25 Investigates finds state laws enable secrecy over sexual abuse in Mass. public schools

BOSTON — Read part 2 of our series on MA’s failure to pass laws to address child sexual abuse

Read part 3 of our series on MA’s failure to pass laws to address child sexual abuse

A woman says she endured years of sexual abuse at a southeastern Massachusetts school starting when she was just 11 years old.

• She says the administrator started pulling her out of the cafeteria at lunchtime to have lunch in his office with him.
• The abuse – which took place in the 1990s – then progressed to forced oral sex, and other men being involved.
• 25 Investigates has uncovered scores of cases of sexual abuse by Massachusetts public school staff over the past decades – and spoken with survivors who say that abuse has left them with lasting emotional scars and years of trauma.
• And our team reveals that school districts are fighting to keep basic details about perpetrators secret – even in cases where abuse is documented.
• 25 Investigates found at least 75 school personnel in Massachusetts have faced criminal charges or lawsuits filed since 2002 accusing them of sexually abusing students.

ONGOING CRIMINAL CASES, MOUNTING LAWSUITS

• 65 school staff were criminally charged.
• 31 school staff pleaded guilty or were convicted (Some are appealing their sentences).
• 17 cases are open and pending.
• Three teachers died before trial.
• One case did not move forward because prosecutors decided it was not in the best interest of the child victim.
• In at least nine cases, charges were dropped, or staff were acquitted.
• Two cases were sealed.
• 25 Investigates is trying to ascertain the status of three other criminal cases.

AS MANY AS 150 STUDENTS ABUSED

As many as one in 10 of public school students will face sexual abuse or harassment by adults at school, according to a 2004 Congressional report by researcher Carol Shakeshaft at the behest of the U.S. Department of Education.

That would amount to 91,000 kids in Massachusetts alone.

25 Investigates found at least 11 school staff have been criminally charged for sexual abuse in just 2022 and 2023 alone.

A growing number of current and former Massachusetts students have filed state and federal lawsuits to seek justice and push schools to do more to prevent and address abuse.

25 Investigates found at least 17 public school employees have faced sex abuse lawsuits filed by students since 2002 – including six staffers who also faced criminal charges.

All told – 25 Investigates found as many as 150 students abused by MA public school personnel in criminal and civil allegations raised since 2002.

RELEASING DATA COULD BE AN “EMBARRASSMENT TO THE PERPETRATORS”

25 Investigates filed hundreds of public records requests with public schools and police agencies statewide for records about sexual abuse of school employees by teachers since 2017.

The vast majority of school and police departments declined to provide details about such misconduct – even in cases where sexual abuse was documented.

Multiple school districts – including Woburn, Wachusett, Masconomet, Quabbin Regional, North Attleboro and Attleboro – told 25 Investigates that releasing records of school employees with sexual assault findings could “undoubtedly result in personal embarrassment to the perpetrators” as well as victims.

That makes it impossible to know how often public school employees are sexually abusing students each year in Massachusetts – and whether any schools are seeing repeated instances of abuse.

TIP OF THE ICEBERG

Meanwhile, child abuse experts say the numbers uncovered by 25 Investigates are just the tip of the iceberg — because most cases don’t end up in court, even if school or state investigators find evidence of sexual abuse.

A 2022 study of 325 child sex abuse cases in Massachusetts found that about half stalled out at the investigation stage and fewer than one-fourth ended up prosecuted.

Just 14% ended in a determination of guilt.

Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, acknowledged it can be hard for the public to ever learn about cases of sexual abuse in schools.

Koocher said he’s noticed a greater level of awareness and willingness to report sexual abuse in schools in recent years.

But Koocher said it’s hard to say whether actual incidents of abuse are increasing or decreasing: “I’m not suggesting the problem is getting worse or better. I’m suggesting a lot of it, if it’s reported officially, does not get reported publicly for various reasons of confidentiality. That would be information the public would probably want to have.”

“‘ARE YOU OKAY?’”

The woman who survived abuse at a southeastern Massachusetts school said the state is failing kids.

She said there were countless warning signs that could have prevented her abuse – particularly when her abuser would take her out of class.

“The piece of my story that’s really powerful is that people did notice,” she said. “You know, teachers did ask me: ‘Are you okay?’ I’d come back and I’d be all upset and just spaced out.”

She said teachers were in a “culture that allowed this administrator to do whatever he wanted.”

“There was no culture that supported them in speaking up against this person,” she said.

The survivor said she reported the abuse to her district attorney’s office – but says due to her lack of evidence, her case hasn’t gone anywhere.

Marina Villeneuve reported this story while participating in the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s 2023 National Fellowship, which provided training, mentoring, and funding to support this project.

If you are a victim of sexual abuse:

• To report child abuse in Massachusetts, call the DCF Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline Toll-Free: (800) 792-5200

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.
• Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
• Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Number of cases of sexual abuse by Massachusetts public school staff over the past decades.
• Number of school personnel in Massachusetts facing criminal charges or lawsuits accusing them of sexually abusing students.
• Number of school employees facing sex abuse lawsuits filed by students.
• Number of public school employees with documented allegations of sexual abuse.
• Number of teachers who have lost their licenses due to sexual misconduct.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

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Source: boston25news.com

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