Comments about ‘Teacher accused of sex crime’

whats with Utah? whats in the water there?

Maybe they should just start listing the teachers that have not had sex with any of their students. The list might be shorter.

I think it happens in California too. They are more liberal so its probable not so strictly reported.

Given the recent incident at West High, don't you think we should presume the defendant innocent until proven guilty?

61 and 17? They're both sick!

And these are the cases that are reported. There are at least twice as many that are never reported. All of my Male teachers would flirt with the girls at my high school. It just happens. Its sad but it happens.

I don't understand why a 17 year old would have sex with a 61 year old, yuck!!

I LOVE READING STORIES LIKE THIS THAT USES WORDS LIKE "ALLEGED" AND "RECEIVED INFORMATION" I WONDER WHAT ALL IT REALLY TAKES TO BE CONVICTED.

Anonymous:

So are you saying child molestation is acceptable to Californian liberals?

Or are you saying liberal parents living in California wouldn't report the abuse of their children because of their political beliefs?

Or you saying you are ignorant and are trying to spread your ignorance over the internet?

Arrested, "No Charges Filed", so lets smear his name all over the papers and ruin this guys life for Accusations at this point. Way to report! Losers!

No... It doesn't happen here as much as I've read about it ocurring in Utah. SORRY.
In the year I spent living in Utah I read more about teachers/school staff having sex with minors than I have my whole life adult life in California (from age 15 till now, I'm 27).

There's undoubtedly sexual tension, maybe supression, in your state. But who am I to say. I just hate that everyone on here is always SO quick to mention California as the black sheep... you love to hate us. I asure you also, that in my whole life in California no one ever so much as mentioned Utah, for anything. I didn't know where it was until I moved there. And to be honest, all I can brag about now- back in Cali- is your amazing landscape and rich native culture... POWWOWS! But the later is an aspect that most Utahns take totally for granted... Unless its some generic symbol for a footbal team.

She is disgusting!! Any old guy would look at a young girl, why would it be flattering.? He could be her grandpa! Makes me sick.

PEOPLE!! We've just had two cases in the SAME WEEK of adults being accused of having sex with minors, both dismissed. "Officers received information"? That's all we need to convict these days? It's shameful that our society, and the Deseret News, reports these things so prematurely.

As a male teacher, I'm in fear of my life that some student might wrongfully accuse me of something. As a result, I'm a very impersonal teacher...no kids in my room outside of class, no conversations about anything but school work, and certainly no extracurricular activities for me...none of this is worth my livelihood. Still, all it would take is one vindictive student to wrongfully accuse me, and my life would be over. Utterly ridiculous.

Does anybody have a solution to the problem in our schools?.

Where in the article does it mention the student was a girl? Nor does it give details about how this surfaced? Is this just student wanting to get "revenge" for a bad grade? Let's wait until the details come out to make judgement.

Oh yes it does happen very, very often in California. Just because you haven't heard of many cases doesn't mean it doesn't happen often. I've lived here in CA for years, in NC for years and in VA for years. I'm 66 years old. It kills me how everytime something negative happens in Utah, the critics come out and say how much worse that particular thing is in Utah. Check you facts and you will be surprised.

What's wrong with the schools is that no one seems to want to follow the rules that have been put in place for the protection of the students as well as the teachers. When these rules are bent and broken and lines are crossed, even bigger rules get broken and bigger lines are crossed. Where is the administration in all of this? Could it be that they are the ones allowing the lines to be crossed?

JP mentions the delima of being a male teacher in a world gone crazy. His prescription for avoiding any suspicion is one that all male teachers should take to heart. Remember you don't have to be convicted, you just have to be accused.

thats SO gross! and wrong...the girl just wanted better grades! he taught me and i never believed this would happen, i also went to school with her, its unbelievable! honestly.

I feel for you. We need better teachers (which I hope you are) to produce better students. Bad apples are in both groups. This is just a suggestion to someone looking in from the outside:

1) Be open to student visits but mandate that it be with multiple students, open doors, with notification to your peers/supersivor

2) If possible, AND TELL THE STUDENT, that you want to record the conversation.

3) Make notes of all conversations overhead secondhand or you hear firsthand; distribute such notes with times, names and content to supervisor (in case vindictive student wrongfully implicates you).

Teaching is a business and these are simply business practices used by those businesses that want to keep both the employee and employer safe.