SEX EDUCATION? HELIX DEFENDS ITS ACTIONS, DISPUTES REPORT RELEASED BY DISTRICT THAT CRITICIZED HELIX ADMINISTRATOR’S RESPONSE TO SEXUAL ABUSE, MISCONDUCT;
Printer-friendly versionBOARD TO CONSIDER CHARTER SCHOOL CURE CORRECT ORDERS AT FEB. 12 MEETING February 6, 2009 (La Mesa) Did administrators at Helix Charter High School respond appropriately to four incidents of sexual abuse and misconduct involving teachers and students and has enough been done to prevent similar problems in the future? The Grossmont Union-High School Governing Board will consider these questions and review conflicting findings from two reports in closed session followed by open public testimony at the February 12 GUHSD Board meeting. Helix Charter High School has issued a scathing response accusing the District of issuing a report riddled with falsehoods and bias regarding school administrator’s handling of four sexual abuse and sexual misconduct cases involving teachers and students. Simply stated, the facts do not support ESI’s unqualified and contemptible conclusions, states the Helix response, released February 3rd. The GUHSD report, issued January 16 based on investigation by ESI International, Inc, accused Helix administrators of failing to cooperative with the district’s investigator, not complying with mandating reporting laws, not taking adequate steps to prevent further abuse, and creating a climate in which educators at Helix who were disposed to this type of criminal activity were likely boosted by the Helix response, because they could assume that the chances of their illegal activity being exposed were lessened, and the chances of them facing significant punishment if exposed were slight. (District report; GUHSD media statement.) The students involved remained at Helix and have since graduated. All teachers involved have been arrested and convicted. The GUHSD report included lurid details of the sex scandals, ranging from a teacher and student having sex in the band room to sexually suggestive photos of a student posted on a teacher’s computer. In a media release, GUHSD board president Robert Shield stated, "These are serious issues that have been identified at Helix Charter High School that require thoughtful deliberation. The Board is committed to handling this issue in a transparent manner while respecting the privacy of the staff and students at Helix." The GUHSD district office and Supervisor declined requests from East County Magazine for interviews and for information on how much money was paid for the report and what criteria the district used to select ECI. The board does not want to talk it about now, because they are going to be addressing it at the February 12th board meeting, said district spokesperson Tracy McDonald. EMI International, a San Diego-based private investigative firm, was hired by Stutz, Artiano, Shinoff and Holtz, the law firm that represents the GUHSD, attorney Dan Shinoff has confirmed. Asked how the company was selected, he told East County Magazine, "I’ve worked with Mr. Price in the past. He is a former FBI agent and he has excellent credentials." Robert Price conducted the investigation and also authored the report, Shinoff confirmed. Helix Charter Board Chair Cathy Smith offered this assessment of the GUHSD report. "My opinion as a member of the community is that it is a direct attack on Dr. Smith, she said, referring to Doug Smith, former principal and current executive director at Helix. "A member of the board wants to revoke the charter, even though all data shows kids are succeeding at a much higher rate than the district." She alluded to a press conference held by GUHSD board member Jim Kelly prior to the November school board elections, in which Kelly accused two fellow board members of covering up additional allegations of sexual abuse beyond the four that have resulted in convictions. La Mesa Police disputed Kelly’s assertions as false and even the ESI report critical of Helix on other matters makes no mention of additional teacher-student sexual abuse or misconduct complaints. The bogus press conference before the election was a direct attack on Dr. Smith and two board members, but when La Mesa Police investigated these other issues, nothing came to light, she said. Cathy Smith defended both the GUHSD board and Helix for responding to the sex scandals appropriately. "I think we did everything within the letter of the law and then some, she said. Our first goal is to protect the children of this high and in no way is, or was, there a culture on this campus as the report implies. What Helix has done since the very first incident is a model. We’ve looked across the country to see what other schools and districts have in place." Executive Director Doug Smith also defended the school’s record. "Certainly we believe that Helix did everything possible in a timely way in conjunction with these incidents", he said. "As we have said, what these people did was horrible. We dealt with them forthrightly, very timely, very transparently in all cases." He added, "We’ve taken extraordinary steps to work with a national ethics firm to explore this issue and issue policy and practice that is above and beyond other schools. This report does not accurately characterize what Helix did and has been doing in response to these incidents. The National Institute of Ethics (NIE) is a Congressional award-winning nonprofit organization that has been hired by 12 state governments as a provider of ethics training. An NIE Report of Findings does not conclude that Helix failed to comply with any laws nor does it conclude that Helix has created a culture for enabling sexual misconduct, the Helix response states. Instead, the NIE findings are supportive of Helix administration and their actions. NIE concludes that these four incidents were not the result of a systematic failure of policy or procedures of Helix. Helix has become the first public or charter school in California to implement a new policy that includes training for all employees, formation of an ethics team to monitor policies and training, and implementation of NIE recommended standards for hiring, discipline and training of all employees. As a result, Helix will be awarded NIE’s first charter school Certificate of Integrity, according to the Helix response. Helix was cleared of wrongdoing by the GUHSD superintendent and
CIRCUS VARGAS PRESENTS 40TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW: BIG TOP COMES TO EL CAJON FEB. 19-23
Printer-friendly versionFebruary 7, 2009 (El Cajon) — Circus Vargas will present dazzling and death-defying feats in its 40th anniversary production, coming to El Cajon February 19th-23rd in the Parkway Plaza parking lot. Acrobats, clowns, magical illusionists, horses, motorcycles, music and dance are among the entertainment slated. Early-birds will be treated to a preview show in which children of all ages will be invited into the center ring to experience life under the Big Top and received a crash course in circus skills such as juggling, feather balancing and hula-hooping. Printer-friendly version
Reflections on the Meaning of Christianity and Religious Symbols: A Reaction to the Mt Soledad Cross Controversy
Printer-friendly versionBy Joel A. Harrison February 6, 2009 (San Diego) — In a 20-year saga that never ends, according to an article in the Union-Tribune on January 8, “opponents of the cross atop Mount Soledad urged a U.S. appeals court yesterday to overturn a federal judge’s ruling in July that said the controversial La Jolla landmark could remain.” A similar controversy in East County several years ago was resolved when a cross atop Mt. Helix was transferred from public ownership to a private group of area homeowners. (Privatization is not an appropriate option for Soledad, since the site is a U.S. military memorial.) Instead of rehashing the Constitutional pros and cons, I would like to reflect a moment on my view of the meaning of Christianity – and the most appropriate monuments to faith and humanity. Symbols vs. the Living Christ: The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer summarized the message of the New Testament with the Sermon on the Mount. For Bonhoeffer, to be born-again meant to die as our own egotistical selves and allow Jesus to live through us, to become the Living Christ. His writings often refer to Matthew, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Nowhere in the New Testament are we asked to build monuments. In fact, Jesus says “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray . . . to be seen by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room close the door and pray to your Father.” At best, symbols, such as the Cross, are meant to remind us of something, not to substitute for them. With so much suffering in the world, what should be using our limited resources of time and money for? Keep in mind that it wasn’t until the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire that magnificent temples and symbols were erected. The cathedrals of Medieval Europe are magnificent works of architecture; however, built by the spoils of war and oppression of the peasants. Honoring Veterans: For those claiming that the Cross on Mt Soledad is to honor our veterans, I would remind them that there are approximately 2,000 homeless veterans in San Diego County. With the gentrification of downtown, the single-occupancy hotels have disappeared. War not only kills and maims bodies; but singes souls. Instead of fighting over a symbol, why not devote the time, money, and effort to erecting new single-occupancy hotels for our homeless veterans with chapels, cafeterias, nursing stations, and social workers. Why not direct our efforts as the Living Christ to helping “the least of our brothers?” Is Opposition to Christian Symbols on Public Lands an Attack on Christianity? Everywhere I go in San Diego there are churches. On TV and Radio, at any time day or night I can find sermons and religious music. During Christmas manger scenes and other symbols of Christianity adorn many a front lawn. No group has ever challenged these. In San Diego County, perhaps five percent of the land area belongs to the commons, to all of us, including our military cemeteries. It is absurd to claim that a challenge to a cross on the small amount of public area belonging to all of us represents an attack on Christianity. An offer was even made by a church only a few hundred feet from the cemetery to move the cross to their property, equally visible from the harbor. What Would Jesus Think? I imagine Jesus returning to Earth with his first stop in San Diego. People flock to Him as he walks around. Some say to Him, “Lord let us show you what we have done for you!” Jesus replies that He wishes to look around. As He walks, he notices one of our homeless sleeping in a doorway. The people respond saying, “Yes, we know; but we can’t do everything. Just wait to you see what we have done for you!” Unfazed Jesus walks on. He comes upon a child wheezing from asthma, to children playing in the streets for lack of decent supervised recreational facilities, to dilapidated schools, public housing, always with the same refrain from the crowd, “Yes, we know; but we can’t do everything. Just wait until you see what we have done for you!” Finally, Jesus is driven to Mt Soledad where the crowd proudly shows him the Cross. Jesus looks, shakes His head in disgust and walks away. The Living Christ as the Monument to Christianity: The New Testament is permeated with messages of love, compassion, and charity. Catholics have the doctrine of the “Preferential Option for the Poor.” In Matthew, when Jesus calls on us to give food, clothing, shelter, and medical care to those in need, I believe He intentionally included caring for the prisoner to remind us not to judge, not to decide who is deserving or undeserving. Nowhere in the New Testament are we called to build monuments. The greatest cathedrals, crosses on every hilltop fail to demonstrate the Christianity of a community. The only true monument to Christ is each and every person becoming the Living Christ, not at Christmas time or other special occasions, but in our everyday lives. Instead of continuing to fight and waste resources to maintain the cross where it is, move it a few hundred feet away to a nearby church where it will be equally visible from afar, or, even better, start with building single-occupancy hotels for our homeless veterans and place it on top of one of