See this message received from a Bloomingdale resident:
I am writing this message to alert parents and potential parents who have or are planning to enroll their child or children at Emery Education Center. I am writing this letter only after trying to get this matter resolved through the school and then through the Chancellor's office. On May 19th my 11 year old child informed me that when he exited the stall of the boys bathroom, another male student was standing in the bathroom with his penis exposed and his hands on his gential. The male student asked my son "do you want to suck my gentials (of course he used a more profane term). My son stated that he ran from the bathroom and told the teacher. The teacher told him to sit down. She only reacted when he told her that he was going to tell his mother. I never received a call from the school that this had happened to my child. In addtion, my son was never interviewed by the principal or assistant principal. My son was visibly upset about this incident. I did go over to the school on May 20th to discuss this with the principal and assistant principal. Not much was resolved and really they did not seem to feel that they had done anything wrong by not alerting me to the fact that my son was exposed to a predator. As a result of my talk with them they did at least make a police report. The outcome of this report or any other action taken by the school is unknown to me. When I told princiapl Moore that I would be contacting the Chancellor's office. He stated "do you want the number".
I wrote the Chancellor's office on June 8th, 2011. I finally received a response back from Mr. Wayne Robinson who is the instructional superintendent. He stated that he would talk to the principal but did not offer much more than that. He asked me "what do you want me to do"? When I asked about the intervention and prevention methods that would be put into place to ensure that this would not happen gain, Mr. Wayne Ryan informed me and I quote " I can not gurantee that this will not happen again. I am apalled and upset by this statement. I informed him as well as the principal that there are very young children that attend this school and that this matter needs to be looked into. How do we know that this child has not done this before? Needless to say my son will not be attending Emery for the next school year. I am writing this to let other parents know so that you can make an informed decision and keep your child safe. The fact of the matter is that this kid continues to attends Emery and children continue to go to the bathroom sometimes unattended.
Please do not take this an attempt to bash the school or the principal. I am simply putting out information that I think is important for parents to know. To me this is a very serious incident that was not addressed in an appropriate or timely manner.
5 comments:
A Bloomingdale household with a child at Emery Education Center asked me to post this reply:
I am sorry to hear about this incident. It sounds upsetting for your son and for you as well. That he promptly left and went back to tell his teacher and told you at home sounds to me like he is learning the lessons of vigilant parents.
Which is good because we can’t shield our kids from profane and unpleasant interactions forever if we want them to be able to grow up. We can only teach them what we can and hope they listen when they are confronted with a difficult circumstance.
I have a four-year-old girl who also attends Emery and I am pretty sure that she goes to the bathroom unattended.
I hope that nothing like that happens again to your son, or anyone else’s kid, in his new school, but I can’t imagine anyone can realistically promise that it won’t. No administrator can monitor every classroom and bathroom in a school any more than we can successfully pray really hard that difficulty or sadness never visit our children. And we know that dealing with it is what makes us stronger.
I am going to send my child to Emery’s new incarnation, Langley, next year. I’m going to observe the environment while I’m there and stay in contact with the teachers and administrators and stay involved.
I am going to hope that if my child is ever confronted with a tough situation, she knows how to handle it, just like yours did.
Another Bloomingdale resident and Emery parent has asked to have this response posted:
While this is an upsetting incident -- and the kind of thing that a kid holds onto forever -- the truth is it's probably just as likely to occur at whatever school this parent moves her kid to. It would hopefully receive a more forceful response but kids with these issues are at all schools everywhere.
To call an elementary or junior high school kid a predator may be a little bit of a leap. I went to one of the best and wealthiest public school systems in the country and can think of any number of kids who were capable of this kind of thing, in gym lockers or wherever. Disturbing? Yes. Budding serial rapist? I don't know. Kids at this age are figuring themselves out, that's for sure. This kid clearly needs an intervention by authority figures.
It may be appalling that an administrator says he can't guarantee that a kid won't expose himself in a school bathroom. Insensitive too. It also sounds quite true. I don't for a minute regret sending our daughter to Emery nor do I have any reservation about keeping her there next year. I don't blame this parent for moving out based on this scary incident, but I think it's important we continue as a neighborhood to support Emery/Langley and do all we can to improve the school, beginning with sending our kids there and getting to know the administrators.
I would be appalled if this happened at either of my children's schools! Believe me, it is entirely untrue that this could happen anywhere.
Someone might suggest the school investigate the "Good Touch/Bad Touch" curriculum, which some private and charter schools use to excellent effect. This administrator's response is unforgivable and underscores DCPS bureaucracy at its worst.
Good-Touch/Bad-Touch prevention education includes information and discussions about child abuse, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and bullying of all types, internet safety, stranger danger rules, by-stander responsibilities and answers to questions about substance abuse.
http://www.goodtouchbadtouch.com/gtbt
The fact that the school didnt call to inform you of the incident is, to me, unforgivable. The boy you call a predator could be a victim of abuse as well as this is often a response to prior abuse - to then attempt abuse of another. Both boys need help and the school as the PP said, needs to review its response and have a better, more preventative system put in place.
You are absolutely in the right to be outraged by this and I dont blame you a bit for informing others of your experience.
i am a social worker and confident that the law (regarding mandatory reporting requirements) states that the notified teacher and principal are required to report incidents such as this to child protective services. in this case the most appropriate report to make is that the predatory child is exposing himself inappropriately to other children, a behavior that is highly correlated with a history of victimization.
by not making this report, the teacher and administrator may be allowing this child to remain in an abusive environment. they are certainly jeopardizing their professional reputations and risking legal penalties.
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