'EDITORIAL: Safe school czar' encouraged child sex with an older man

[Oftencold]

ARTICLE: EDITORIAL: At the president's pleasure - Washington Times

A teacher was told by a 15-year-old high school sophomore that he was having homosexual sex with an "older man." At the very least, statutory rape occurred. Fox News reported that the teacher violated a state law requiring that he report the abuse. That former teacher, Kevin Jennings, is President Obama's "safe school czar." It's getting hard to keep track of all of this president's problematic appointments. Clearly, the process for vetting White House employees has broken down.



. . .


According to Mr. Jennings' own description in a new audiotape discovered by Fox News, the 15-year-old boy met the "older man" in a "bus station bathroom" and was taken to the older man's home that night. When some details about the case became public, Mr. Jennings threatened to sue another teacher who called his failure to report the statutory rape "unethical." Mr. Jennings' defenders asserted that there was no evidence that he was aware the student had sex with the older man


However, the new audiotape contradicts this claim. In 2000, Mr. Jennings gave a talk to the Iowa chapter of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, an advocacy group that promotes homosexuality in schools. On the tape, Mr. Jennings recollected that he told the student to make sure "to use a condom" when he was with the older man. That he actively encouraged the relationship is reinforced by Mr. Jennings' own description in his 1994 book, "One Teacher in 10." In that account, the teacher boasts how he allayed the student's concerns about the relationship to such a degree that the 15-year-old "left my office with a smile on his face that I would see every time I saw him on the campus for the next two years, until he graduated."

I'm sure that this was not the Kevin Jennings that the President knew.

Too bad that Dr. Mengele isn't around to be put in charge of the President's "health care" initiative.

 

[Redress]

Over the top nazi references in the OP. Well, that saves waiting for them. Good job in revealing the level of stupidity this thread is going to reach right off the bat.

I will wait for fact checking on this before I even get worked up. Lying and taking words out of context has become a normal part of political discourse these days.

 

[Oftencold]

Remember that I just told you in another thread that you're approaching 100% predictability in calling posts you disagree with as "stupid" and confusing that with rebuttal? Well, there you go again.

I always encourage fact checking, by the way.

 

[Redress]

I did not rebut your post at all, I laughed at the nazi reference and said I was waiting for the fact checking. I know that subtleties like that are hard to comprehend, but you could at least make the effort.

Just an FYI: any post with a gratuitous nazi reference is to my mind stupid.

 

[1069]

I've read that it's not uncommon for gay male youths to actively seek out older sex partners; it's harder for them to find same-age sex partners than it is for straight teens, given that there's a much smaller pool to draw from, and that many gay teens don't even "come out" publicly to their peers in high school.

 

[rathi]

There is no concrete source for facts alleged in the editorial piece. While they may prove to be correct, sufficient evidence has not been provided at this time. I will try and dig up some better sources.

 

[rathi]

And I said, “Brewster, what are you doing in there asleep?” And he said, “Well, I’m tired.” And I said, “Well we all are tired and we all got to school today.” And he said, “Well I was out late last night.” And I said, “What were you doing out late on a school night.” And he said, “Well, I was in Boston…” Boston was about 45 minutes from Concord. So I said, “What were you doing in Boston on a school night Brewster?” He got very quiet, and he finally looked at me and said, “Well I met someone in the bus station bathroom and I went home with him.” High school sophomore, 15 years old. That was the only way he knew how to meet gay people. I was a closeted gay teacher, 24 years old, didn’t know what to say. Knew I should say something quickly so I finally said, “My best friend had just died of AIDS the week before.” I looked at Brewster and said, “You know, I hope you knew to use a condom.” He said to me something I will never forget, He said “Why should I, my life isn’t worth saving anyway.”

This is from an audio tape made by Jennings.

Toward the end of my first year, during the spring of 1988, Brewster appeared in my office in the tow of one of my advisees, a wonderful young woman to whom I had been “out” [as a homosexual] for a long time. “Brewster has something he needs to talk with you about,” she intoned ominously. Brewster squirmed at the prospect of telling, and we sat silently for a short while. On a hunch, I suddenly asked, “What’s his name?” Brewster eyes widened briefly, and then out spilled a story about his involvement with an older man he had met in Boston. I listened, sympathized, and offered advice. He left my office with a smile on his face that I would see every time I saw him on the campus for the next two years, until he graduated.

This is from his book.

 

[1069]

This is from an audio tape made by Jennings.



This is from his book.

Okay.
Are we all in agreement that this is heinous and he ought to be hoss-whipped, or is there room for variance in that belief?
I'm asking the thread-starter, really.
Is this thread intended to be about how this man should be punished, or is it about whether he did anything wrong?

 

[hiswoman]

Gee, I rather think it's obvious that he failed in his duty to report what went on between this 15 year old student and an older man. :roll:

 

[hiswoman]

This is from an audio tape made by Jennings.



This is from his book.

That is creepy as hell.

 

[rathi]

Although it is not stated outright, it is strongly implied that Brewster had sex with an older man which he than expressed to Jennings. Exactly what "I went home with him" specifically means is somewhat ambiguous, although it strongly hints at some kind of sexual contact.

Nothing indicates that Brewster ever met the man again, or that Jennings encouraged sexual relations with older men.

I have been unable to find exactly what state law Jennings is accused of violating.

I also discovered that calling him a czar is inaccurate, as Jennings is not an adviser to the president. He is the assistant Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.The department was authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings.

 

[Redress]

Gee, I rather think it's obvious that he failed in his duty to report what went on between this 15 year old student and an older man. :roll:

I don't think so. He was in a better position to help the kid than reporting the action to the parent. It's a judgment call, but at times teachers do have to be discreet with student confidences.

 

[Redress]

Although it is not stated outright, it is strongly implied that Brewster had sex with an older man which he than expressed to Jennings. Exactly what "I went home with him" specifically means is somewhat ambiguous, although it strongly hints at some kind of sexual contact.

Nothing indicates that Brewster ever met the man again, or that Jennings encouraged sexual relations with older men.

I have been unable to find exactly what state law Jennings is accused of violating.

I also discovered that calling him a czar is inaccurate, as Jennings is not an adviser to the president. He is the assistant Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.The department was authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings.

So already factual errors in the OP are becoming evident...again. You would think people would learn to not run and jump to conclusions with these things.

Thanks for digging into this Rathi.

 

[Oftencold]

I did not rebut your post at all. . ..

Correct! But please don't become discouraged, keep trying!

 

[Oftencold]

I have no sympathy. School boys need to keep their trousers zipped. Those sexual predators that engage in such acts with minors need to be made eunuchs.

 

[Oftencold]

Okay.
Are we all in agreement that this is heinous and he ought to be hoss-whipped, or is there room for variance in that belief?
I'm asking the thread-starter, really.
Is this thread intended to be about how this man should be punished, or is it about whether he did anything wrong?

I relive that was legally required to report the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Morally, he was an enabler of a pervert picking up kids in a bus station bathroom.

It is beyond my ability to enlighten anyone who is unable to see the moral issue here, and can simply hope that they are never responsible for the welfare of helpless children. Ever.

And now this sterling example is in charge of "safe schools."

 

[Redress]

Correct! But please don't become discouraged, keep trying!

I did not have to try. You made an ass of yourself in the first post all by yourself.

 

[Oftencold]

Ah! A minor possible error in the shading of a peripheral definition invalidates the issue. I see.

 

[rathi]

I relive that was legally required to report the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Could you cite the law? I have seen many claims to this effect, but nobody has been specific about what law was broken. Accusations of law breaking should be made with some kind of evidence.

Morally, he was an enabler of a pervert picking up kids in a bus station bathroom.

There is nothing to suggest that Jennings enabled anything. If you have additional evidence that shows otherwise, post it.

 

[Agnapostate]

The age of sexual consent is 16 in Massachusetts, with separate ages of consent for homosexual sex having been invalidated as unconstitutional by Lawrence v. Texas. I see little to regard as unethical in Brewster's encouragement of disease-prevention measures in a relationship that likely would have occurred anyway and would have been (or should have consistently been), legal if the younger participant had been a few months older. :shrug:

 

[Oftencold]

The law in that state? No, and I encourage you to look it up, since I don't intend to.

I know that in the two states I've been an EMT in, teachers, medical providers and other with legal authority over children are required to report such activity. I believe it's the same in all states.

 

[Agnapostate]

The age of sexual consent varies from state to state, and is 16 in most. Try again. :2wave:

 

[American]

So already factual errors in the OP are becoming evident...again. You would think people would learn to not run and jump to conclusions with these things.

Thanks for digging into this Rathi.

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Abuse_Prevention_and_Treatment_Act]Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

http://www.educationlawconsortium.org/forum/2005/papers/swinton.pdf

US CODE: Title 18,2258. Failure to report child abuse

 

[Zyphlin]

Okay.
Are we all in agreement that this is heinous and he ought to be hoss-whipped, or is there room for variance in that belief?
I'm asking the thread-starter, really.
Is this thread intended to be about how this man should be punished, or is it about whether he did anything wrong?

I don't think so. He was in a better position to help the kid than reporting the action to the parent. It's a judgment call, but at times teachers do have to be discreet with student confidences.

The issue is, likely, that the guy who is supposed to be the "Czar" in charge of "Safe Schools" willingly and seemingly knowingly violated the law and seemingly encouraged the continuation of an illegal relationship revolving around statitory rape, which is seemingly being viewed as "okay" because its two males. I sincerely wonder what the outrage would be if it was a underaged girl sleeping with an over aged guys she met as a bus stop and the teacher didn't report it. I think the point isn't calling for him to be "punished", but more to the point that he shouldn' be in a position as the head person on "safe schools" in this country.

I don't have a HUGE issue with what he did, however I can kind of agree that someone with a history such as that being in charge of helping make schools "safe" worries me and is just yet another in a long line of examples that highlight one of my biggest issues with Obama prior to being elected...his horrendously poor judge of character.

 

[liblady]

if true, he should immediately resign. where is the audiotape, and have you read his book?