Nice job reporting! I agree the School District looks very bad here. Potentially criminally bad, along the lines of failure of a mandated reporter to report, which is a gross misdemeanor:
Really the only way there will likely be a "thorough investigation" is if the parents sue and keep attention on the case. Cops and DA would probably love to drop it otherwise, rather than prosecute school administrators.
Candace I read your excellent article and when I printed it, I noticed you included a comment someone made on Facebook about Alesha's announcement on this topic. Though the commenter meant well, the RCW he listed is inaccurate and the list of mandated reporters was not fully complete. The correct RCW # is RCW 26.44.030 and the description of who are mandated reporters and the process for reporting is listed on the Washington Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) website. I am listed as a mandated reporter being a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) since 2012 and Dependency Guardian Ad Litem the same as a Guardian Ad Litem but a new term since 2020 (DGAL). I will be ordering the Reporting Child Abuse Poster from DCYF.
Nice job reporting! I agree the School District looks very bad here. Potentially criminally bad, along the lines of failure of a mandated reporter to report, which is a gross misdemeanor:
https://www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/home-and-community-services/mandatory-and-permissive-reporters#:~:text=Failure%20to%20Report,053%5D.
Even though the age of consent in WA is 16, it's still a crime under WA law for a teacher to have sexual activity with a student of any age up to 21.
https://vindicatelaw.com/sex-crimes/child-sexual-abuse/teacher-sex-abuse-of-a-student/#:~:text=Washington%20state%20law%20maintains%20that,a%20felony%20or%20gross%20misdemeanor.
So the degree of OSD's culpability comes down to "what did they know and when did they know it".
Really the only way there will likely be a "thorough investigation" is if the parents sue and keep attention on the case. Cops and DA would probably love to drop it otherwise, rather than prosecute school administrators.
Candace I read your excellent article and when I printed it, I noticed you included a comment someone made on Facebook about Alesha's announcement on this topic. Though the commenter meant well, the RCW he listed is inaccurate and the list of mandated reporters was not fully complete. The correct RCW # is RCW 26.44.030 and the description of who are mandated reporters and the process for reporting is listed on the Washington Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) website. I am listed as a mandated reporter being a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) since 2012 and Dependency Guardian Ad Litem the same as a Guardian Ad Litem but a new term since 2020 (DGAL). I will be ordering the Reporting Child Abuse Poster from DCYF.
Thank you Candace for your thorough and excellent reporting.