Public schools are quickly becoming even more problematic for America’s children. Not only are progressives desperately trying to use the classroom to indoctrinate kids into their radical ideas on race, sexuality, and gender identity, but now it has been reported that students have become increasingly vulnerable to sexual abuse.
There has been a disturbing uptick in the number of students being sexually assaulted by teachers and other staff members. In 2022 so far, at least 135 teachers and teachers’ aides have been arrested for various child sex-related offenses, ranging from possession of child pornography to child rape.
Fox News Digital reported:
“An analysis conducted by Fox News Digital looked at local news stories week by week featuring arrests of teachers and teachers’ aides on child sex-related crimes in school districts across the country. Arrests that weren’t publicized were not counted in the analysis, meaning the true number may well be higher.”
“The analysis found that at least 135 teachers and teachers’ aides have been arrested in 41 states between January 1 and May 13, which works out to about an arrest a day on average.”
The report continued:
“The vast majority of the arrested educators were men.”
“Of the 135 arrests, at least 102, or 76%, involved alleged crimes against students.”
“The 135 educators included 117 teachers, 11 teachers’ aides and seven substitute teachers.”
Several of the arrests involved some particularly appalling charges. “On April 11, police in California charged Anthony James Phillips, a 61-year-old former teacher at Cupertino Middle School in Sunnyvale, with aggravated sexual assault of a child, forcible penetration with a foreign object, and forcible penetration with a foreign object upon a child,” according to Fox.
Another teacher named Anessa Paige Gower in Richmond, California, was charged with 29 counts of child molestation on April 8. The report notes:
“Gower is accused of sexually abusing seven students between 2021-2022 when she was a teacher at Making Waves, with allegations including forcible sodomy of minors and sharing sexually graphic photos over online platforms. She is due back in court on June 2.”
William Landon Smith, a 31-year-old science teacher in Fayetteville, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with 27 counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, 28 counts of indecent liberties with a student, and one count of using or installing a photographic imaging device to “arouse gratify sexual desire,” according to Fox. He is also accused of inappropriately communicating with children through social media apps.
Unfortunately, there has not been much in the way of investigation when it comes to sexual abuse against minors in public schools. Erika Sanzi, director of outreach for Parents Defending Education (PDE) told Fox that almost 10 percent of students are abused by teachers at some point in their school career.
“Educator sexual abuse is a major problem that largely gets ignored because it’s so uncomfortable to talk about,” she said in a written statement. “While a very small fraction of educators and school employees prey on the children in their care, one bad actor can do damage to many students.”
Sanzi explained:
“The last federally commissioned study on the issue was in 2004, pre-smart phone and those who study the issue closely say that the problem has been exacerbated by the ease of communication that a smart phone provides.”
“We need to get much more honest about the problem, study it again and ensure that we have policies and laws in place that protect children. It is currently legal in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for teachers and other adults in positions of authority to have sexual relationships with students once they turn 14. After a 5-year effort, RI finally appears poised to change that this year.”
Sanzi was talking about a bill in Rhode Island that would outlaw teachers or other adults in authority from having sexual relations with a minor under 18 years old.
Fox’s report is alarming enough. But the reality is that the trend of educators sexually abusing children in public schools has been occurring longer than most would think. Indeed, incidents involving these crimes have surged drastically, despite there being scant reporting on the matter.
The Washington Post published a report in 2020 detailing the rise of sex crimes against minors occurring in public schools. Between 2015 and 2018, there was a sharp uptick in reports of sexual assaults at elementary, middle, and high schools. The Civil Rights Data Collection compiled information from “surveys of every public school, charter school and juvenile justice facility in the nation” according to WaPo. “The Education Department found that reports of sexual violence at schools rose from about 9,600 in the 2015-2016 school year to nearly 15,000 in the 2017-2018 school year. That’s an increase of more than 50 percent.”
You read that right.
There was a 50 percent increase in sex crimes against students in public schools between 2016 and 2018.
One of the reasons why there is so little reporting on this matter could be because there are so few studies measuring exactly how often these assaults are taking place. But there can be no doubt that kids being sent to public learning institutions are becoming more vulnerable to sexual assault from educators and other staff members.
As this problem gains more exposure, it will probably be yet another factor pushing parents to seek out other educational alternatives for their children. For many, private schools – and even homeschooling – might become even more attractive options. But for the children whose parents cannot pull them out of public schools, this will remain an issue if something isn’t done. Perhaps this will become another issue that they take to their school board meetings.
