Sidwell Sex Scandal

[Anonymous]

6:44 FTW! I doubt I would want to date the school shrink, but he was not treating the child, so where is the liability? Do any schools have polices on staff not dating parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6:44 FTW! I doubt I would want to date the school shrink, but he was not treating the child, so where is the liability? Do any schools have polices on staff not dating parents?

Whether or not the Sidwell shrink was in fact treating the child is a key issue in the case. A top expert says yes, but defendant disputes that. The court papers are online. There is a lot of posturing on both sides. Defendants want this to be just two consenting adults. We will see.

[Anonymous]

If you think these things dont happen at your school - you are wrong. Its just all magnified because of the status of SFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you think these things dont happen at your school - you are wrong. Its just all magnified because of the status of SFS.

It would be naïve to think that we know everything that goes on at every school. In fact, schools, parents and students all work to keep their dirty laundry hidden since everyone has a lot invested in the reputation of a school. That is why we probably know very little of what goes on within other schools. What we do happen to learn usually comes out when someone has an axe to grind against the school or when a crime occurs. A brief review:

Landon SAT scandal: disgruntled parent/lawsuit
Landon fantasy draft: disgruntled parent
Georgetown Prep pedophile: crime
George Hugley: crime
Al Gore’s son – crime
Beauvoir pedohile: crime
Cathedral sexcapdes - disgruntled parent
Sidwell pedophile –crime
Sidwell sex scandal: lawsuit
Sidwell 8th grade girls – disgruntled teacher


I think it is fair to conclude that a scandal is magnified when there is some connection to a famous person – Al Gore’s son, for example, or President Obama’s daughter’s classmates – because the scandal catches the attention of the national media. But the local attention will be great at any of the elite private schools. So the challenge for these elite schools is to keep their dirty laundry out of the public view.

[Anonymous]

It would be naïve to think that we know everything that goes on at every school. In fact, schools, parents and students all work to keep their dirty laundry hidden since everyone has a lot invested in the reputation of a school. That is why we probably know very little of what goes on within other schools. What we do happen to learn usually comes out when someone has an axe to grind against the school or when a crime occurs. A brief review:

Landon SAT scandal: disgruntled parent/lawsuit
Landon fantasy draft: disgruntled parent
Georgetown Prep pedophile: crime
George Hugley: crime
Al Gore’s son – crime
Beauvoir pedohile: crime
Cathedral sexcapdes - disgruntled parent
Sidwell pedophile –crime
Sidwell sex scandal: lawsuit
Sidwell 8th grade girls – disgruntled teacher


I think it is fair to conclude that a scandal is magnified when there is some connection to a famous person – Al Gore’s son, for example, or President Obama’s daughter’s classmates – because the scandal catches the attention of the national media. But the local attention will be great at any of the elite private schools. So the challenge for these elite schools is to keep their dirty laundry out of the public view.

No it's not to keep it out of the public view. It is to address the issue and make sure it does not happen again by following policies and procedures. Did not happen in this case. It's a pattern at Sidwell and it will happen again b/c next time they will make sure everyone has signed the contract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is a little bit of "the rest of the story." The interesting stuff is at the beginning and then at page 12-end. http://dcslapplaw.com/files/2013/01/Huntington_opp_slapp_mol.pdf

Huntington, the psychologist, filed a counterclaim against Newmyer, saying Newmyer is defaming him. Newmyer tried to block Huntington's counterclaim, but lost in two different courts.

Some facts from Huntington's side that I have not seen in the news reports:

@ Newmyer and ex-wife were already legally separated and living as if each were single, well before any of this occurred. Newmyer himself had already had two relationships of his own.

@ Newmyer is loaded (17 million), and hired a PR firm to publicize his complaint and the details. (Sort of makes me wonder whether this recent media blitz, and even some posts here, might be the work of the PR firm.)

@ Huntington did lose his job due to pressure from Newmyer. But he did not lose his license. In fact, the licensing board found that Huntington was never actually treating the child and never had any sort of professional relationship. (This fact makes me wonder if the ex-wife was just telling Newmyer that the reason she was spending so much time with the psychologist was to treat the daughter, when in reality, she was simply dating the psychologist.)

@ If Huntington was not really treating the child at all (as the licensing board found), what's the legal claim against the school? Can't be held liable for any supposed lapse in treatment or violation of duty, if there was no real psych-patient relationship. I'm not sure why the school cannot get out of the case. Maybe the judge ruled that the licensing board's decision is not binding, so a jury could theoretically disagree with the licensing board.

@ IMHO, this all starts to sound more like a relationship between two consenting adults, and a vindictive ex-husband who is using his wealth to try to punish and control his ex-wife. It seems like Newmyer tied in the school on a weak link just to ensure his claims would get national media attention, so he could further embarrass his ex-wife and her new boyfriend.

@ Even if Newmyer was totally right in all his claims and everything he said was true (just hypothetically), what father would hire a PR firm to put all that salacious info out there about himself, his daughters, and their mother? What kind of father shoves his daughters into the national media spotlight like that? He does not seem to be acting in their best interests. It seems like he is using his daughters to get revenge on his ex-wife.

except for the fact that his personal emails sent from his work computer give a clear picture of a man who did not respect his students, or the confidentiality of his role. The sharing of private info about other parents ( the Woodwwards) with one of their fellow parents he was having sex with

[jsteele]

Does anyone know how Newmyer managed to get hold of Huntington's emails?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:Does anyone know how Newmyer managed to get hold of Huntington's emails?

I Recall reading the therapists ex wife had access to his account. I thought that was either in the complaint or in an early news story.

[Anonymous]

So the therapist ex also has an axe to grind?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you think these things dont happen at your school - you are wrong. Its just all magnified because of the status of SFS.

It would be naïve to think that we know everything that goes on at every school. In fact, schools, parents and students all work to keep their dirty laundry hidden since everyone has a lot invested in the reputation of a school. That is why we probably know very little of what goes on within other schools. What we do happen to learn usually comes out when someone has an axe to grind against the school or when a crime occurs. A brief review:

Landon SAT scandal: disgruntled parent/lawsuit
Landon fantasy draft: disgruntled parent
Georgetown Prep pedophile: crime
George Hugley: crime
Al Gore’s son – crime
Beauvoir pedohile: crime
Cathedral sexcapdes - disgruntled parent
Sidwell pedophile –crime
Sidwell sex scandal: lawsuit
Sidwell 8th grade girls – disgruntled teacher


I think it is fair to conclude that a scandal is magnified when there is some connection to a famous person – Al Gore’s son, for example, or President Obama’s daughter’s classmates – because the scandal catches the attention of the national media. But the local attention will be great at any of the elite private schools. So the challenge for these elite schools is to keep their dirty laundry out of the public view.

Actually, I think the root of what happens is not criminal ( though in some examples above a crime is eventually committed) The root/ start of the problem is people within a school ( both admin and parents) not only don't maintain professional boundaries, but "trade on" the influence of their position within the school for their personal advantage. Such as:

1) Toth: he used his position as a tutor to gain parent's trust , and then traded on those "connections" with rich and influential parents to gain a position at a DC private school. Had that kind of "trading in influence" not been cottoned to at that school, Toth never would have been hired. Then, he again inappropriately baby sat for his own students, often for free, and that conflict of interest and coarse of professional boundaries was not abruptly identified and put a stop to. Eventually, there were tragic results, but do you see where it all started and should have been stopped: with pushy parents trying to do him a favor and with admin listening to those parents d/t the un towered $$$ influence of those parents.

2) Huntington: again, it seems , imho, from his emails shared on this thread that he used his role as school psychologist to curry the favor of at least one parent, prey on her needs for validation about her child , and then crossed a professional boundary by beginning a sexual relationship with her. No doubt there were other parents who's "favor" he also cultivated though the end game might not have been sex, just plain protection of or advancement of his position within the Sidwell administration. That makes him pretty hard to fire, ya' know.

When high powered parents meet lower paid teachers/ admin , there need to be a carefully held code of ethics, not to mention some basic training in how to manage a school, not just " network with rich parents"

This is not how true professionals behave.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:Does anyone know how Newmyer managed to get hold of Huntington's emails?

I'd say with all the money Newmyer has, perhaps a hacker. I would think Sidwell server is not exactly as secure as say that of the chinese politbuouro.

[Anonymous]

This is why I've been taught when stuff that could lead to this type of scandal you minimize it and get out of the situation. Can someone articulate a theoretical happy ending to this? There may be. I just can't visualize it. The guy either gets a wins or loses. The mother is still the mother of the kid or kids. Sidwell still is famous/elite etc. . Probably a lot of angst. Can't be good for anyone really. What's the flip side of this again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6:44 FTW! I doubt I would want to date the school shrink, but he was not treating the child, so where is the liability? Do any schools have polices on staff not dating parents?

Umm, my god are you kidding or are you 25 years old ? Seriously you truly don' see the conflict of interest there.

Here: I'm grading your kid and the grades I give them will go on their transcript....hmmm maybe , just maybe if you:

1) give me a really fat tip at end of year
2) let me stay in your Tahoe house for free over winter break as a "house sitter"
3) let me come to Italy and stay in your summer home


I might juts might not give your kid that F they deserve, or turn them in for being biggest pot dealer in the school, or advocate for them NOT getting counsilled out or.... get it .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Does anyone know how Newmyer managed to get hold of Huntington's emails?

I'd say with all the money Newmyer has, perhaps a hacker. I would think Sidwell server is not exactly as secure as say that of the chinese politbuouro.

Can stolen emails be used in court? Isn't it a crime itself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As UGLY as this whole situation is, the ONLY victim is the child.

No, what happened with the child is a symptom of the problem. The problem is the un-checked trading in influence and lack of professional behavior. If the school does not change its policies and procedures ( such as no "home private pyschologist consults" / WTF ) , it will happen again.

The Neymyer case was just waiting to happen, other schools have had pedophiles exploit the VERY SAME lack of professional oversight, lack of code of professional conduct and waaaay too much influence given to $$$$ parents.

School's that operate without better management better up their insurance coverage.