Update from the Philadelphia Inquirer

[Eleran]

3 hours ago, Tim K said:

Others claimed he was young and made a mistake. Yes, he was young, but he was old enough and experienced enough to know better.

The article said he was 31 when he sent those texts to an 18 year old.   If that statement of age is correct, then anyone who claims "he was young and made a mistake" has their head up their @$$ .

[Edit - and since he got his BME in 2001, and the incident occured in 2010, that age seems correct].

Edited May 15, 2018 by Eleran

[BRASSO]

 Shouldn't it just be mandatory in DCI that if State Board's of Education believe you are unfit by character, behaviors, incidents to be teaching anywhere in their schools, ( revoking a teacher's license ) that DCI should have a required policy that you are likewise deemed unfit to be around youth that travel from school to school on 9 -10 week summer tours ?   Isn't some of this pretty predictable if we think about it ? The fact that on more than one occasion DCI Corps are found hiring people that had incidents of sexual misconduct , had lost their Teaching License, is both appalling as well as pretty predictable that DCI would ultimately find itself in the current situation that it finds itself in. What were they thinking ?  Here's the deal.. around youth, there is no such thing as a " second chance " regarding behaviors that involve sexual misconduct by teachers/ instructors/ school employees in trusted positions of authority over youths in their charge. All 50 state's Teacher Licensing Boards believe so. DCI should come into the 21st Century here and adopt policy and procedures, with stiff penalties, including termination of membership in DCI, for Corps found hiring people that have previously had their Teaching License revoked by virtue of incidents of sexual misconduct.

Edited May 15, 2018 by BRASSO

[Jeff Ream]

31 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

He can find employment outside of the marching arts.  People do it all the time.  

You can but in this climate it’s not easy if there’s public documentation. 

[Jeff Ream]

33 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

From the article, where it's tagged with a link to the Inquirer's previously-posted request for personal stories:

"Hundreds have taken to social media to share stories of being abused while a corps member or to call for better protections for participants."

Hundreds.

Granted some of those respondents were merely asking "for better protections" in general terms, but does this mean that the Inquirer has received "stories of being abused while a corps member" from former members of corps besides Cadets or Crossmen?

I’m going to guess yes 

[Jeff Ream]

20 minutes ago, JKT90 said:

I heard more names are being researched, and in about 3-5 weeks expect another article. 

Yup. 

[Jeff Ream]

16 minutes ago, pbeau said:

I know Morrison has done a great job resurrecting the Crossmen but this was a major blunder on his part. The State of Florida ruled Moody he was not fit to be around students and that should have been the end of the story. 

And a now defunct Florida corps hired him before Crossmen 

[Jeff Ream]

5 minutes ago, BRASSO said:

 Shouldn't it just be mandatory in DCI that if State Board's of Education believe you are unfit by character, behaviors, incidents to be teaching anywhere in their schools, ( revoking a teacher's license ) that DCI should have a required policy that you are likewise deemed unfit to be around youth that travel from school to school on 9 -10 week summer tours ?   Isn't some of this pretty predictable if we think about it ? The fact that on more than one occasion DCI Corps are found hiring people that had incidents of sexual misconduct , had lost their Teaching License, is both appalling as well as pretty predictable that DCI would ultimately find itself in the current situation that it finds itself in. What were they thinking ?  Here's the deal.. around youth, there is no such thing as a " second chance " regarding behaviors that involve sexual misconduct by teachers/ instructors/ school employees. All 50 state's Teacher Licensing Boards belIeve so. DCI should come into the 21st Century here and adopt policy and procedures, with stiff penalties, including termination of membership in DCI, for Corps found hiring people that have previously had their Teaching License revoked by virtue of incidents of sexual misconduct.

Your best post ever

[Ediker]

7 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

I hate to ask this, but: is drum corps getting a reputation as an activity that for decades has buried bad behavior?

I doubt it.  Such behavior has been happening everywhere.  Drum corps is simply the latest place where the light is being shined. 

Do we want a new story breaking every three weeks and casting a shadow over this season?  No. 

As someone else pointed out, all corps need to dig up past (and present) bad behavior in their organizations, come out with it before the papers do, take any required actions (dismissals, etc.), put a plan in place to address any future concerns (preferably with third party reporting, whistle-blower protections, and oversight into any investigations), and keep vigilant.  

[WaxDCIFan]

Not stated in the article is that Genesis pulled out of the Crossmen MMX pre-season show last week because of all of this.  Luckily I had procrastinated on buying tickets...

Edited May 15, 2018 by WaxDCIFan

[Fran Haring]

37 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

I hate to ask this, but: is drum corps getting a reputation as an activity that for decades has buried bad behavior?

That is certainly possible.

From my days in media,  I know that a story, and any offshoot of a story, can take on lives of their own.  Fairly or unfairly, perception matters.