Sexual abuse victim speaks out after former teacher convicted on 21 counts

 TUCSON (KVOA) - They say the "wheels of justice move slowly." For one Tucson woman, it took 20 years, but her abuser was finally held accountable.

"It is a roller coaster. One day I feel very strong, very empowered . The next day it really hits home of wow, what was done to me was so bad that this person has now been found guilty by a jury of 12 men and 12 women of all counts of what was done to me," said Stephanie Langlitz.

Langlitz was a 14-year old student at Ironwood Ridge High School, in the Amphi School District, when her teacher, Mark Lindrud, sexually abused her. He taught at the school from August 2002 to May 2003. Lindrud was arrested last year in Aurora, Colorado, where he was teaching in the Aurora Public School District.

Last month Langlitz testified against him in his trial.

"So I had to get up there and it was uncomfortable. It was very unpleasant. We did have to go through very explicit details," she said...

https://www.kvoa.com/news/sexual-abuse-victim-speaks-out-after-former-teacher-convicted-on-21-counts/article_03c18c6e-0600-11ed-b6e3-732b0061a9e0.html

Board of Ed Voted to Overrule Jack Smith. Suspended Student May Not Return to Previous School Placement.

Below are minutes from a Closed Session of the Montgomery County Board of Education.  The matter shown is an appeal from the suspension of a student.  The Superintendent had ruled that the student would be suspended for 10 days and could then return to their home school.

Initially, Board members and Apple Ballot endorsed candidates Pat O'Neill and Judy Docca moved to affirm the Superintendent's decision.  Board member Brenda Wolff agreed with that motion.

However, the rest of the Board of Education did not agree and instead moved to affirm the suspension but reverse the decision to allow the student to return to their home school.

The public does not know what this case involved.  Did this case involve a victim?  Did this decision force an offender to move instead of telling the victim to find a new school? 

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/BMET5874F709/$file/200310%20Report%20of%20Previous%20Closed%20Session.pdf

Seneca Valley HS: " allegations of unwanted sexual touching among football players at the school on Sept. 18."

...disciplinary action was taken against multiple students and that adults were reprimanded for a lack of supervision. Team discussions have since focused on the harm of such behavior and the importance of respect and sportsmanship.

“The team had a long conversation and continues to engage around this issue,” ..

...Across the county, parents have voiced concerns about the culture of athletic programs, the training of coaches and the adequacy of safeguards.

Some have criticized the school system’s use of the word “hazing,” saying it should acknowledge in blunt terms what is alleged at Damascus: sexual assault.

Lyda Astrove, a longtime education advocate, said an anti-hazing video the school system recently released failed to convey “the seriousness and horribleness of the alleged crimes that took place on school property.”

She called on the superintendent to hold a community meeting to answer safety questions and “itemize specific procedures they are putting in place to make sure these type of acts never happen again.”..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/hazing-incident-reported-at-another-maryland-high-school-officials-say/2018/11/11/c2a0daf6-e15e-11e8-8f5f-a55347f48762_story.html?utm_term=.1af71d06de1f

Stop the Silence in Montgomery County