PA School Watch Journal - Passing The Trash

Guest Column By Mike Ference

nospam@example.com (Tina) — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:46:26 -0500

War Tactics Should Be Applied to Abusers and to Those Who Offered Protection

By Mike Ference

Every day brings new evidence that we no longer live in a civilized and principled society. The worst part, it usually concerns another case of sexual misconduct involving a Catholic priest, young children and a church hierarchy that helped to cover up the case.

The recently unveiled 2,600-page report by the Irish Commission explaining the systematic practice of torture and molestation at the country’s labor and educational institutions run by the Catholic Church for decades clearly suggests that Catholic Church Hierarchy have certainly outlived any usefulness to society.

And they still deny the heinous crimes and expect their weekly bounty of donations. But as more and more cases of abuse — and cover-up — come to light, one begins to wonder whether the Pope and his entourage of red hats should be considered any more trustworthy than, say, Saddam Hussein.

So — what should be done now that we know it’s a pattern of terror orchestrated by the Catholic Church and repeated everywhere the dysfunctional sex freaks have established a church, school, hospital or other institution. Given the level of wreckage and anguish caused in the lives of so many people, it seems appropriate to look to the war on terror for a model strategy.

A first prong of attack at the Vatican might involve a Special Forces unit made up of highly skilled and trained military personnel capable of tracking down and obtaining confessions from any current or former priests accused of acts of sexual abuse against children. If rights are violated, if military personnel sometimes go a little too far, so be it. The Catholic Church had ample opportunity to fess up and repent. Those incapable of civilized behavior shouldn’t expect the rights and privileges of civilization.

A deck of cards can be created to help identify hard-to-find priests as well as the disgraceful church leaders who permitted, and in essence, condoned the sexual abuse of young children. Photos of the most deviant and reprehensible church officials accompanied by a list of their offenses will encourage us all to do our patriotic duty in helping the authorities track down suspected priest-terrorists or at least be able to identify the culprits as they come and go freely because their sins where covered up and the time to criminally prosecute has expired.

Another option would be to divide the world into territories. A color-code warning system would be established, alerting parents about abusive priests being transferred into their respective regions. Depending on the designated color for a particular region, parents would know whether their children should serve at Mass, go on field trips, or even attend Catholic school that day.

To aid this unique war on terror, a pool of money should be collected, not involuntarily from taxpayers, but voluntarily from those decent human beings who believe crimes committed against our children are sins that God takes very seriously. Some of the funds raised could then be turned into outrageously tempting reward sums for information leading to the capture of our targeted criminals. Once the rogue clerics have been imprisoned and forced to talk, I recommend that their confessions be given to someone like Steven Spielberg or George Romero. Hollywood writers and producers could create a blockbuster movie like Roots or Schindler’s List to serve as a bitter reminder that these crimes should never again be permitted to occur. Tom Savini could be hired to recreate the horror on the faces of child actors chosen to play parts.

Proceeds from the movie could go to victims of abuse and their families. And no matter how old the crime, compensation would be available. There should be no statute of limitations when the rights of children have been violated by those who lived much of their adult lives perched on a pedestal heightened by the trust of innocent and vulnerable believers. In fact, I would extend compensation to the second and perhaps even third generation of sufferers. It would certainly include siblings denied the experience of growing up with a brother or sister untraumatized by such abuse. And since crimes of abuse tend to echo, it would extend to the victims of the victims as well.

If all else fails, is it any less rational to declare war on the Catholic Church as part of a war on child abuse than it was to declare war on Iraq (which had nothing to do with 9/11 or Al-Qaeda and apparently had no weapons of mass destruction) as part of a war on terror? How many innocent children have been verifiably lost to this menace — and how many more will be lost if we don’t make a preemptive strike?

As horrific as sexual abuse by priests may be, the perpetrators might merit a more forgiving place if only their superiors had the courage to do the right thing. For a few, counseling and close supervision might have been enough to prevent future abuses. Others clearly required something more intensive — a mental hospital or a prison.

But repeated abuse, as well as willfully hiding the crimes and the criminals — as far as I can see, this brings us much closer to the realm of mortal sin. And the sinners include not just the church hierarchy, but also attorneys who ill-advised parents not to buck the system and take on the Catholic Church, or may even have provided inside information to thwart legitimate cases against the church, law enforcement officials who may have thought it best to warn church officials of pending investigations, and janitors, housekeepers, teachers, and employees of the Catholic Church who kept silent because of concerns about a paycheck, a 401K, a pension, or a fear of standing up to church authorities. God has a place for everyone — and if you abuse children or protect the abusers of children, we can only hope that your place is called hell.

Guest Columnist -Mike Ference

nospam@example.com (Tina) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:19:46 -0600

This editorial is from January 2008. Note: PA State Rep Lisa Bennington decided to serve only one term and is no longer in Harrisburg. Act 107 passed and has expanded the statute of limitations for bringing criminal charges, increases the likelihood of victims coming forward. The very first case was dismissed (last March) due to the District Attorney not "understanding" the law. The question stands, what exactly is going on in Pennsylvania? Or as Mike Ference has asked:

Is Pennsylvania a Pro-Pedophile State?

You be the judge

By Mike Ference

PA State Rep. Lisa Bennington, D-Allegheny County, held a press on May 12 in Harrisburg, PA to discuss House Bill 1137, legislation known as the Child Victim’s Act of Pennsylvania, which addresses statute of limitations and identifying sex abusers.

If the bill passes, it would change the age at which a civil suit could be filed from until the accuser is 30 to 50, bringing the civil statute of limitations in line with the criminal statute. The bill would also suspend the civil statute of limitations for two years in child sex abuse cases in which the statute has expired so that people over the age limit could file a suit. And it would allow the filing of such actions against child sex abusers and their enablers in both public and private institutions.

According to Bennington, it’s the private institutions where offenders have been allowed to move on and continue with their lives. “Their victims have been left behind to pick up the pieces, never getting their day in court and or a chance to see justice carried out. They live with this horrific crime for the rest of their lives,” she points o ut.

A 2005 Philadelphia Grand Jury Report uncovered 63 priests in the Philadelphia archdiocese who had abused hundreds of children over several decades. In some cases, archdiocese leaders intentionally concealed the abuse to protect the church.

And Bennington stresses, her bill does not target the Catholic Church. Rather, “it pertains to all religious institutions, public schools, youth groups and any organization where child sex abuse has occurred. This bill would give all Pennsylvania victims their fundamental right to hold those accountable that afflicted or allowed the abuse to occur.”

Sounds reasonable and seems like a good thing. Similar legislation has passed in California and Delaware in recent years. In California, about 1,000 victims came forward and 300 predators were identified. Yet, there’s one PA lawmaker who strongly opposes the legislation and doesn’t even intend to give the bill a hearing.

State Rep. Thomas R.Caltagirone D., (Berks County), the House Judiciary Committee chairman, says the proposed bill is driven by victims’ desire to win large legal payouts. Caltagirone goes on to say the bill is all about money, not about justice.

Ironically, Caltagirone was quick to vote with fellow legislators for a 50 percent increase in their pensions in 2001 and the infamous middle of the night pay raise in 2005. The state rep along with other lawmakers chose to take the self-induced pay grab immediately in unvouchered expenses. M any PA residents felt this made the elected officials look like money-hungry crooks, as it was eventually declared unconstitutional.

As expected, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference deplores the bill. Choosing to continue to protect perverted priests, rather than seek justice. Likewise, the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania is also against the bill. And while Caltagirone has officially declared HB1137 dead, his puppy-protection bill seems to be racing for the finish line.

Could the PA state rep be more concerned about protecting puppies than innocent children abused as sex toys by grown men and women? His recently unveiled, HB 2532 which would forbid dog owners from performing surgery on their pups went before the Judiciary Committee on May 14 and could be voted on as early as June 10.

As someone who has been investigating clergy abuse in Pennsylvania for almost 20 years, this writer can’t help but thing that something is amiss.

On the eastern side of the commonwealth of PA the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office issued a scathing report on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for the high level of sexual abuse among Catholic priests and the cover ups and the reassigning of credibly accused Catholic priests by Cardinals Bevilacqua and Krol and their aides. It should be noted that Bevilacqua first served as Bishop of the Pittsburgh Diocese before his transfer to Philadelphia. Insiders claim Bevilacqua left his successor, Donald Wuerl, quite a mess.

For example, while Bevilacqua was still assigned to the Pittsburgh Diocese he agreed to place Fr. John P. Connor, an admitted child molester first within the Pittsburgh Diocese and later, after Bevilacqua took over in Philadelphia Fr. Connor was assigned there. According to testimony in the Philadelphia Grand Jury the arrangement was based on a “tradition of bishops helping bishops.” Sadly, Fr. Connor went on to abuse others and Bevilacqua was found to be a liar according to the grand jury report.

One has to wonder why the Pittsburgh Diocese voluntarily settled with 32 alleged survivors of clergy abuse. $1.25 million for crimes the Pittsburgh Diocese will never have to admit ever occurred. The settlement would not tarnish the stellar reputation of Archbishop Donald Wuerl who never had to pay a dime to any clergy abuse victims during his tenure as bishop in the Pittsburgh Diocese.

Oddly enough, an underling – so to speak – Auxiliary Bishop Bradley reconciled the situation, only weeks before Bishop David Zubik was to be installed as the new leader of the diocese. So it seems everything fell into place.

32 survivors received a few bucks, the diocese is off the hook for any future civil or maybe even criminal suits based on the settlement. Wuerl continues to do in Washington D.C. whatever it is that Archbishops do and Zubik was allowed to get a fresh start in the Pittsburgh Diocese without the interference of those civil suits that were resting in20limbo for several years.

The settling of the civil suits certainly allowed for an impressive and dignified installation of Bishop Zubik, no hecklers or demonstrators from any groups with compassion for children sexually abused by Catholic priests.

And, although I have no proof, nor anyway to calculate, I would be willing to bet the farm that more money was spent on Zubik’s festivities than was awarded to 32 survivors of alleged abuse by Catholic priests from the Pittsburgh Diocese. No big deal, the worst is over.

Unless of course, somewhere down the road – maybe a year, a few months, a couple of weeks, or perhaps in the next few days – information turns up that the cases of sexual abuse actually occurred and that cover ups were the norm in the Pittsburgh Diocese just like cover ups and shifting priests from parish to parish was the norm in the archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Anyone with a little common sense would be concerned that a man of the cloth might be tempted to hide crimes of clergy sexual abuse of young children only on the eastern side of the commonwealth of PA and not the western side as well.

That’s a lot of ifs ands or buts – only time will tell if Pennsylvania is indeed a pro-pedophile state. For now it’s three cheers for Rep Bennington and HB 1137 as for Rep. Caltagirone – one politician who obviously cares more about dogs than children – maybe it9s time for the law maker to rollover and play dead.

Mike Ference is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker and amateur investigative reporter who has been probing clergy abuse in Pennsylvania for almost 20 years. He’s currently sharing details about his investigation with Pennsylvania State Trooper John Woodruff. Is a formal investigation forthcoming? Only time will tell. Mike Ference may be reached at 412-233-5491 or email him at Ference@icubed.

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Lawsuit accuses Pa. university of covering up administrator's sexual assaults on students

nospam@example.com (Tina) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 07:39:48 -0600

Lawsuit alleges coverup at East Stroudsburg University

From the AP story:The lawsuit said Sanders, who is black, targeted emotionally fragile young black men from broken homes who looked to Sanders as a father figure or mentor. He dangled scholarships and campus jobs, then either pressured students for sex or physically attacked them to commit sexual assaults, said the suit, which also alleged Sanders misappropriated university funds.

Delaware: We've Got Your Back

nospam@example.com (Tina) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:50:46 -0500

According to accounts by former students Father Dennis was a "normal guy", a "great priest". He even received a proclamation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for coaching a championship basketball team. If the allegations brought forth by four previous students are proven, serial predator can be added to list of Rev. Dennis Killion's traits.

The Philadelphia Inquirer recently published a story about the incidents and there was a follow up story on August 7th about the inconsistencies of the responses about the matter from the church. What did they know and when did they know it? If Rev Killion is found guilty and the church negligent, every person who knew of the abuse is also responsible. It is known as "Passing The Trash" and it is not exclusively a church problem. Many experts believe it is wide spread, hard to detect and harder to stop. Google the phrase "Passing The Trash" and you will be astounded with the information you receive.

The Inquirer article reports that a parish in Bucks County, Pennsylvania directly benefitted from a Delaware state law, The Child Victims Act. The Child Victims Act was enacted on July 10, 2007, and it removes the statute of limitations for child victims of sexual abuse to bring forth civil claims. The law is also retroactive; a child victim previously barred because of an expired statute of limitations was granted a two year window from the date the law was enacted to bring forth a claim. Similar legislation in Pennsylvania has stalled. We can thank Delaware for watching out for Pennsylvania's children.

From our own State House we have new and (not) improved legislation regarding among other things criminal background checks. It is no longer a requirement to produce an original background clearance, now a copy will do. Great, thanks for that!!

Stop Confidentiality Agreements That Protect The Guilty

nospam@example.com (Tina) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:07:39 -0500

09/28/2007

Confidentiality order in teacher suit to be appealed

By Jennifer Harr , Herald-Standard

The attorney for a teen who sued a former teacher is going to appeal a Fayette County's judge's order that keeps information associated with the case confidential.

"It's illegal," said attorney Thomas W. Shaffer, who filed the suit against Donald Rosie of South Union Township on behalf of a woman and her daughter.

Rosie pleaded no contest to corruption of minors for having sex with the woman's 16-year-old daughter in the driveway of his home in 2006. He was sentenced to house arrest and probation.

The Herald-Standard does not identify victims in sex-related cases, and is not identifying the woman and her daughter in association with the lawsuit for that reason.

In the suit, Shaffer accused the Albert Gallatin School District of knowing that Rosie preyed on students, but doing nothing to curtail it.

Although the woman and her daughter are the only plaintiffs listed in the suit, Shaffer said Thursday he has heard from others.

Shaffer maintained Thursday that both the Pennsylvania and United States constitutions preclude the confidentiality agreement as it stands. He said he had no problem reducing the juvenile participants' names to initials, but said that he feels he cannot even interview juveniles because the agreement is overly broad, and stops him from talking to anyone about the case.

"I can't talk about case before, during or (forever)," Shaffer said. "I protected the children by using the initials. This is a violation of freedom of the press and freedom of speech."

Last month, Shaffer and an attorney for the district appeared before Wagner. At that time, Shaffer asked him to rescind the agreement because it stopped him from talking to other potential victims, or discussing the case with the media.

Wagner said he signed the agreement to protect any minors, whether they are plaintiffs, witnesses or simply interviewed as part of the case. The judge also said during last month's argument that Shaffer can interview and speak to people, but without identifying them in publicly filed documents.

The appeal will be filed to the state Superior Court, Shaffer said.

State police charged Rosie with having sex with the teen in the driveway of his home on Clinton Road. The teen told police in June 2006 that she and Rosie started having sex in March 2006.

He had, according to court documents, been her sixth-grade teacher, and police said that two started a friendship about one year before the girl turned 16 - the legal age of consent.

Although the girl was able to legally consent to sexual activity, the charge of corruption of minors includes "any act corrupts or tends to corrupt the morals of any minor less than 18 years of age," according to the Pennsylvania Crimes Code.

Broken Trust- Abusive Teachers Back In The Classroom

nospam@example.com (Tina) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:13:05 -0500

A comprehensive report on the horrific tragedy of "Passing The Trash"

By ignoring a problem, we become part of the problem.

Broken Trust - Herald Tribune Investigation

Hat Tip - D. B. and T. M.

Teachers Who Prey On Children

nospam@example.com (Tina) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 20:23:19 -0500

Unwelcome lessons
Sex crimes cost 140 teachers their jobs across Pennsylvania

by: scott.waldman@timesnews.com

Most Pennsylvania teachers who lost their teaching licenses in the last five years did so because of sexual misconduct.

In Erie County alone, at least 14 teachers have been accused or convicted of such crimes in that period. Most of them subsequently lost their license to teach -- and the rest are expected to soon.

Seven Erie County educators have been convicted or accused of sexual misconduct in just the last two years. Five of those cases resulted in convictions and the first of the other two will be back in court in early April.

Of the 235 Pennsylvania teachers who had their licenses revoked, suspended or surrendered in the past five years, 140 -- or 60 percent -- were for sex-related crimes, according to an analysis of Pennsylvania Department of Education records by the Erie Times-News.

Seventy-five educators were convicted of sex crimes including statutory rape, indecent assault and sexual abuse of children.
Another 65 educators lost their licenses as a result of sexual misconduct allegations, which range from inappropriate comments to physical sexual contact, according to the state's records.

The remaining 95 teachers were convicted or accused of other crimes. Those also vary greatly and include possession of cocaine, theft or aggravated assault.

"The harsh reality is pedophiles ... are going to work where there are kids," Intermediate Unit Executive Director Marjorie Wallace said. "And where are there kids, but in teaching?"

Wallace, whose Intermediate Unit oversees all the Erie-area school districts, said the first step to weeding out the teachers who go on to abuse students happens in the hiring process. She said she instructs area districts to be diligent with their reference checks to ensure that all teachers hired locally have a clean work history.

A new weapon to help in that process begins April 1.
That's when a new law takes effect that requires all teaching candidates be fingerprinted.

That is in addition to the requirement that anyone working with children to go through two separate background checks.

She said such vigilance is essential in schools.

And the new protective measures might not end there.

Dan Barber, a local private investigator who gained national prominence by solving the West Virginia homicide of a student killed by a principal who was molesting him, is currently at work on national legislation that would punish school districts that do not take action against teachers accused of sex crimes.
Barber said too many Pennsylvania school districts had engaged in a process he calls "passing the trash," where districts allow teachers accused of sexual misconduct to quietly resign and find work in other districts.

He is working to put the Jeremy Bell Act -- named after the murdered student -- in front of Congress. The passage of the law as Barber is writing it would make it a felony crime for school administrators to engage in "passing the trash."

The stakes are high, he said.

Nearly 10 percent of all students are subjected to some form of sexual misconduct, according to a 2004 U.S. Department of Education report called "Educator Sexual Misconduct."

Such cases have a negative effect on more than just the victim.
Three separate sexual misconduct cases in the 2005-06 school year at Villa Maria Academy resulted in negative publicity that the school has struggled to overcome, said Sister Mary Ellen Plumb, OSB, the school's guidance counselor who initially reported one of the incidents.

Plumb said Megan Fecko, the Villa teacher convicted on two counts of indecent assault for having a sexual relationship with a student, harmed teachers everywhere by breaking the teacher's bond of trust with a student.

"She really betrayed every teacher," Plumb said. "It made it harder for every teacher to do our job."

The Villa teachers convicted of sex crimes had looked good on paper and their references had checked out, Villa President Geri Cicchetti said.

Pennsylvania State Education Association spokesman Wythe Keever said it is important to give the issue context.
While some of the statewide numbers are alarming, it is important to note that the overwhelming majority of the state's 121,221 active public school teachers are never accused of sexual misconduct, Keever said.

In addition, the number of cases indicate that parents and school officials take such accusations seriously and are quick to act.

"This was a problem that wasn't discussed openly in a previous generation and it is now," Keever said.

Richard Lanzillo, an Erie attorney who has represented school districts in sexual abuse cases for more than a decade, said he has seen "significant change" in the response of districts to such allegations.

"School boards and school administrators have recognized this is an area where vigilance is critical," Lanzillo said. "The stakes are high and when I say stakes, I mean students."
Villa officials know those stakes better than most schools.

Cicchetti said the experiences at Villa should be a lesson for other districts to react quickly to such issues and to move on after they have been resolved.

She said the school had turned one of its darkest hours into a life lesson for students by being open about the problem.

"We used it as a learning situation," Cicchetti said, "to teach our students how to -- when you find yourself in life's most difficult moments -- proceed with respect and integrity."

SCOTT WALDMAN can be reached at 870-1738 or by e-mail.
Erie County has seen its share
These are recent allegations and convictions of teacher sexual misconduct in Erie County:

Robin Lee Hecker: Hecker, 32, is charged with having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student in her high school English class at Northwestern High School in the summer of 2006. She has signed a plea agreement indicating she plans to plead guilty in April to one consolidated count of corruption of a minor, and to surrender her teaching license, District Attorney Brad Foulk said.

Robert L. Shearer II: Shearer, who turns 50 on Friday, was charged with one count of corruption of minors and one count of indecent assault, both misdemeanors, in October. A 17-year-old student accused Shearer, an ROTC instructor in the Millcreek Township School District, of touching her inappropriately. Shearer has pleaded not guilty, and the case will go to trial on May 14.

Megan Fecko: Fecko, 28, was charged with having a sexual relationship with one of her Villa Maria Academy students who was 14 and 15 at the time. Fecko pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault. In February, Fecko was sentenced to six to 20 months in Erie County Prison followed by 20 months of probation on two counts of indecent assault.

Jeffrey R. Harvey: Harvey, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of corruption of minors for having sex with a 17-year-old student while he was a social studies teacher at Harbor Creek High School. He was sentenced in January to six months to one year in Erie County Prison.

Matthew Weaver: Weaver, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault after he inappropriately touched a 14-year old boy during a play production at the Erie Playhouse. The former Seneca High School French teacher was sentenced to three months to one year in Erie County Prison, followed by one year of intermediate punishment.

Dennis Vickery: Vickery, 61 when he was charged, pleaded guilty to one felony count of receiving child pornography. Vickery, who taught chemistry at Villa Maria Academy, was sentenced in November to 10 years, five months in federal prison and fined $25,000.

Kevin Kulhanek: Kulhanek, 49, pleaded guilty to indecent assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of a child, for incidents that occurred between June 2003 and May 2004 in which he molested a 12-year-old girl. Kulhanek, who was a volunteer coach for Villa Maria Elementary School, was sentenced in July to three years, four months to eight years in state prison.

Stumbling Block

nospam@example.com (Tina) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 18:57:01 -0600

West Virginia Jeremy Bell Act dies in legislature. Apparently children in WV have no voice either. Parents watch over your children, protect them no one else is willing

Jeremy Bell Bill Dies In Legislature

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