Beauvoir Scandal?

[Anonymous]

I am also a parent in that very same 3rd grade classroom. Boy there sure are a lot of parents from that class posting here!

I can say however that there were taping devices. There was at least one in the (coed) bathroom. There were more found (I've heard 5). No one knows what he has or does not have or what he taped or did not tape because they were (a) hidden and (b) all they recovered were the video devices and NOT whatever he may or may not have taped. And I have that from a "law enforcement source" so I believe it to be accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am also a parent in that very same 3rd grade classroom. Boy there sure are a lot of parents from that class posting here!

I can say however that there were taping devices. There was at least one in the (coed) bathroom. There were more found (I've heard 5). No one knows what he has or does not have or what he taped or did not tape because they were (a) hidden and (b) all they recovered were the video devices and NOT whatever he may or may not have taped. And I have that from a "law enforcement source" so I believe it to be accurate.

And lots of third grade parents getting information from law enforcement sources, evidently. What I heard from mine was that they did find cameras in the room, but they were all in their original boxes, unopened, and no one knows what he may or many not have intended to do with them. He may have bought them to set up in houses where he was tutoring and babysitting, for example. Maybe my source needs to meet yours.

[Anonymous]

And why did parents hire him as a consultant, with so little experience in the schools? This is so sick. I also know that some private schools (don't know about Beauvoir) don't get background info. on teachers back until AFTER school begins.

[Anonymous]

the cameras were hidden in the air fresheners and definitely used.

[Anonymous]

Toth taught there for 3 years. it wasn't as if he was a total greenhorn, he was beloved (at the time) by many.

[Anonymous]

And I am sure he was the ones self promoting himself as a tutor/consultant here at DCUM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And why did parents hire him as a consultant, with so little experience in the schools? This is so sick. I also know that some private schools (don't know about Beauvoir) don't get background info. on teachers back until AFTER school begins.

The PECF does background checks on ALL employees prior to starting their assignments. However as stated many times in this thread a background check ONLY finds something if the person HAS been caught in the past and CHARGED.

We can all second guess how this man was able to snowball so many for so long but we will never know, there are just sick people in the world. I am glad that Beauvoir found the images and DID call the police, they could have let him leave their school at the end of the year and be done with him, that WOULD have been a real scandal! Yes they should have held him for the DC Police and saved us from all this crap, they did mess that up but at least his name and photo are out there now hoepfully he is caught before he harms any other children. In the end they did a background check on him, they did call the police when the pictures were found, they did cooperate with the police, they did get him away from the children in the school, they did mess up by not holding him for the police, they did tell parents what they know and continue to update when needed.

[Anonymous]

In the end they did a background check on him, they did call the police when the pictures were found, they did cooperate with the police, they did get him away from the children in the school, they did mess up by not holding him for the police, they did tell parents what they know and continue to update when needed.

I disagree that they've told parents what they know. I give the school credit for holding forums/coffees on this issue and the other recent tragedy, but when parents asked tough questions about what happened in Mr. Toth's class, the answer was, we've turned the photos over to police and its in their hands, we have no idea....the photos are bad enough and we know all we need to know. That's a deflection, and it leaves a lot of parents turning to places like this forum and law enforcement contacts to piece together what happened. As this thing keeps unfolding, I think they may regret not making more of an effort to manage the truths, half-truths and rumors that are flying around. The fact that the FBI's Innocent Images task force is the enforcement agency on the case suggests to me that there's more to the story than possessing a few photos. That said, it's a very tough situation, and I'm sure they are struggling every day with the right steps to take next. My heart goes out to the families directly affected by this, and I hope they are getting what they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

In the end they did a background check on him, they did call the police when the pictures were found, they did cooperate with the police, they did get him away from the children in the school, they did mess up by not holding him for the police, they did tell parents what they know and continue to update when needed.

I disagree that they've told parents what they know. I give the school credit for holding forums/coffees on this issue and the other recent tragedy, but when parents asked tough questions about what happened in Mr. Toth's class, the answer was, we've turned the photos over to police and its in their hands, we have no idea....the photos are bad enough and we know all we need to know. That's a deflection, and it leaves a lot of parents turning to places like this forum and law enforcement contacts to piece together what happened. As this thing keeps unfolding, I think they may regret not making more of an effort to manage the truths, half-truths and rumors that are flying around. The fact that the FBI's Innocent Images task force is the enforcement agency on the case suggests to me that there's more to the story than possessing a few photos. That said, it's a very tough situation, and I'm sure they are struggling every day with the right steps to take next. My heart goes out to the families directly affected by this, and I hope they are getting what they need.

I can see your point about the way questions are answered. Could it not also be attributed to the fact that law enforcement has asked the school not to share certain aspects of the case since it is ongoing or even shared all they (the police) have found with the school. The school needs to make sure they are giving out the proper facts as well and not reacting to every half-truth and rumor flying around because it will never stop until Mr. Toth is caught and he is convicted of the charges brought. We all want to know what really happened with the students and children that were in contact with this monster. The fact that the FBI is involed indicates to me (and this is just my own thought) that Mr. Toth had images of children in different states and in DC, making it a Federal crime since he crossed state lines.

[Anonymous]

If I were a parent of a child in that school (especially in that class) I would be in the FBI/police/school's face every day until I got an answer. But that's just me, I guess. Some just trust the "powers that be" too much, and believe things like, "Oh it's in the hands of the law now" -- or " it's hushed so not to mess up the investigation" Bull Crap. These are your babies!

[Anonymous]

To be in the face of the school is not helpful. They only tell you what they think they are allowed to tell and need to check with their lawyers, PR firm etc before disclosing anything. Plus what if you have other kids there? It is a tough call.

To be in the face of law enforcement has not worked either. They don't report to me. They have all the info from me (and my DC) that they need. They don't have to tell me anything anymore and the investigation is ongoing. So you don't get much from them either. Sadly.

This is one of the better sources of information actually, but you have to put up with a lot of opinionated people posting innuendo and the like.

None of us have closure, especially the kids over the past 3 years that Toth interacted with (including mine).

[Anonymous]

Does anyone out there know anything new? Have they found the guy yet? Or his body? Has he been indicted? There has been a hush from the school since the school year started and this board, besides wading through lots of innuendo and opinion, has been a good source of info.

[Anonymous]

I know I am late to this thread but I just would like to point out that I was a former teacher at a prominent DC private school (one of the schools the Obama family is considering in fact) and I taught there for three years before they did a background check on me! The only reason they did it was because another teacher at the school was let go due to some inappropriate behavior outside of school (nothing related to children thankfully). I assumed one had been run on me when I was hired simply because any other job I had where I worked with children it was the first thing that was done.

I know that if I were a parent paying a stupid amount of money to send my child to the "best of the best" I would like to think that every single human being that my child came in contact with there would be checked out before being offered a contract! Maybe they need to raise the tuition a little bit more so they can afford to incur this cost?

After being on the inside for 10 years, I am certain that most (not all) of the parents that send kids to these schools just want little Ava and Jacob to get into Harvard and they heard at the country club that the best way to get there is to go to "this" school. They dont care really what the school stands for but what the name will get them.

It makes me sick!!! I hate that DC public schools suck so bad because if you live in the city, you really dont have any other options.

Im so sorry for the families at Beauvoir. It is a total violation of trust but this guy may have had a clean record before. let's hope that they were not stupid enough to forgo the old background check like there "elite" counterparts up the road.

[Anonymous]

I'm so glad you don't teach my child. We don't belong to a country club and we don't care if our child goes to Harvard. We send her to a private school (a Cathedral school) because we thought it was a great environment in which she could learn and love learning. And since I know the Obamas didn't look at the Cathedral schools, I am relieved to know you never taught my daughter. I would hate for her to have a teacher with such contempt for her parents, based on nothing but stereotypes.

[Anonymous]

I was there when a parent asked the head of school if a background check had been run before employment and, if so, how thorough it was. She indicated a full check was done as part of standard procedure before hiring.

As for your generalizations, I belive most of the other parents we've encountered at Beauvoir, like us, will encourage their child to earn a degree but will be happy to send their kid to the college of the child's choice. One of the things we love about the school is the focus on early childhood, on instilling a real love for learning, and on making those years really magical. It's about the journey, not the destination.

Can't say what goes on at the country clubs since we don't belong to one.