At what point would you not believe a confession?

[Anonymous]

Op what are you going on about? I am struggling to understand this post.

[Anonymous]

The teacher admitted to a parent that they (the teacher) spanked that person's child. But, as if to make it seem like it was no big deal, they explained that they didn't hit that child as hard as they have hit this other child.

The parent was shocked and the teacher seemed to not realize this was wrong. They continued to not deny they hit children in the class. The parent left, informed the administration, and apparently from the point of the administrator talking with the teacher, the teacher began to deny any hitting.

I have my kid at the school, I see these administrators and we strain smiles- but I just don't know how they can continue acting like nothing happened. I guess they're just saving their jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op what are you going on about? I am struggling to understand this post.

In a nutshell: how do people go on knowing they have protected an abuser? Or, the other option being, how would they hear what this conversation was (even if second -hand, they heard about it within hours of it occuring) and not believe that the confession was true?

I'm not even concerned with the OSSE investigation/burden of proof thing. I get it. If there are no marks and it's between what people said, they can't prove anything did or did not happen.

BUT others heard this conversation and are now acting as if this teacher is fit for taking care of other people's toddlers. I don't understand how they can either A) just be okay with lying or covering something up, or B) believing that the teacher's confession isn't to be believed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teacher admitted to a parent that they (the teacher) spanked that person's child. But, as if to make it seem like it was no big deal, they explained that they didn't hit that child as hard as they have hit this other child.

The parent was shocked and the teacher seemed to not realize this was wrong. They continued to not deny they hit children in the class. The parent left, informed the administration, and apparently from the point of the administrator talking with the teacher, the teacher began to deny any hitting.

I have my kid at the school, I see these administrators and we strain smiles- but I just don't know how they can continue acting like nothing happened. I guess they're just saving their jobs.

Remove your child from the school. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teacher admitted to a parent that they (the teacher) spanked that person's child. But, as if to make it seem like it was no big deal, they explained that they didn't hit that child as hard as they have hit this other child.

The parent was shocked and the teacher seemed to not realize this was wrong. They continued to not deny they hit children in the class. The parent left, informed the administration, and apparently from the point of the administrator talking with the teacher, the teacher began to deny any hitting.

I have my kid at the school, I see these administrators and we strain smiles- but I just don't know how they can continue acting like nothing happened. I guess they're just saving their jobs.

The parent needs to call police and file a report, then. That way, there's a paper trail, so when the next accusation comes along (and it will), it will be harder to brush things off.

It's cumulative, OP. Surely you hear of people in positions of authority who are caught after many years and many complaints of abuse. It takes a whole lot of victims to come forward to move institutions. It's not that the administration is evil. It's that when the evidence is circumstantial, there needs to be a lot of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Misdeeds 101: hearsay is not evidence. OSSE did not directly receive the confession, someone else did. Therefore, it's hearsay, and not admissible in absence of other evidence (such as proof of bodily injury).

They all know she did it, but they can't prove it.
Therefore, it's business as usual. What are you going to do? Ask that your children be transferred to another class? Because you think if this teacher hits her kids, she's going to hit yours? Or just as a matter of principle, are you going to leave the school? The school can't fire her based on that one confession, they have rules to follow.

You really need to make your brain work, one of these days.

Exception to the hearsay rule so admissible. Statement against self interest.

[Anonymous]

Was this a DC public school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op what are you going on about? I am struggling to understand this post.

In a nutshell: how do people go on knowing they have protected an abuser? Or, the other option being, how would they hear what this conversation was (even if second -hand, they heard about it within hours of it occuring) and not believe that the confession was true?

I'm not even concerned with the OSSE investigation/burden of proof thing. I get it. If there are no marks and it's between what people said, they can't prove anything did or did not happen.

BUT others heard this conversation and are now acting as if this teacher is fit for taking care of other people's toddlers. I don't understand how they can either A) just be okay with lying or covering something up, or B) believing that the teacher's confession isn't to be believed.

Most people want to go along to get along.

The school does not want to open up a complaint process against the teacher that they know they can't win.

The other parents don't want to deal with administration or moving their kids to a different school. After all, the teacher didn't hit THEIR kid. So they shrug and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have so many double negatives in your writing that it's almost impossible to tell what you're asking.

+1

+100. moving on

[Anonymous]

What do the kids say? Are these kids toddlers who can't talk?

Either the teacher didn't do it, but said she did (why? Maybe she's a pathological liar? Sociopath? Trying to get that parent riled up? No idea.)

The teacher did it and said it, but denied it.

The parent lied

Either way there's a strong possibility the teacher hits (toddlers) so proceed accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op what are you going on about? I am struggling to understand this post.

It makes no sense, and I don’t believe a word of it. A teacher spanks two kids and confesses? Nope. The OP either has a wildly out of control child, or an unquenchable thirst for bad gossip.

[Anonymous]

Op the majority of evidence suggests there was not spanking. They likely spoke to the children, other teachers, maybe even reviewed video. That means there was a miscommunication. Maybe the teacher meant to say that is a child who should be spanked. Or maybe they said that is a Child who spanked another child. You clearly don’t like or trust the school, and you should generally trust your instincts, but there are several explanations for what happened and you mostly sound irrational in your outrage over the situation, like you have a grudge against the teacher or the school.

[Anonymous]

I am blown away by the fact that OP clearly believes that this school has teachers hitting kids and sweeping it under the rug, and her child is still there. Mindboggled.

But to answer the question, if you're asking why some people don't believe the confession, it's because they didn't hear the confession and they have reason to doubt the parent who is relaying it. Maybe the parent is giving reason for people to doubt them such as continuing to have their child in the school. Maybe they have history with both the teacher and parent and have found the teacher more honest in other situations. Maybe the parent has something to gain from the situation. Or maybe the school is staying neutral and putting in place structures to make sure the teacher is never alone with children, but not firing.

[Anonymous]

You posted on this before, on the preschool forum, and said the investigation was ongoing. Which school is this OP? I believe you said it was DCPS or a DC charter.

[Anonymous]

I would want to know more about this conversation between the teacher and the parent. What brought on the topic of spanking? That is a big admission to a rando parent. Seems odd.