Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Sickness in the Minneapolis public schools

A disturbing report from Kare 11, "Girl says she was sexually assaulted at school", if true, would add to a long, long list of reasons to keep your children out of the Minneapolis Public Schools.

A disturbing report from a child at a Minneapolis grade school. A second grade girl at Parkview Montessori in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis claims she was sexually assaulted earlier this month. The seven-year-old told her teacher, her family doctor, parents and police investigators she was sexually assaulted by three classmates in the bathroom. The boys are between seven and eight years old.
What kind of young children would commit such an assault? More importantly, where do they learn this behavior? We have to be careful rushing to judgment, especially because of the very young age of these children, but if the story is valid, then there is a sickness in our society that needs immediate attention.

Because the boys are under ten they can't be criminally charged. So if police find probable cause the sexual assault occurred, the matter would be turned over to Hennepin County Child Protection. They could seek to have the boys and their families placed under court supervision. That could result in the boys being ordered into treatment or in the extreme case, removed from their homes and placed in foster care.
This will be one to follow.