’re accusing our dear Consi of being a nit-picking arse’ole. Now I understand.

Wrong on both counts.

Actually, I think he’s accusing me of being an asshole, but then we already knew that.

Can Anyone be purely objective?

With a lot of effort I think it’s possible to come reasonably close. That said I didn’t establish my blog to provide an objective news source, but rather a place for me to say what I want to say. Because a lot of it is my opinion it should be expected that it’ll be colored by my personal prejudices and biases. I do try to be fair, but I am only human and when I get pissed off sometimes those biases and prejudices come through stronger than usual.

Am I holding the Catholic school in this case to a higher standard than I might otherwise? Yes I am and it’s entirely due to the widespread failure of the Catholic hierarchy to deal with the pedophile priest issue properly for several decades. I’m not willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in this situation because they’ve demonstrated their willingness to ignore a problem for too fucking long. Is it unfair that I’m holding them to a higher standard? I don’t think so, but your mileage may vary.

Am I holding the Catholic school in this case to a higher standard than I might otherwise? Yes I am and it’s entirely due to the widespread failure of the Catholic hierarchy to deal with the pedophile priest issue properly for several decades. I’m not willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in this situation because they’ve demonstrated their willingness to ignore a problem for too fucking long. Is it unfair that I’m holding them to a higher standard? I don’t think so, but your mileage may vary.

Catholics, and most if not all other religious sects claim to hold THEMSELVES to a higher standard, so why the fuck shouldn’t WE?

I’ll go out on a limb here and speculate that neither private school tuition NOR property taxes (which in part support public schools) in Boca Raton ain’t cheap.  If I were the parent of a student in John Paul II, I’d expect a bit more vigilance over the “moral” behavior and teachings of both teachers and students than is practiced by the “godless” secular public school system.  It’s the least I can ask for in return for the premium price I’d be paying.

Les’ point that the Morris County (NJ? PA?) teacher was dealt with more quickly, and subject to harsher penalties is quite valid.  The problem I see is that John Paul II, as a religious private school, is apparently outside the jurisdiction of the public authorities and is allowed to “handle things” on its own/through the Diocese.  And that’s exactly the sort of policy that allows for pedophiles to be reprimanded and shuffled off to some new location and a fresh flock of potential victims.

However, I do feel that, speaking purely in terms of emotional maturity, a 16 year old girl and a 24 year old man are roughly equal… so I could see how this situation could have come about.  Most 24 year old men are still pretty much led around by their dicks, and most 16 year old girls are aware of that vulnerability and adept at exploiting it for their own purposes.  Taylor’s fuckup was thinking with his little head instead of his big one… the one that knows it’s a breach of policy, and ethics, to have sex with a student.

It’s difficult to say for certain whether this particular 24 year old male was/is a pedophile/sexual predator, or just another dumbass man whose dick led him into a world of trouble.  On its face it would appear the latter case is more likely, but I’d have to have more information. 

Since the “victim” herself says the sex was consentual, and refuses to press charges, I’m pretty comfortable with characterizing Taylor as “young, dumb and full o’ cum,” and perhaps his being kept from working with young women until he demonstrates more maturity and better judgement; and IMO it would be sad for him to be branded a sex offender in light of everything above.

Elwed: Wrong on both counts.

Okay. But I’m getting closer.

OB: Most 24 year old men are still pretty much led around by their dicks, and most 16 year old girls are aware of that vulnerability and adept at exploiting it for their own purposes.

I thought of that.
But, it’s still no excuse in the final analysis, is it?