This is one of the reasons I am glad that we chose to home school. If we had left our children in school then our two oldest boys would have been molested by a very popular school teacher. This teacher in now behind bars. The problem is you cannot have full confidence that your children are completely safe from teachers and other students with deviant behavior.
Govt: Sex offender has been working in schools
KATE CHAPMAN AND JOHN HARTEVELT
LATEST: Up to eight schools and potentially hundreds of children have been exposed to a convicted sex offender who used multiple identities to work as a teacher for eight years.
A ministerial inquiry in to the case was announced by Education Minister Hekia Parata today.
Parata said “Person A” was before the courts in Auckland on charges relating to a breach of the conditions of his release, following a conviction for a sexual offence against a minor in 2004.
Manukau police said they had arrested and charged a 41-year-old man with fraud offences.
It was believed he had worked in eight schools since 2000, assuming a number of different identities.
“We know that this person was convicted of and has served time for an offence,” Parata said.
“This case is somewhat exceptional in that it appears that multiple identities have been used. They were under an extended supervision order that relates to that offence and it is alleged that conditions that relate to that have been breached.
“Clearly, there are weaknesses in the system and that is why I have taken this very serious step of establishing a ministerial inquiry and asking someone of the seniority of [former Ombudsman] Mel Smith to begin and begin immediately.”
The man’s identity tied him to two schools, but it was unclear when he had worked for six other schools. The Government was seeking a variation to suppression orders so that parents at those other six schools could be informed. The scale of students exposed would become clearer if the variation was granted.
Read more of the article here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/6492579/Govt-Sex-offender-has-been-working-in-schools
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From the Smiths:
https://hef.org.nz/2011/craig-smith-26-january-1951-to-30-september-2011/
Updated 24 February 2012: Life for Those Left Behind (Craig Smith’s Health) page 6 click here
Needing help for your home schooling journey:
https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/
And
Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:
https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/
and
https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/
This link is motivational:
https://hef.org.nz/category/all-about-education/
“…then our two oldest boys would have been molested…”
“would” or “could”…?
Also, it may be more probable that a child be molested at home than at school. My daughters are all over me and very physical which could easily lead to inappropriate touching if the parent so desired.
Or what about church-related molestation? This is well known and many churches have policies for Sunday School where more than one teacher must be present. Further, books have been written about this stuff in churches. Should we therefore avoid sending our kids to church also?