4 -year-old Accused of Improperly Touching Teacher

[gemma]

BELLMEAD- A four-year-old hugged his teachers aide and was put into in-school suspension, according to the father. But La Vega school administrators have a different story.

Damarcus Blackwell's four-year-old son was lining-up to get on the bus after school last month, when he was accused of rubbing his face in the chest of a female employee.

The prinicipal of La Vega Primary School sent a letter to the Blackwells that said the pre-kindergartener demonstrated "inappropriate physical behavior interpreted as sexual contact and/or sexual harassment."

Blackwell says it's ridiculous that the aide would misread a hug from a four-year-old. Blackwell wrote to administrators demanding that the whole incident be expunged from his son's academic file because his son is too young to know what it means to act sexually.

David Davis, the executive director of the Advocacy Center in Waco tends to agree with Blackwell. He says assuming the boy has not had sexual encounters, or been inappropriately exposed to pornography, most four-year-olds are sexually innocent.

Blackwell got a response from the La Vega administration. The sexual references on the discipline referral were removed. But the thing that makes Blackwell most upset is they told him "your request for an apology by the aide and removal of all paperwork regarding this incident is denied." Now the young student's file will refer to the incident as "inappropriate physical contact." And Blackwell says he will continue to fight the district.
http://www.kxxv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5785699

La Vega I.S.D. administrators told News Channel 25 they couldn't comment on this case because of student privacy issues.

[JDPriestly]

1. I theorize that the school and teacher are protecting themselves

against an accusation by the child's parents of improper contact. If they accuse the child first, they make it clear that the contact was not wanted, promoted or invited by them.

[no_hypocrisy]

19. I reluctantly concur with your opinion.

Being a former teacher with a NYC daycare center, I watched a true witchhunt sweep the Center in 1984-5 with accusations of "child abuse". It got to be as ridiculous as a game of Clue. ("It was the janitor with a broom handle in the Activity Room.") Once a bunch of parents started making baseless accusations, almost all teachers and staff stood accused of something. All were cleared, but the fact of the matter goes that it changed the relationships between the teachers and the kids, the school and the parents, etc.

[FreakinDJ]

21. Such is the world we live in - Responsibility Deficit Disorder

We concocted so many laws claiming duress and laying responsibility for our own self derived woes on others, you have to have legal representation just to merely go to work

[aquart]

2. Either there's been a peculiar mistake.

Or someone is abusing that child.

Of course, I've had my breast improperly touched by a small child I was babysitting who figured he knew what it was for and I was being really nasty in not giving him a drink.

[Deep13]

5. That was my first thought.

Children who act out in sexually suggestive ways are usually abuse victims.

[FreakinDJ]

20. Never had a child of your own

Not every thing has a sexual overtone to it

[Deep13]

28. Never been to Mt. Everest either.

I know for a fact it is cold there. Anyone who can only get reliable information through direct experience is an idiot.

What I have done is prosecuted more sexual predators of children than I care to remember. It never gets non-icky. Here's a particularly revolting recent example:
http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/newpdf/9/2006/2006-ohio-5479.pdf

Anyway, I have read enough trial transcripts to know the warning signs for a sexually abused child. While in this instance the incomplete information makes any guess dubious, I can only hope you are right.

[mongo]

24. There must be an "abuse victim" under every rock in your world

if you actually believe this 4yo is acting out sexually.

[Deep13]

29. The information is incomplete, so I have no "belief."

I do know it happens and I know what the warning signs are, though they are not conclusive themselves.

[angstlessk]

6. I could not in a million years intrepret a 4 year old rubbing his face on

my chest as a sexual act...I would figure he was wiping his boogers off on my shirt but sexual? Never!

[wtmusic]

10. How to deal with it:

you tell the child he shouldn't do it--it's not polite.

One time my son, when he was about four, grabbed the breast of a friend of my wife's, saying "you have big boobies!". After he got a warning he never did it again. He didn't know.

I'd bet if this was anything more than a hug it was based on curiosity, and 100% normal. The idea that it was "sexual" or that a report needs to be filed is absurd.

[patricia92243]

14. Ditto - either mistake or child abuse - one or the other

[wtmusic]

17. If there was adult language that went along with it

there might be reason to examine an abuse issue.

[Deep13]

30. Unfortunately, all the cases are like that.

Not being snide. It's just the truth. Often there is no way to know.

[KatyaR]

3. It's official--we are the stupidest people in the world.

There has to be something "sexual" read into everything. Makes me ill.

I feel sorry for the little boy. Hopefully he comes from a loving family that can help him deal with this as he gets older.

[mongo]

25. Agreed

And for a certain segment even here on DU - it is their fear based victim mentality that gives them identity.

Seeing this as some sign of abuse or even a sexual act is no different than the Freepers shouting Terra! Terra! and seeing everyone with dark skin and a beard as a terrorist.

[acmavm]

4. What a bunch of looney frigging toons. These people should be

prohibited by law from being around any children or anyone else with any frigging intelligence whatsoever. Make them live in a cave by themselves. Keep them away from everyone so they can't do any more harm.

[Mountainman]

7. "been inappropriately exposed to pornography"

How is a 4 yr old affected by being exposed to pornography? I don't think he would know what was going on if he saw it. Something tells me that that statement is prejudiced.

[MindPilot]

27. There is an "appropriate" way to expose a 4-year-old to porn? n/t

[Deep13]

31. Sure, the Victoria's Secret catalogue.

I'm being a smart ass of course.

[MindPilot]

36. So was I... :)

Or as my dad always said, "...far better to be a smartass than a dumbass."

[ToolTex]

8. I theorize that the people in this part of Texas are so perverted by

their religious abhorrence of anything sexual that they are projecting their own motives onto the acts of a four year old who isn't that far removed from breast feeding. There is no limitation on the danger of these people to civilization.

[Deep13]

34. Could be.

Nothing surprises me anymore.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

9. this explains a great deal about today's catholic priests.

those damned 4 yr old sex fiends.

[twilight_sailing]

11. You would think that nobody could be that stupid.

[Ilsa]

12. My son nursed alot for along time, and is particularly found of

"neh-nehs", his toddler term for breasts. It doesn't make him a pervert; he enjoys cuddling and warmth and loving hugs. (We are working on establishing firmer physical boundaries.) He doesn't understand sexuality, or he wouldn't tell me his penis is bigger in the morning. And he is older than four.

People need to get a grip on this stuff. Children are not adults and they don't behave like adults and shouldn't be treated or punished like adults. Establishing "records" like this makes the whole system look petty and ridiculous and renders the process meaningless for future reference, like labelling 18 year old boys as sex offenders for heavy petting with a 15 year old girl that they thought was 17.

[wtmusic]

13. agree

but trust me--you don't want to turn this into a "how long to nurse" thread, unless you have the rest of the day to throw away. ;-)

[Deep13]

32. That is a perfectly reasonable explanation.

Again, it is pretty hard to know just on the sparse facts of this story, if they are facts. Your example would not amount to "statutory" here because of the slight age difference. (That's off the top of my head so don't rely on it.) :evilgrin:

[stonecoldsober]

15. They'll be watching this kid closely

for future 'incidents'. What a heinous thing to do to a 4 year old!:grr:

[wakeme2008]

16. HOW Tall is this 4 yo......

Unless the Teacher's Aid is very short and the 4 yo very tall if they were both standing he could not reach her chest of the aid.

There is something wrong with this story. IMHO...

[pooja]

18. Oh, my god... do you know how many times my son snuggles his

head into my chest... It is so natural for a child to want to hug and love and feel comfort from a woman's bosomm... and it doesn't change all that much as a child grows into a man (and I'm not talking about in a sexual way). There are times my husband just likes to snuggle and lean his head onto my chest, have his head rubbed and take his problems out of his mind for a few momments.

People are way to sensitive. Children need to be touched and loved and they need to show love and affection back. But that trust should not be violated into a bad experience.

[solara]

22. It doesn't matter how old this "child" is...

He is obviously a sexual deviant and must be punished.

We must begin to teach our chidren early how to behave appropriately in public. Children must learn FROM THE CRADLE how to keep their deviant sexual tendancies private and behind closed doors like an adult. Remember, ALL sexual predators were childen once and if they had been caught and punished in a timely manner, maybe we wouldn't HAVE the Foleys and Haggards around to embarrass us.

IMO, it is never too early to catch and discipline a 'budding' sexual deviant. I am sure the law about this kind of behavior is quite strict, so let's see some justice done for once! This "child" should be punished to the full extent of the law!! Age is no excuse!!!!11!

I would suggest some kind of confinement for the little sex fiend, and then of course some judiciously applied corporal punishment ... "Spare the rod and spoil the child" I always say..and then he must be re-educated in alignment with the morals and ethics that we Americans expect from ALL of our citizens.

It is a good thing this will be on his record for the rest of his life so that ANY and ALL suspicious behavior by this "child" can be targeted and punished FOREVER! Don't give him the CHANCE to harrass and psychologically damage anyone else!!!

:sarcasm: :eyes:

[OneBlueSky]

23. idiots . . . we're a nation of idiots . . . n/t

.

[Deep13]

33. That actually changed last month.

:toast:

[MindPilot]

26. That boy clearly has not played enough

violent video games!! He's growing up all loving and sensitive. Gotta nip that in the bud so he can grow up to be a right proper angry white male.:sarcasm:

edited to add the :sarcasm: just in case it might be necessary

[Control-Z]

35. Based on what I have read here

there is nothing that would make what this child did stand out as unusual. It seems perfectly natural to me. Frankly, it's the child who stiffens up and pulls away that I would be worried about.

At age 4, any one of my own 3 children would have hugged me (and any other woman if they were fond enough of her) in much the same way. What struck me, when I pictured this little boy rubbing his face into the woman's chest, was how my children still bury their faces between my breasts when they hug me and linger just a moment to savor the "mommy smell", as they now call it.

I would expect most women dab their perfume in about the same spot. Though probably not consciously aware, perhaps this little boy was just enjoying the smell.