Anonymous wrote:I don't think I agree. Generally speaking, law says you can do whatever with an 18-year-old girl. A 99-year old man can marry an 18-year-old girl. This is a special law that criminalizes doing that whatever if you are her current teacher, coach, or school administrator. I think that's great! Remember, in the real world, 47-year olds can have sex with 18-year olds whenever, no questions asked. So this is a good law.

And he broke it. And he clearly broke it. Lots of receipts.

I disagree with you. I think there should be stricter laws.

I don’t think it should be legal to groom a 16-18 year old and then bang her on her 18th birthday.

I don’t think a 47 year old should be able to date an 18 year old.

Laws were made to protect predatory men. Laws were made by men!

Also sentencing guidelines… made by men. He’ll be out in 18 months. He might get 3 years tops with 2 victims.

Girls lives are destroyed for a long time and men get a slap on the wrist.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does MCPS release the number or percent of teachers who are put on administrative leave for a report of this nature, or for sexting or grooming or whatever, and then are returned to their position, or placed in the same position in another school? That statistic would be interesting.

Please. MCPS would never track that data. Reports of teachers/coaches texting students or any questionable behavior is squirreled away and never sees the light of day unless the police starts investigating. Without an arrest, the individuals are kept in classrooms and remain in coaching positions.

How do I know? I reported to MCPS what I found on my child’s cell phone. He is still a teacher and coach in MCPS. My child quit the team and was taken out of his class.

Oh dear. PP, I'm really sorry for you and your child. And let me make sure I understand: Are you saying that there is *another* MCPS teacher that is a predator and still teaching/coaching despite your complaint/evidence? If so, this is very disturbing. And there are probably other victims (whose parents are not so vigilant, of course...since child abusers keep trying things out until they get caught...)

Never ever ever report it MCPS. Report it to the police.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does MCPS release the number or percent of teachers who are put on administrative leave for a report of this nature, or for sexting or grooming or whatever, and then are returned to their position, or placed in the same position in another school? That statistic would be interesting.

Please. MCPS would never track that data. Reports of teachers/coaches texting students or any questionable behavior is squirreled away and never sees the light of day unless the police starts investigating. Without an arrest, the individuals are kept in classrooms and remain in coaching positions.

How do I know? I reported to MCPS what I found on my child’s cell phone. He is still a teacher and coach in MCPS. My child quit the team and was taken out of his class.

Oh dear. PP, I'm really sorry for you and your child. And let me make sure I understand: Are you saying that there is *another* MCPS teacher that is a predator and still teaching/coaching despite your complaint/evidence? If so, this is very disturbing. And there are probably other victims (whose parents are not so vigilant, of course...since child abusers keep trying things out until they get caught...)

Anonymous wrote:I am disgusted by any suggestion that the 2018 relationship was consensual. Did you read the charging documents? The girl was clearly a very sexually inexperienced person, and he was asking her to do things like digitally penetrate herself to widen her vaginal opening for him. He was her trusted coach, an adult who feigned over years that he had her back. This is an absolutely gut-wrenching abuse of power, trust, and authority.

+1. He got her excited about being with him and she became interested in an intimate sexual relationship w/him because he led her to it. He suggested more and more things to get her increasingly involved in explored her sexuality at his instruction.
Let's face it, sexual activity is an alluring idea for young people when it's a new thing. It's racy, and involves feeling things (emotionally, physically) that you've never felt before, and getting excited in ways that feel special. With each girl, he was leading her down the path of introducing her into these secret but exhilarating experiences, being the 'assuring, experienced' one in the relationship with all the tips and advice, and, actually, coaching....Acting like since he knew the ropes, he was a 'safe' and trustworthy partner. EWWWW.
For the pp(s) who said it appeared "consensual," what grooming does is make someone feel like they appreciate the attention and feel like they want or are ready for the intimacy--when in reality, the predator is just leading the victim, step by step, to be a willing partner FOR SEX. Notice he isn't telling either girl that she is his soul mate, or enjoying her company to talk for hours about their interests or life goals....their involvement is hooking up physically only, with girls who appear to have not been planning to become sexually active at that time, until he started grooming them.
This guy seemed so out in the open with his attitude towards girls, that he likely is confident from years of getting away with this. Grrr.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it even legit for teachers to text students? It should be officially prohibited. Every communication strictly through the school email.

+1.

Happens all the time. DS in HS has a female coach and receives texts.

Individual texts or texts to the entire team?

+1 even the Boy Scouts of America now has a "no one-on-one contact rule." Either a second adult or a second student must always be included. How can school systems not have this?

They should be texting the parents but now that they have an email portal through MCPS every thing should go there.

Anonymous wrote:Does MCPS release the number or percent of teachers who are put on administrative leave for a report of this nature, or for sexting or grooming or whatever, and then are returned to their position, or placed in the same position in another school? That statistic would be interesting.

Please. MCPS would never track that data. Reports of teachers/coaches texting students or any questionable behavior is squirreled away and never sees the light of day unless the police starts investigating. Without an arrest, the individuals are kept in classrooms and remain in coaching positions.

How do I know? I reported to MCPS what I found on my child’s cell phone. He is still a teacher and coach in MCPS. My child quit the team and was taken out of his class.

"In Loco Parentis" people. Do you not remember that legal element that states "teacher is parent" to students while they are in the care of said teacher? I suspect that has a lot to do with making the situation illegal.

I don't think I agree. Generally speaking, law says you can do whatever with an 18-year-old girl. A 99-year old man can marry an 18-year-old girl. This is a special law that criminalizes doing that whatever if you are her current teacher, coach, or school administrator. I think that's great! Remember, in the real world, 47-year olds can have sex with 18-year olds whenever, no questions asked. So this is a good law.

And he broke it. And he clearly broke it. Lots of receipts.

Anonymous wrote:Okay, but he was a teacher, and thus the law makes plain that it is a criminal offense.

I'm not talking about people who have sex with 18-year olds generally. That is the age of consent, and they can even become porn stars. But the law says if you are in high school, your teacher can't have sex with you. Period. No matter how old you are. And whether you think that is a good rule or not (I happen to think it is a great rule), it's the law. And there is very clear proof that he didn't abide by that law.

I think the law is too lax, don’t u. He gets caught up in a loophole. That’s why some think what he did wasn’t a big deal. His male judge will give him 19 months… then he’s out perfecting his craft.

That’s the problem with the law.

Okay, but he was a teacher, and thus the law makes plain that it is a criminal offense.

I'm not talking about people who have sex with 18-year olds generally. That is the age of consent, and they can even become porn stars. But the law says if you are in high school, your teacher can't have sex with you. Period. No matter how old you are. And whether you think that is a good rule or not (I happen to think it is a great rule), it's the law. And there is very clear proof that he didn't abide by that law.

Anonymous wrote:I am disgusted by any suggestion that the 2018 relationship was consensual. Did you read the charging documents? The girl was clearly a very sexually inexperienced person, and he was asking her to do things like digitally penetrate herself to widen her vaginal opening for him. He was her trusted coach, an adult who feigned over years that he had her back. This is an absolutely gut-wrenching abuse of power, trust, and authority.

It does not matter.

The law is that it would have been considered consensual if he was not a teacher.

If you really care get the laws to change.

Right. Only in a small subset of cases does having sex with an 18-year old get you in trouble, and the D.C. legislature (in my view properly) determined that, where the aggressor is a coach, teacher, or school administrator, and the student is in high school, that is a punishable offense. Anyone who has issues with that clearly doesn't have kids. This is a reasonable prophylactic rule.

With the 2018 victim, she was 18, but still in high school. Clear offense.

With the 2013 victim, she had graduated, but she was 17. Statutory rape.

I'm sure there will be more victims. Per my daughter, who had him for AP Euro, he wore a rubber band around his wrist that he snapped repeatedly during class, explaining when he did it that it helped him control his anger at his mom. She found it bizarre. Over 20 years of coaching, this good-looking, inveterate bachelor (who still lived with his mom in Georgetown despite this anger) likely found his share of trusting kids to groom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it even legit for teachers to text students? It should be officially prohibited. Every communication strictly through the school email.

+1.

Happens all the time. DS in HS has a female coach and receives texts.

Individual texts or texts to the entire team?

+1 even the Boy Scouts of America now has a "no one-on-one contact rule." Either a second adult or a second student must always be included. How can school systems not have this?

If you look at the charging documents, the charges under the DC criminal code are 1st and 2d degree sexual assault of a secondary school student (under 20). He would not have been prosecuted for the “relationship” with the 18 year old had he not been her coach/teacher. The crime (punishable by up to 10 years for a 1st degree offense) is meant to address the power imbalance/increased vulnerability PPs have mentioned.

I am disgusted by any suggestion that the 2018 relationship was consensual. Did you read the charging documents? The girl was clearly a very sexually inexperienced person, and he was asking her to do things like digitally penetrate herself to widen her vaginal opening for him. He was her trusted coach, an adult who feigned over years that he had her back. This is an absolutely gut-wrenching abuse of power, trust, and authority.