Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a very toxic community at eaton unless you're a popular parent (like tom mahoney) so I doubt anyone there would even care as long as it didn't directly happen to them

This is not true. I've been involved with several HSA fundraisers over the years and never met the guy.

Whoever said this should definitely be red flagged and not be volunteering anymore.
Tom Mahoney was absolutely exhibiting this same grooming behavior at Eaton as described by the swimming group. He was one of the most obnoxious WhatsApp posters, he was constantly mentioned in HSA emails, he showed up with cameras unsolicited at events and playdates, was involved with the hsa and after-school (jeap) parent groups, and was regularly lurking in front of the school talking to kids and parents without his own children present. Hopefully he never chaperoned a field trip and took anyone to the bathroom but who knows because mainly people just seem to want to defend him/the school and not want to talk about it. I agree that there are other problematic characters that seem to have too much access and trust as well, and yes, I am an Eaton parent. We should always be questioning people's motives if it seems off. I'm sorry to those who are having to deal with this, it happens far too often.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a very toxic community at eaton unless you're a popular parent (like tom mahoney) so I doubt anyone there would even care as long as it didn't directly happen to them

This is not true. I've been involved with several HSA fundraisers over the years and never met the guy.

That kind of attitude towards another parents observations and concerns is exactly everyone's point about the hsa. That's some crazy irony.
It can't be true because it's not your experience. Ok then.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The swim teams received so much negative publicity because they actually did the right thing (informed the parents by email). The school and other communities (karate, soccer, baseball, and basketball) avoided scrutiny because they failed to do the right thing (inform the parents).

Also, summer swim team is six weeks long. The school year is nine months long. The Mahonys were on summer swim team for three seasons. They were at the school for 6 years.

And club swim is ten months long.

This is true. However, ASA has very strict rules. Parents are not allowed on deck during swim practice and not even allowed into the building during swim practice. They have to wait outside until their kid comes out of the building.

Limiting parental access to see how the kids are being treated is a huge red flag. What parents tolerate this?

Coaches perform better when parents don’t interrupt practice with annoying questions and kids perform better when parents are not on deck to distract them or cater to all their needs.

And, as a parent, it assures me that only trained & background-checked coaches are interacting with my kids. Not other random parents that I know nothing about.

I assume there is always more than one trained coach present, so no coach is ever alone with a kid. That would be a huge red flag. But multiple coaches and a group of kids? And no parents? No issue here.

I don’t remember being explicitly given any “parental access” rules when my daughter was in MVP. All I remember is a lot of yelling adults and kids moving freely in groups. It’s obvious why this was his ideal hunting ground. And it’s sad that we’ve heard of no reflections on how summer swim can change in light of this situation.

Can you pass a background check if there’s a restraining order against you?

I had to be fingerprinted annually (or close to that) to chaperone dcps field trips. Maybe every parent should have to do this to volunteer on pta etc ?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The swim teams received so much negative publicity because they actually did the right thing (informed the parents by email). The school and other communities (karate, soccer, baseball, and basketball) avoided scrutiny because they failed to do the right thing (inform the parents).

Also, summer swim team is six weeks long. The school year is nine months long. The Mahonys were on summer swim team for three seasons. They were at the school for 6 years.

And club swim is ten months long.

This is true. However, ASA has very strict rules. Parents are not allowed on deck during swim practice and not even allowed into the building during swim practice. They have to wait outside until their kid comes out of the building.

Limiting parental access to see how the kids are being treated is a huge red flag. What parents tolerate this?

Coaches perform better when parents don’t interrupt practice with annoying questions and kids perform better when parents are not on deck to distract them or cater to all their needs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The swim teams received so much negative publicity because they actually did the right thing (informed the parents by email). The school and other communities (karate, soccer, baseball, and basketball) avoided scrutiny because they failed to do the right thing (inform the parents).

Also, summer swim team is six weeks long. The school year is nine months long. The Mahonys were on summer swim team for three seasons. They were at the school for 6 years.

And club swim is ten months long.

This is true. However, ASA has very strict rules. Parents are not allowed on deck during swim practice and not even allowed into the building during swim practice. They have to wait outside until their kid comes out of the building.

Limiting parental access to see how the kids are being treated is a huge red flag. What parents tolerate this?

Parents aren’t allowed to observe children in school either. I have no idea what goes on in my child’s classroom. The teacher has been trained and has passed a background investigation so I have to entrust my child with this teacher. Same thing with a coach.

Anonymous wrote:It's a very toxic community at eaton unless you're a popular parent (like tom mahoney) so I doubt anyone there would even care as long as it didn't directly happen to them

This is not true. I've been involved with several HSA fundraisers over the years and never met the guy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The swim teams received so much negative publicity because they actually did the right thing (informed the parents by email). The school and other communities (karate, soccer, baseball, and basketball) avoided scrutiny because they failed to do the right thing (inform the parents).

Also, summer swim team is six weeks long. The school year is nine months long. The Mahonys were on summer swim team for three seasons. They were at the school for 6 years.

And club swim is ten months long.

This is true. However, ASA has very strict rules. Parents are not allowed on deck during swim practice and not even allowed into the building during swim practice. They have to wait outside until their kid comes out of the building.

Limiting parental access to see how the kids are being treated is a huge red flag. What parents tolerate this?

It also limits the ability of perverts like Thomas to observe children in swimsuits.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The swim teams received so much negative publicity because they actually did the right thing (informed the parents by email). The school and other communities (karate, soccer, baseball, and basketball) avoided scrutiny because they failed to do the right thing (inform the parents).

Also, summer swim team is six weeks long. The school year is nine months long. The Mahonys were on summer swim team for three seasons. They were at the school for 6 years.

And club swim is ten months long.

This is true. However, ASA has very strict rules. Parents are not allowed on deck during swim practice and not even allowed into the building during swim practice. They have to wait outside until their kid comes out of the building.

Limiting parental access to see how the kids are being treated is a huge red flag. What parents tolerate this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The swim teams received so much negative publicity because they actually did the right thing (informed the parents by email). The school and other communities (karate, soccer, baseball, and basketball) avoided scrutiny because they failed to do the right thing (inform the parents).

Also, summer swim team is six weeks long. The school year is nine months long. The Mahonys were on summer swim team for three seasons. They were at the school for 6 years.

And club swim is ten months long.

Do you have a solution to make club swimming safer?

I’m sure a swim meet is a sick pedophile’s idea of paradise. However, there seem to be lots of USA swimming rules and safeguards in place. For example, at swim meets, volunteer parents are not allowed to use the same bathrooms as the swimmers and if a volunteer parent enters a bathroom/locker room assigned to swimmers either accidentally or deliberately, the meet will be stopped.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The swim teams received so much negative publicity because they actually did the right thing (informed the parents by email). The school and other communities (karate, soccer, baseball, and basketball) avoided scrutiny because they failed to do the right thing (inform the parents).

Also, summer swim team is six weeks long. The school year is nine months long. The Mahonys were on summer swim team for three seasons. They were at the school for 6 years.

And club swim is ten months long.

This is true. However, ASA has very strict rules. Parents are not allowed on deck during swim practice and not even allowed into the building during swim practice. They have to wait outside until their kid comes out of the building.

Anonymous wrote:The swim teams received so much negative publicity because they actually did the right thing (informed the parents by email). The school and other communities (karate, soccer, baseball, and basketball) avoided scrutiny because they failed to do the right thing (inform the parents).

Also, summer swim team is six weeks long. The school year is nine months long. The Mahonys were on summer swim team for three seasons. They were at the school for 6 years.

And club swim is ten months long.

Anonymous wrote:It's a very toxic community at eaton unless you're a popular parent (like tom mahoney) so I doubt anyone there would even care as long as it didn't directly happen to them

This is so sad to hear (assuming it’s actually a real Eaton parent). Eaton was such an amazing community to raise our kids in. We remember when the new cohort of families (including Mahony and some of his sketchy friends that are sadly returning to the school) came in and led the HSA - it really did change the old culture of the school. Eaton was far from perfect - but always a wonderfully supportive and amazing school. I hope his pushes DCPS to really pay attention to restraining orders and PPOs before they give parents clearance. Also - whatever happened to photo waivers for minors??

It's a very toxic community at eaton unless you're a popular parent (like tom mahoney) so I doubt anyone there would even care as long as it didn't directly happen to them