Public schools: The most dangerous place for kids today?
As we've reported so many times before, when a report is released alleging abuse many decades ago by long-dead Catholic priests – priests who are no longer around to defend themselves – you can be sure the media will become apoplectic and jump all over the story.
But predictably there was no such media frenzy when the Office of the Inspector General in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) recently released a stunning report detailing that the district's Sexual Allegations Unit (yes, the district actually has a full-time team dedicated to this) received a whopping 470 allegations of sexual misconduct by CPS employees just in the 2022 school year alone!
Yes. 470. And this is in one school year, which typically entails only 180 days. So we're talking about nearly three sex crime allegations every school day in only one school district. Among the allegations:
- a CPS teacher who sexually assaulted a 17-year-old student on three occasions;
- a CPS high school gym teacher who repeatedly exposed himself to a sophomore girl and also sent her photos of himself engaged in sexual acts;
- a CPS elementary teacher who inappropriately touched a CPS student in a sexual manner repeatedly over several years, when he was 11 to 14 years old;
- a CPS substitute teacher who asked a student to recruit another student for a "threesome" and made other wildly inappropriate sexual comments; and
- a CPS charter school administrator who took a high school junior to a Broadway musical in downtown Chicago and then groped his genitals.
[*Click to read Chicago's Inspector General Report on sex crimes in CPS (pdf]*]
The report from Chicago follows an avalanche of reports in 2022 across the United States of sexual assaults committed by school teachers. According to one year-long analysis, nearly 350 K-through-12 educators were arrested across the country on child sex crimes in only the 2022 calendar year. That's close to one arrest per day!
Hello, Bob …
Robert Herguth,
Chicago Sun-Times
Unfortunately, there are still so-called "journalists" out there who only seem to get worked up about sex abuse when it involves dead priests accused many decades ago. And we're talking to you, Bob Herguth, at the Chicago Sun-Times. Bob has penned a bunch of breathless articles in recent times involving accusations against priests dating back to when Richard Nixon occupied the White House. Not exactly fresh stuff.
Yet when it comes to sex abuse being committed today in Chicago Public Schools, Herguth does not seem too concerned. Children's lives are only at risk.
That the media will predictably neglect dramatic stories of widespread abuse happening in Chicago's public schools today only reveals once again that the media has never really been concerned about child abuse at all, except when it occurs in institutions it hates for ideological reasons, like the Catholic Church.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: sexual abuse is a societal problem, period! It does only happen in one pocket of society. If the media only keeps focussing on the Catholic Church, other victims might not bother coming forward and the problem won't end!
Agree with Matt M. and his comment. Also might add that this official report from Chicago Public Schools brings out interesting points to consider. You will recall that the alleged victims of Catholic clergy almost always explained away extraordinary delays in reporting abuse with:-
1. It was so traumatic that my mind suppressed it, but recovered memory decades later.
2. He threatened me and I was afraid to tell anyone
3. Thought that if it got out my peers would think me homosexual or a slut.
4. My parents were frail and didn't want to burden them with shock news.
Now surely if we take these reasons as valid then it would apply to all kids, whether public school or Catholic school. A kid at a public school may be afraid of a teacher, even worried about getting good grades. Also could suppress memory?. May have elderly/frail parents. May be afraid of other kids seeing them as gays. So if all the reasons are to be believed then CPS is only seeing the tip of an abuse iceberg. The big berg will surface decades from now.
"sexual abuse is a societal problem, period!"
Absolutely right, Matt, among secular society and sinners. But those of the church claiming to be saved by the blood of Jesus, parading themselves in their pomp and circumstance as being holy and pure, would never and should never sexually abuse children and minors. This is totally unbiblical and most definitely hypocrisy. The religious should never compare themselves or point fingers at the secular world and say, "Oh, Look how bad they are and why aren't you attacking them!" Total hypocrisy and they will be judged harshly by the Almighty come Judgment Day. Check out - Matthew 18:6,7 – 2 Peter 2 – Jude
Dan,
Nice to see that you are still with us. Your make some good points, with lighter-than-usual Catholic-bashing rhetoric:
This article is about hypocrisy, yes, but of the Media, always ready to report alleged crimes committed by Catholics and condemn them without waiting for due process, but are quiet when the same horrendous crimes are reported in other settings, secular and religious alike – all churches and religious organizations suffer from this plague, no exceptions. The Catholic Church is, so far, the only one who’s has done something about it.
You are correct that Christian in general, and Catholics in particular, must not resolve to finger pointing, although that’s different from asking for fairness from those who claim to be committed to reporting the truth without prejudice.
Ultimately, the Lord will judge all of us.
Have a blessed 2023!