The following is an Associated Press story out of Hamilton, Ohio, dated April 17, 2009, as reported in www.dailypress.com. I choose to withhold the name of the teacher due to any further action being taken.
"A school spokesman said a southwest Ohio teacher has resigned
after acknowledging she accompanied four female students to a
male strip club.
Butler Tech school district spokesman Bill Solazzo said the
47-year-old teacher resigned Thursday.He said the teacher told
Edgewood High School administrators that the students,
all cheerleaders, asked her to take them to the bar in February.
The teacher told school officials in an e-mail that she got permission
from the parents of the 17- and 18-year-olds to bring them to the club."
I have more than a few questions about the absurdity of certain behaviors in this story.
(1) First of all, of course, how does a teacher (47 years-old to boot) decide that a (field) trip to a strip club would be a great educational experience for her students? The girls were students in the teacher's Marketing class, and the girls had apparently begged the teacher to take them to the bar where, in fact, the under aged teens consumed alcohol. The teacher did not think it was a good idea for the girls to go alone, so she decided to "go along with them."
(2) How does the teacher confidently draft such an absurd permission slip? In preparing permission, she even promised the parents no alcohol consumption would take place. Is the administration also responsible for reviewing all such requests before their approval?
(3) How could responsible parents give their permission for such a trip? Did the girls merely sign the slips without sharing them with their parents? If the parents, themselves, did sign the slips, one might think someone would have called the school to find out why the trip was planned in the first place.
(4) What legal responsibility did the bar abuse in such a case? At the very least, the bar served alcohol to minors. But also, how did the girls even gain entry to such an establishment?
(5) Why would the girls actually accompany the teacher to a strip club? OK- I know all about "prankish" juvenile behaviors, but still, of all so-called chaperons-- a teacher? Somebody surely must have known gossip would follow this ill-advised activity.
(6) The incident occurred in February but why did it take so long for any disciplinary action to begin? Rumors had been circulating for weeks, but the incident finally came to light last week because the cheerleaders involved were forbidden from participating in a competition because of the school's zero tolerance policy about alcohol consumption. Where does the priority actually lie? Does the public care more about cheer leading competitions than responsibility for illegal behaviors?
It seems to me blame for such an activity must be shared by the teacher, the school, the bar, the parents, and the girls involved. Somewhere in the planning stages the trip should have been investigated and terminated. Since now it is too late for better planning, I think everyone involved should learn some valuable lessons to insure such idiocy will not occur again.
1. Young people this age have no business being in a bar or strip club.
2. Teachers should not be bar mates with their students.
3. Schools and parents must keep a close eye on all student activities.
4. Bars must abide by the law in relation to the activities of minors.
5. Schools need to take care of a problem in a swift, sensible manner.
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