Another Instance of Predatory Grooming

A story from Nashville illustrates why youth organizations need to have rules against private communications between adults and students.  In this case, a teen with a history of sexual abuse allegedly developed a crush on her teacher. The teacher responded by sharing details of his personal life, including the state of his marriage. When the teen disclosed her history of sexual abuse, the teacher did not report the incidents as Tennessee's mandated reporter law allows.  The story isn't clear how the relationship came to light, or why the police charged the teacher with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. I don't know Tennessee law, so perhaps the charge is related to the teen's suicide attempt on the day the police interviewed the teacher. It is clear why law enforcement charged him with failure to make a mandated report.

There is another lesson here for youth organizations. First, the school principal said he had had “multiple” conversations with the teacher about setting appropriate boundaries with students.  The mere fact that “multiple” conversations were necessary should have been a red flag warranting more action than simply more conversations.  The statement also implies that this student was not the first one with whom the teacher had pushed appropriate boundaries.  One or several conversations about boundaries may indicate inexperience or lack of knowledge.  “Multiple” such conversations indicates intentional, or at least reckless, disregard of whatever rules the school had.  That disregard of boundaries is a hallmark of predatory grooming.

Second, the principal said that texting between teachers and students is “not standard operations” at the school. That rule is not nearly strong enough to protect minors. Youth organizations need clear, consistent, and enforceable rules about off-campus contact, including texting. We recommend that organizations prohibit texting, except in unusual circumstances where e-mail won't work, such as during field trips. Otherwise, YSOs should insist that all adults contact minors only through (a) platforms and servers that the organization can monitor, or (b) emails that include administrators or parents (such as homework assignments). 

Finally, organizations should let parents know about these rules. Parents usually find out before administrators what their kids are doing, and we can never have too many people helping enforce our rules.  Any loophole that allows unmonitored contact between the staff or volunteers in our program and minors is a loophole that a predator can exploit.