Lawmakers want to make it easier to punish educators who sexually abuse students

State lawmakers and advocates in every New England state are pursuing legislation to make it easier to punish educators who sexually abuse students — and harder for them to get new jobs elsewhere working with children.

Massachusetts Senator Joan B. Lovely, Democrat of Salem, said she plans to introduce a comprehensive bill next month that will include a long list of changes, including making it illegal for high school teachers to have sex with their students, strengthening requirements to report abuse, and eliminating the criminal statute of limitations for cases involving sexual violations of children...

...In Connecticut, two state lawmakers said they want to extend what some call the “passing the trash” law to cover private schools. The law, approved in June, bars public schools from signing confidentiality agreements that cover up allegations of sexual misconduct. It also requires schools to share information when teachers accused of misconduct apply for new jobs. But the provisions do not apply to private schools.

“I think private schools should live up to the same standard as public schools,” said Senator Cathy Osten, Democrat of Sprague. Representative William Tong, Democrat of Stamford, said he also supports changing the law to cover private schools....

http://www.bostonglobe.com/2016/12/22/lawmakers-advocates-push-changes-laws-covering-sex-abuse-educators/nFN2REzelhmf1VUAvluebK/story.html?event=event25

Stamford High School investigation will miss deadline

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Stamford-High-school-investigation-to-miss-6097073.php

A secret database in MCPS lists current employees who display inappropriate and possibly criminal behavior toward children

Watch Andrea McCarren's report tonight at 11 on WUSA 9

http://www.wusa9.com/

Secret database lists MCPS employees who display inappropriate behavior toward kids. Watch @AndreaMcCarren at 11pm https://t.co/9RGUmo0Cr9
— wusa9 (@wusa9) February 24, 2015

...shortly after starting her job, she learned that school administrators were counting students from Jamaica, who speak English, and students with Hispanic-sounding last names, even those fluent in English, as those in need of ELL instruction...

...In the lawsuit Lawson says she was hired in 2010 by former Superintendent Joshua Starr because of the growing population of non-English-speaking students.
Lawson alleges that, shortly after starting her job, she learned that school administrators were counting students from Jamaica, who speak English, and students with Hispanic-sounding last names, even those fluent in English, as those in need of ELL instruction.
The counts were so inaccurate, the lawsuit states, that Lawson refused to certify to the state and federal departments of education that Stamford was in compliance with the program.
Lawson claims that school administrators were using federal money earmarked for ELL teachers to hire other teachers; failing to designate enough space for ELL programs, creating a waiting list of students; encouraging eligible students to opt out of ELL instruction; prohibiting ELL instruction for special-education students who needed it; using ELL teachers to cover lunch waves and non-ELL classrooms; and failing to purchase ELL instructional materials, among other violations.
When she tried to establish standards for evaluating students for ELL eligibility, her then-supervisor, Mara Siladi, reprimanded her and cut her off from Starr, Lawson alleges...

...In November 2012, the Department of Justice cited Stamford schools for many of the same violations that Lawson raised, the suit states...

 http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Angela-Carella-Culture-of-fear-cited-in-lawsuit-6078034.php

Ex-Stamford schools chief Starr repeats early exit in Maryland

...In Montgomery County Starr was criticized for bungling a decision on whether to change high-school start times and for his handling of sexual-abuse incidents on school grounds.

A substitute teacher and a contractor who'd worked in multiple schools in Montgomery County were arrested in separate incidents and charged with touching pre-teen girls on campus. But parents did not learn about the arrests until weeks later. When the district finally wrote a letter to parents, more students went to police with similar stories.

Since he left Stamford, Starr has been noted for his insistence on hiring Donna Valentine as principal of Stamford High School in 2010. Problems with Valentine surfaced a year later, when the four assistant principals went to Starr with concerns about Valentine. One was that they believed she improperly handled a student's complaint that a teacher had touched her breast.

Starr's response was to transfer three of the assistant principals. Then, in 2014, Valentine was arrested and dismissed for her handling of another incident involving sexual contact between a teacher and a student...

 http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Ex-Stamford-schools-chief-Starr-repeats-early-6068350.php

Stamford Bringing Back Pre-Starr Principal to Stabilize High School

...Hamilton told the Stamford High staff about Pavia Wednesday afternoon and announced it publicly Thursday after obtaining approval from the union that represents school administrators. The Board of Education must approve Pavia's contract, and the labor committee could take it up next week, Heftman said. School officials cannot hire a permanent principal until they know whether Valentine will get her job back, she said.

Valentine, who was charged with failing to report suspicions of the sexual relationship between the teacher, Danielle Watkins, and a male student, filed a grievance against the school district, claiming that her union contract was violated when she was let go from her job as principal...

 http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Ex-Principal-Pavia-to-head-Stamford-High-for-rest-6065426.php

Joshua Starr's connection to principal Valentine situation:

http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Former-Stamford-superintendent-was-told-about-5918443.php

...met with then-Superintendent Joshua Starr to offer training...on proper reporting procedures, but that they received no response.

Before Joshua Starr was the Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent he was the superintendent of the Stamford Public Schools in Connecticut.  Joshua Starr is in the Stamford, CT news this week and the topic is the same one that in the news here.
 

Stamford schools incident reporting issue dates to 2008

 STAMFORD -- Concerns about lax incident reporting to the state Department of Children and Families go back at least six years, documents prepared by two committees of the Stamford Board of Representatives show...

...She characterized the Oct. 30, 2008, meeting of the Education Committee, at which Lyons was also present, as largely a review of disciplinary procedure. She, as well as others who were at the meeting, said that what was at issue were guidelines for what kinds of student behavior warranted a report to the police.
DCF, however, and an apparent lack of reports filed to the state agency by Stamford schools, featured prominently in that conversation.
Lyons, who stated at the time that the matter was discussed briefly in his committee with then-Assistant Superintendent Winifred Hamilton, went on to say that he had been in communication with DCF.
"He learned that Stamford's reporting is nowhere near other comparable cities, nor is it close to where it was ten years ago," the minutes show Lyons relating.
Kennedy, who supervises the Stamford Police Youth Services Bureau, and Matheny spoke before the gathered legislators at the 2008 meeting. The officers said that although they investigate many child abuse cases, none at the time came from the school system. They said that they had met with then-Superintendent Joshua Starr to offer training, along with DCF, on proper reporting procedures, but that they received no response...

 http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Stamford-schools-incident-reporting-issue-dates-5925139.php