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  • Madison Bergmann allegedly moved student victim’s desk so she could rub his legs

    Madison Bergmann allegedly moved student victim’s desk so she could rub his legs

    Madison Bergmann, the Wisconsin teacher busted for allegedly “making out” with an 11-year-old in her classroom, allegedly moved the victim’s desk next to hers so that she could touch him during class without the other students seeing.

    “My daughter thought he was a problem kid,” another student’s mom told The Post. “She said that his desk got moved next to [Bergmann’s] a couple of months ago, and she just assumed that he was in trouble.

    “When it was time for lunch, she’d ask him to stay after class,” the mom continued, “so that just fed into the idea that he was constantly getting into trouble.”

    The abuse allegedly happened in Bergmann’s classroom at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wis. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    The alleged victim told cops a similar story.

    According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in St. Croix District Court, the fifth grader told sex crime investigators that Bergmann would rub his thigh and calves during independent reading time.

    Due to the strategic placement of his desk in her classroom at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, “he did not believe any of the other kids would see it happening,” the complaint alleged.

    The boy also confirmed to police that Bergmann would have him stay after class. He claimed that Bergmann kissed him several times in her classroom, either after school or while the other students were at lunch.

    Madison Bergmann is free on $25,000 bond. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    Bergmann, 24, is charged with first-degree child sexual assault of a child under age 13.

    The boy’s family had befriended Bergmann, even going with her on a ski trip to Afton Alps, a nearby resort. Bergmann told authorities she received the boy’s number during that weekend.

    Last week, the boy’s mother overheard a troubling phone call and alerted the boy’s father. According to the complaint, the father confiscated the boy’s phone and read his text messages.

    In one text, according to the complaint, Bergmann told the boy that she “wanted to just grab your face and push you to the floor and make out with you.” In another text, she allegedly told him that, “I almost kissed you when you were on the ground today, but I got distracted by your stomach.”

    The boy’s enraged father printed out the texts and took them to the school. Authorities immediately opened an investigation.

    Cops searched Bergmann’s backpack and allegedly found a folder with the victim’s name on it. Inside were several handwritten letters.

    “In her notes she tells him that she loves him, wants to kiss him, he turns her on, and that she is obsessed with him,” the complaint says.

    Bergmann is free on a $25,000 bond. She has disabled her social media and is not allowed on school property or at school events. It’s unclear if she has yet hired an attorney authorized to speak on her behalf.

    Madison Bergmann and former fiancee Sam Hickman. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    Additionally, Bergmann, who was engaged to be married to Sam Hickman, will no longer be walking down the aisle in July.

    “It’s been indefinitely postponed,” a pal of her fiance told The Post Saturday.

    “And it probably won’t happen. He is really upset and heartbroken. He’s embarrassed and pissed. He didn’t deserve this. Everyone is pissed.”

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  • Madison Bergmann’s alleged 11-yo victim’s family enraged

    Madison Bergmann’s alleged 11-yo victim’s family enraged

    Madison Bergmann, the Wisconsin teacher busted for allgedly ‘making out’ with an 11-year-old in the halls of River Crest Elementary School was constantly thirsting for attention — leaving the family of her alleged victim furious.

    “Oh, they’re full of rage about this,” the mom of one of Bergman’s other students told The Post. “They’re out for her head. Everyone is. There are group texts and meetings, and people are checking in with [the family] to make sure they’re okay. It’s a mess.”

    While the families are outraged, the mom says there was always something which struck her as weird about Bergmann’s behavior.

    Madison Bergmann in a photo from her scocial media Madison Bergman/Facebook

    “I just suspected something was off,” says the mom. “Just a weird feeling. She was an attention seeker. A selfie queen. Pictures of herself from every angle, pictures of her cup of coffee, pictures of her cute shoes. Just one of those girls.”

    Bergmann, 24, has been charged with one count of first-degree child sexual assault. She was arrested after the victim’s parents found texts between the pair, according to charging documents obtained by the Post.

    The boy’s enraged father allegedly printed out the conversations and stormed into River Crest Elementary School. The school then contacted authorities, sparking an investigation.

    The charging documents allege the texts revealed intimate messages from Bergmann detailing their encounters inside the classroom during lunch or after school —  including texts telling the boy how much she enjoyed him touching her and “making out.”

    Additionally, cops say they found a folder with the victim’s name on it in her bag. The folder allegedly contained handwritten notes talking about how much they kissed.

    Bergman’s allegedly had inappropriate contact with the 11-year-old in her classroom during lunch breaks. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    In one of the letters, Bergmann allegedly wrote, “One of my cousins is in the 5th grade and I can’t imagine a man talking to her how we talk. I know we have a special relationship and I do love you more than anyone in the world but I have to be the adult here and stop.”

    When confronted with the letters, authorities say Bergmann invoked her right to hire an attorney.

    Cops do not state how long the alleged abuse had been going on, but Bergmann told investigators she had a close relationship with the family, and she got the boy’s number in December when the family invited her to the Afton Alps for winter break.

    Bergmann and fiancee Sam Hicks. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    Bergmann is free on a $25,000 bond. She has disabled her social media and is not allowed on school property or at school events. It’s unclear if she has yet hired an attorney authorized to speak on her behalf.

    Additionally, Bergmann, who was engaged to be married, will no longer be walking down the aisle in July.

    “It’s been indefinitely postponed,” a pal of her fiancee said on Saturday. “And it probably won’t happen. He is really upset and heartbroken. He’s embarrassed and pissed. He didn’t deserve this. Everyone is pissed.”

    In a note to parents, the Hudson School District said they would provide counseling professionals for Bergmann’s students.

    “We understand the gravity of this situation and are committed to providing the necessary support for any child who may be impacted,” the district wrote.

    “We kindly request the school community to respect the privacy of Hudson students and their families and refrain from spreading rumors or speculation.”

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  • Honor Holocaust Remembrance Day by supporting Kentucky teachers who teach on it

    Honor Holocaust Remembrance Day by supporting Kentucky teachers who teach on it

    Antisemitism has been on the rise in Kentucky and across the U.S. since 2016. We are appreciative that Governor Andy Beshear has taken this trend seriously by establishing the Kentucky Antisemitism Task Force.

    Furthermore, we commend the foresight of the Kentucky General Assembly for passing the Ann Klein and Fred Gross Holocaust Education Act in 2018. This act mandates Holocaust and genocide education for all Kentucky middle and high school students, putting Kentucky at the forefront of Holocaust education in the U.S. as one of the earliest of the now more than 23 states that require it.

    Educating students about the Holocaust is complex in terms of how it is taught, the context in which that teaching takes place, and, of course, the emotional toll it can have on all those involved, leaving a gap between this requirement and teachers’ preparation and confidence in their expertise to implement it.

    To address this gap, the University of Kentucky, with support from the Jewish Heritage Fund, established the University of Kentucky-Jewish Heritage Fund Holocaust Education Initiative in 2021. This initiative aims to ensure Kentucky educators have the necessary support and resources to implement this vital work in their classrooms effectively.

    UK-JHFE Holocaust Education Initiative uses knowledge as power

    Our initiative is unique in its collaborative approach, bridging divides between campus and broader communities, across disciplines and among Jewish and non-Jewish communities to create wider networks of individuals familiar with Jewish ideas, culture and history. The result is an improved ability to recognize and intervene in everyday acts of antisemitism.

    ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ evokes a racist, bygone era. It’s time to bid it farewell.

    Using a “teachers-teaching-teachers” model to empower educators to teach about the Holocaust with empathy, our initiative has worked with two cohorts totaling 41 teacher leaders selected from a competitive pool representing 20 counties from Pikeville to Paducah. Teacher leaders undergo extensive training over the summer and across the academic year to prepare them to conduct workshops for other Kentucky educators.

    The entrance to Auschwitz concentration camp in Oswiecim, Poland.

    The entrance to Auschwitz concentration camp in Oswiecim, Poland.

    This collaborative model creates two essential aspects of Holocaust education—a network of highly trained educators equipped to be leaders within their geographic region and exemplary teaching materials mapped to state standards, accessible on our website, and tied to Kentucky-specific examples. We are committed to ensuring that Holocaust education is not the only opportunity for Kentucky students to learn about Jewish people, history, heritage and culture.

    Biden’s plan to counter antisemitism: It will accelerate Louisville’s education efforts

    More than simply providing a “how-to,” our initiative empowers teachers to embrace complexity, delve into nuance and create networks with other teachers both in their specific initiative cohort and in their local schools, districts and regions.

    Together, we face this difficult task of creating teaching materials that require us to acknowledge the repeated failures of communities to recognize the humanity of others, in the Holocaust and other genocides. This educational effort works toward creating the Kentucky that we all want to be part of, and this positive educational effort deserves additional public and private support.

    To learn more, or if you are an educator interested in participating in one of our spring workshops, please visit https://holocausteducation.uky.edu/.

    Janice W. Fernheimer, Ph.D., is co-director of the University of Kentucky-Jewish Heritage Fund Holocaust Education Initiative, Zantker Professor of Jewish Studies, and professor of writing, rhetoric, and digital studies at UK. Karen Petrone, Ph.D., is co-director of the UK-Jewish Heritage Fund Holocaust Education Initiative and professor of history at UK. Jeff Polson is the president and CEO of the Jewish Heritage Fund, a grantmaking organization focused on improving adolescent health outcomes, strengthening Louisville’s distinction as a center for leading-edge medical research and fostering a robust and dynamic Jewish community.

    The opinions that Fernheimer and Petrone have expressed are their own, not those of the University of Kentucky.

    This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Holocaust Remembrance Day: UK empowers school teachers in education

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  • Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to allow teachers to be armed

    Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to allow teachers to be armed

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Protesters chanted “Blood on your hands” at Tennessee House Republicans on Tuesday after they passed a bill that would allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds, and bar parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed.

    The 68-28 vote in favor of the bill sent it to Republican Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. If he signs it into law, it would be the biggest expansion of gun access in the state since last year’s deadly shooting at a private elementary school in Nashville.

    Members of the public who oppose the bill harangued Republican lawmakers after the vote, leading House Speaker Cameron Sexton to order the galleries cleared.

    Four House Republicans and all Democrats opposed the bill, which the state Senate previously passed. The measure would bar disclosing which employees are carrying guns beyond school administrators and police, including to students’ parents and even other teachers. A principal, school district and law enforcement agency would have to agree to let staff carry guns.

    The proposal presents a starkly different response to The Covenant School shooting than Lee proposed last year. Republican legislators quickly cast aside his push to keep guns away from people deemed a danger to themselves or others.

    A veto by Lee appears unlikely, since it would be a first for him and lawmakers would only need a simple majority of each chamber’s members to override it.

    “What you’re doing is you’re creating a deterrent,” the bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Ryan Williams, said before the vote. “Across our state, we have had challenges as it relates to shootings.”

    Republicans rejected a series of Democratic amendments, including parental consent requirements, notification when someone is armed, and the school district assuming civil liability for any injury, damage or death due to staff carrying guns.

    “My Republican colleagues continue to hold our state hostage, hold our state at gunpoint to appeal to their donors in the gun industry,” Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones said. “It is morally insane.”

    In the chaos after the vote, Democratic and Republican lawmakers accused each other of violating House rules, but only voted to reprimand Jones for recording on his phone. He was barred from speaking on the floor through Wednesday.

    It’s unclear if any school districts would take advantage if the bill becomes law. For example, a Metro Nashville Public Schools spokesperson, Sean Braisted, said the district believes “it is best and safest for only approved active-duty law enforcement to carry weapons on campus.”

    About half of the U.S. states in some form allow teachers or other employees with concealed carry permits to carry guns on school property, according to the Giffords Law Center, a gun control advocacy group. Iowa’s governor signed a bill that the Legislature passed last week creating a professional permit for trained school employees to carry at schools that protects them from criminal or civil liability for use of reasonable force.

    In Tennessee, a shooter indiscriminately opened fire in March 2023 at The Covenant School — a Christian school in Nashville — and killed three children and three adults before being killed by police.

    Despite subsequent coordinated campaigns urging significant gun control measures, lawmakers have largely refused. They dismissed gun control proposals by Democrats and even by Lee during regular annual sessions and a special session, even as parents of Covenant students shared accounts of the shooting and its lasting effects.

    Under the bill passed Tuesday, a worker who wants to carry a handgun would need to have a handgun carry permit and written authorization from the school’s principal and local law enforcement. They would also need to clear a background check and undergo 40 hours of handgun training. They couldn’t carry guns at school events at stadiums, gymnasiums or auditoriums.

    Tennessee passed a 2016 law allowing armed school workers in two rural counties, but it wasn’t implemented, according to WPLN-FM.

    Tennessee Republicans have regularly loosened gun laws, including a 2021 permit-less carry law for handguns backed by Lee.

    The original law allowed residents 21 and older to carry handguns in public without a permit. Two years later, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti struck a deal amid an ongoing lawsuit to extend eligibility to 18- to 20-year-olds.

    Meanwhile, shortly after the shooting last year, Tennessee Republicans passed a law bolstering protections against lawsuits involving gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers. Lawmakers and the governor this year have signed off on allowing private schools with pre-kindergarten classes to have guns on campus. Private schools without pre-K already were allowed to decide whether to let people bring guns on their grounds.

    They have advanced some narrow gun limitations. One awaiting the governor’s signature would involuntarily commit certain criminal defendants for inpatient treatment and temporarily remove their gun rights if they are ruled incompetent for trial due to intellectual disability or mental illness. Another bill that still needs Senate approval would remove the gun rights of juveniles deemed delinquent due to certain offenses, ranging from aggravated assault to threats of mass violence, until the age of 25.

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  • The nominees for 2024 Crystal Apple Awards are in — nearly 100 of them

    The nominees for 2024 Crystal Apple Awards are in — nearly 100 of them

    A record 97 teachers, administrators and support staff from more than 50 public and private schools and programs in Salem and Keizer have been nominated for the 2024 Crystal Apple Awards.

    The awards program recognizes excellence in local education and is presented by the McLaran Leadership Foundation in cooperation with Salem-Keizer Public Schools and the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce.

    About a dozen educators are chosen each year to receive a Crystal Apple and revealed at an annual awards gala. Fifteen honorees were selected from last year’s previous record, based on research of the Statesman Journal archives, of 89 nominees.

    Recipients of the 25th Crystal Apple Awards will be announced Wednesday, May 22, at the Salem Convention Center. Tickets are sold out for the event, but names are being taken for a waiting list on the Salem Chamber website.

    The nominee list represents a range of people who make an impact on students and schools, including teachers, counselors, instructional assistants and custodians.

  • Gabriela Acevedo-Solis, teacher, Waldo Middle School

  • Emilie Andersson, teacher, Cummings Elementary

  • Darlene Andrus, administrative secretary, Human Resources

  • Kelsey Baller, teacher, Chapman Hill Elementary

  • Jessica Bell, counselor, Highland Elementary

  • Korie Bellinger, senior clerical specialist, Leslie Middle School

  • Heather Bennett, special education teacher, Walker Middle School

  • Damian Berdakin, teacher, South Salem High School

  • Sonia Bosquez, community school outreach coordinator, Waldo Middle School

  • Leah Brakebill, speech language pathologist, South Salem High School

  • Tammy Bromley, special education teacher, Lee Elementary

  • Mackenzie Brown, counselor, Swegle Elementary

  • Shayla Brown, counselor, Blanchet Catholic School

  • Cyndie Carter, special education teacher, Grant Community School

  • Abigail Caulder, library media instructional assistant, Hallman Elementary

  • Juan Cervantes, community resource specialist, Office of Student, Equity, Access, and Advancement

  • Sandy Champagne, teacher, Capital Christian School

  • Rosette Chen, teacher, North Salem High School

  • Travis Chetock, instructional mentor, Walker Middle School

  • Marie Davis-Anderson, custodian, McNary High School

  • Nicole De Blasi, program associate, Student Services

  • Irma Decker, teacher, Washington Elementary

  • Nathan Dick, special education teacher, Parrish Middle School

  • Kenneth Ernst, teacher, Hammond Elementary

  • Jody Farley, instructional assistant, Chávez Elementary

  • Robin Farnsworth, teacher, Pringle Elementary

  • Jessica Ferkel, school office specialist, Washington Elementary

  • Chris Feskens, teacher, McKay High School

  • Melissa Garmon, instructional coach, St. Vincent de Paul Dual Language Immersion Catholic School

  • Samantha Gibson, school office specialist, community outreach coordinator, Wright Elementary

  • Rita Glass, administrative assistant, Elementary English Language Acquisition

  • Olivia Gonzalez-Martinez, special programs instructional assistant bilingual, Myers Elementary

  • Vonnie Good, environmental health specialist, Safety and Risk Management Services

  • Vel’Dene Gould, teacher, Wright Elementary

  • Amy Green, international baccalaureate coordinator, North Salem High School

  • Annie Hatzenbihler, special education teacher, Schirle Elementary

  • Timothy Hauck, counselor, Stephens Middle School

  • Russell Heater, custodian, Leslie Middle School

  • Sarah Hedgepeth, special educationteacher, Sprague High School

  • Julie Henry, program associate, Student Services

  • Rubi Hovenden, program associate, Curriculum and Instruction

  • Laura Huazo-Saavedra, administrative assistant, St. Vincent de Paul Dual Language Immersion Catholic School

  • Allison Johann, teacher, Judson Middle School

  • Karna Johnson, counselor, Grant Community School

  • Lelania Ketola, counselor, Pringle Elementary

  • Emma Kubishta, teacher, Battle Creek Elementary

  • Betty Lackner, instructional support assistant, Miller Elementary

  • Brenda Lamb, teacher, Roberts High School

  • Donna Lewis, special education teacher, Bush Elementary

  • Danielle Luby, teacher, Lee Elementary

  • Elizabeth Mace, school office specialist, McNary High School

  • Lorena Maciel Ochoa, community school outreach coordinator, Office of Student Equity, Access, and Advancement

  • Tricia Maddox, special programs instructional assistant Autism, Student Services

  • Sarah Magnusson, teacher, Gubser Elementary

  • Tracy McLaughlin, teacher, Bush Elementary

  • Kellie Menghini, teacher, McKay High School

  • Keelana Meyer, career and technical education Liaison, South Salem High School

  • Taylor Miller, teacher, Keizer Elementary

  • Christina Nokes, instructional assistant, Walker Middle School

  • Luis Oliva Barrientos, special programs instructional assistant bilingual, Chávez Elementary

  • Lisa Olson, library media instructional assistant, Chapman Hill Elementary

  • Pat Ozenna-Lemay, teacher, Cummings Elementary

  • Vanessa Perales, school office specialist, Grant Community School

  • JaNet Peterson, teacher, Curious Cats Preschool

  • Trang Pham, instructional assistant, Yoshikai Elementary

  • Max Price, teacher, South Salem High School

  • Michelle Puckett, special education teacher, Leslie Middle School

  • Danielle Rabenberg, teacher, Keizer Elementary

  • Lisa Rael, teacher, Sprague High School

  • Ken Ramirez, security field coordinator, Safety and Risk Management Services

  • Claudia Rios, community school outreach coordinator, McNary High School

  • Shauntel Roberts, special education teacher, Swegle Elementary

  • Linda Rodgers, teacher, Weddle Elementary

  • Karen Rumrill, teacher, Walker Middle School

  • Stephanie Russell, principal, Grant Community School

  • Karen Schindler, social worker, Roberts Middle and High School

  • Nicole Schmidgall, special education Teacher, Behavior Intervention Center

  • Carolyn Schoening, registered nurse, McKay High School

  • Cab Searcy, teacher, Crossler Middle School

  • Jessica Shumate, special education teacher, Student Services

  • Hilda Simpson, teacher, Career and Technical Education Center

  • Robin Sischo, social worker, South Salem High School

  • Crystal Solis, teacher, Four Corners Elementary

  • Nichole Spearman-Eskelsen, CTE and summer programs coordinator, Lancaster Professional Center

  • Amanda Starkey, teacher, North Salem High School

  • Kaley Stauff, school office specialist, South Salem High School

  • Gabriela Tellez Osorno, teacher, McNary High School

  • Rachel Tencza, Speech Language Pathologist, Wright Elementary

  • Alicia Thomas, Instructional Mentor, Pringle Elementary

  • Christine Thomas, Special Education Teacher, Crossler Middle School

  • Mary Ulvin, Teacher, Morningside Elementary

  • Cassie Villarreal, Instructional Support Assistant, McKinley Elementary

  • Jodie Villasenor, Teacher, EDGE High School Program

  • Kellie Ward, Behavior Specialist, Straub Middle School

  • Kerri West, Special Education Teacher, Chapman Hill Elementary

  • Ron Wilder, Microcomputer Support 2, Technology and Information Services

  • Russ Williams, Teacher, Wright Elementary

Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com, and follow her work on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.

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  • Onsted teacher named regional teacher of year

    Onsted teacher named regional teacher of year

    ONSTED — A third grade teacher in Onsted has been named regional teacher of the year for the region that includes Lenawee County.

    Kristina Dennis now has the opportunity to become Michigan Teacher of the Year, the Onsted Community Schools announced.

    The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) organizes the Teacher of the Year program “to honor and elevate the voices of teachers,” according to a news release. Honorees will have the opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge as they work with stakeholders to strengthen Michigan’s public schools for students and educators.

    “The Regional Teachers of the Year play key roles in their schools and communities, and in our statewide effort to improve our schools,” said State Superintendent Michael Rice in a statement. “They offer insights into the needs of our 1.4 million school children and educators across the state. We are grateful for their leadership and dedication to the teaching profession and look forward to working with them during the next school year.”

    Kristina Dennis

    Kristina Dennis

    The regional teachers of the year were selected following a multi-part, competitive application process that began with being nominated for Michigan Teacher of the Year. Students, staff and community members from across the state submitted nominations.

    The 2024-25 honorees were chosen for their dedication to the teaching profession.

    Lenawee County is in Region 8, which includes Hillsdale, Jackson, Livingston, Monroe and Washtenaw counties.

    The next step in the process is for each of the 10 regional teachers of the year is to interview with a panel of statewide education stakeholders, with one person selected as the 2024-25 Michigan Teacher of the Year. The winner has a seat at the state board of education table as a nonvoting member, attends several national conferences with fellow state teachers of the year from other U.S. states and territories to represent the experiences of Michigan’s teachers and students, and will be Michigan’s candidate for National Teacher of the Year.

    Subscribe Now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news, and high school and college sports content.

    Program expenses for the teacher of the year program are covered through a partnership with the Meemic Foundation.

    Onsted Community Schools Superintendent Steve Head said that Dennis “goes above and beyond with every student in her class.”

    “Her relationships with families are truly exceptional,” Head said. “Kristina also uses innovative techniques to teach literacy to her students. We couldn’t be more proud of Mrs. Dennis and are grateful for the commitment she shows her students and families.”

    This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Onsted teacher named regional teacher of year

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  • Dean impregnated high school student twice — then coerced abortion, Chicago lawsuit says

    Dean impregnated high school student twice — then coerced abortion, Chicago lawsuit says

    A former high school dean is accused of impregnating a high school student twice, then forcing her to have two abortions, a Chicago lawsuit says.

    The student “lived in constant fear” during her high school years between 2013 to 2016, and felt she couldn’t tell teachers about the abuse, receiving no help after informing one instructor, according to the lawsuit.

    Now an adult, she’s now suing former Dean of Little Village Lawndale High School Brian Crowder and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for $50,000 in damages as a result of the years of sexual abuse, the lawsuit says.

    CPS did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.

    In a statement to WGN, a CPS spokesperson said, “Chicago Public Schools (CPS), prioritizes the safety and well-being of our students. We take seriously our responsibility to ensure all employees act in the best interest of our students. The District does not comment on pending investigations or litigation. Our CPS team follows District policies and procedures as we respond to issues.”

    CPS also told WGN that Crowder was removed from his position in 2021.

    Years of abuse

    Crowder, while dean of the school, is accused of asking the student to friend him on Snapchat, even confronting her when she did not initially accept his request. He began grooming her over the social media platform, sending her inappropriate images and sexually explicit messages, according to court documents.

    The explicit messages escalated to “dates,” according to the lawsuit. At times, teachers at the school witnessed the student in Crowder’s car driving to his home, the lawsuit said.

    During the student’s sophomore year, Crowder started to sexually abuse her, according to the lawsuit.

    The teen got pregnant as a result of the sexual abuse when she was 15 years old, according to court documents. Crowder then told the pregnant student they could “have children together when she is an adult” if she had an abortion, the lawsuit says.

    At the time, Illinois law required a parent’s consent for a minor to have an abortion, according to the lawsuit.

    Crowder took her to get the abortion, telling clinic staff he was the teen’s stepparent and signing the necessary consent forms under a fake name, according to a news release from Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC, the law firm representing the former student.

    She later got pregnant again, and Crowder repeated the same process, promising they could have children together when she was an adult, according to court documents.

    He also is accused of forcing the student to terminate the second pregnancy.

    Crowder continued to sexually abuse the student for the remainder of her high school years, according to the lawsuit, and would often send her messages through Snapchat while she was in class.

    As a result of the continued abuse, the student’s grades suffered and teachers became frustrated with her inability to “focus in class,” according to court documents.

    Did her teachers know?

    Crowder handled discipline of teachers and students at the school. Because of his authoritative position, she “did not feel that she could tell anyone about what had happened,” according to court documents.

    However, the student confided in her chemistry teacher at one point, according to the lawsuit.

    The teacher said it was “ultimately (the student’s) decision whether to report it to someone else or not,” according to the lawsuit.

    The student never reported the abuse to another teacher, and the chemistry teacher did not report the abuse to authorities, according to the lawsuit. Instead, the teacher would periodically check in with the student about the “relationship,” according to court documents.

    All teachers and staff at the school are mandatory reporters, which requires them to report any suspected abuse or neglect of children, according to the Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

    Additionally, teachers and staff at the school would “joke” about the amount of time the student and Crowder spent together in his office, according to the lawsuit. They also joked about “romantic interest” between the two, documents say.

    History of abuse

    Beyond Crowder, several teachers and administrators were accused of abusing students, according to the lawsuit.

    Around 2014 or 2015, one administrator was accused of harassing students at the school and grooming at least 16 students, according to the lawsuit.

    The Chicago Tribune reported police investigated 523 reports of sexual abuse that occurred inside CPS across the city between 2008 to 2017. Following the newspaper’s “Betrayed” investigation, CPS transferred sexual abuse investigation responsibility to the Illinois Office of the Inspector General, according to the lawsuit.

    Crowder was charged with felony criminal sexual assault in 2022, according to ABC7.

    If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline’s online chatroom.

    Teacher isolates student at school and sexually assaults her, Arkansas cops say

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    Teacher rapes 16-year-old while other students act as ‘lookouts,’ Missouri cops say

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  • GOP-led Tennessee Senate advances bill to arm teachers without informing parents

    GOP-led Tennessee Senate advances bill to arm teachers without informing parents

    Amid strident protests from families of the Covenant School shooting victims, Tennessee’s GOP-led Senate has moved forward with a bill to allow teachers to be armed on school grounds.

    The bill, which passed on a 26-5 vote Tuesday, would allow some teachers in public schools to obtain concealed carry permits without having to tell parents or their colleagues that they are armed with handguns. Rep. Ryan Williams, a Republican and the bill’s sponsor, said that doing so could deter potential shooters and that armed teachers could act as substitutes for school resource officers, especially in rural areas with fewer resources.

    Discussion of the legislation was interrupted Tuesday by hundreds of protesters advocating for stricter gun laws, some of whom were forcibly removed from the Senate chamber. Among the protesters were family members of victims of last year’s shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, in which the attacker killed three children and three adults.

    The bill would require teachers seeking to be armed to obtain a handgun carry permit and written permission from their school’s principal and local police. The teachers would also have to undergo 40 hours of training and clear a background check.

    Opponents say that more guns in schools do not keep students safe — central to the idea of arming teachers is the “good guy with a gun” myth, which has been repeatedly punctured — and that the required training would not be enough.

    “We’re sending teachers to learn how to handle a combat situation that veteran law enforcement have trouble comprehending,” said state Sen. Jeff Yarbro, a Democrat. “We’re letting people do that with a week’s training.”

    The Tennessee House’s companion legislation has not seen any movement since last session, but the Republican speaker, Cameron Sexton, recently voiced his approval.

    This article was originally published on MSNBC.com



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  • Another Year of School Staffing Gains as the Fiscal Cliff Looms

    Another Year of School Staffing Gains as the Fiscal Cliff Looms

    According to new data from the National Center on Education Statistics, public schools added 173,000 students and 159,000 employees in the 2022-23 school year, including 15,000 additional teachers.

    On a per-student basis, staffing levels hit an all-time high.

    These numbers are in full-time equivalents (FTEs), which are adjusted based on the number of hours worked by part-time staff. The FTE numbers are a better measure of total staff time available, but the raw headcount numbers come out faster, and those suggest schools may be in for another new high in 2023-24.

    The outlook beyond that looks murkier. As districts spend down the last of their federal ESSER dollars, they may have to lay off staff or close under-enrolled buildings. To identify which communities are most at risk, I worked with Eamonn Fitzmaurice, The 74’s art and technology director, to update our data on how student-to-teacher ratios are changing across the country. Click on the map below to see the results in your community.

    View fully interactive map at <span><button class=
    View fully interactive map at The 74

    Teacher Staffing

    Student Enrollment

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    2016/17 17/18 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23

    More students per teacher

    Fewer students per teacher

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    After screening out very small districts and those without sufficient data (marked in black), we examined staffing and enrollment trends for 9,500 districts, comprising 92% of all students nationwide. We then compared the teacher and student counts from 2022-23 — the most recent available — with the same figures for 2016-17.

    About one-quarter of districts had fewer teachers per student last year than they did six years earlier. Those are shaded in orange or yellow. Districts in Nevada, Alaska, Louisiana and especially Florida are predominantly orange on the map, meaning they have higher student-to-teacher ratios than they did before the pandemic.

    Related

    With More Teachers & Fewer Students, Districts Are Set up for Financial Trouble

    But many more districts are shaded blue or gray, meaning they serve fewer — or a lot fewer — students per teacher than they did six years earlier. Overall, nearly three-quarters of districts fell into one of these categories.

    Nearly one-third of districts added teachers while serving fewer students. For example, Philadelphia lost nearly 16,000 students but employed 200 more teachers, effectively dropping its student-to-teacher ratio from about 17:1 to under 15:1.

    About one-quarter of districts followed the path of Capistrano Unified School District in California. Even with some hiring spurts, it shrunk its teacher count somewhat over time, but not as fast as it lost students. In numeric terms, Capistrano suffered a 22% decline in student enrollment but cut its teaching staff by just 7%.

    Another group of districts have growing enrollments, but their teacher counts are rising even faster. Take the Katy Independent School District, near Houston, as an example. It added 4,299 students last year, a gain of 4.9%. But at the same time, it hired 366 teachers, a 6% gain. Over the entire period, its student body has grown 22% while its teacher count grew 29%.

    The district-level numbers in the map focused on classroom teachers, who make up a little under half of all school district employees. But staffing levels have increased for many types of roles. The table below shows the one-year and six-year changes in total staffing counts and student enrollments, sorted by role from biggest to smallest.

    Over the last year, the only category of workers that grew more slowly than student enrollment was school administrative support staff. Zooming out further, librarians and media support staff are down from their pre-pandemic levels, as is a large category called “all other support staff” that includes plant and equipment maintenance employees, bus drivers, security and food service workers. But otherwise, staffing levels are up. The numbers of paraprofessionals; student support staff (including attendance officers and providers of health, speech pathology, audiology or social services); district administrative support staff; guidance counselors; instructional coordinators; and district administrators have all increased by double digits.

    In other words, the national trend is for schools to have more staff, in many different roles, than they did before the pandemic. To be sure, all these additional staffers may have contributed to the better-than-average student achievement gains last year. But as a purely budgetary matter, time will tell if schools are able to retain all those workers, or if they’ll need to make painful adjustments in the year to come.

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