Media Report Concerning Former Mandarins Staff Member

[Gbassman5]

i saw or head of such relationships ALL over when i was marching.. unfortunately, many instructors in our field end up being kids that never grew up...at least not till their 30s...

[wvu80]

The missing piece here is education for the marching members.

The NBA and NFL aomng others have programs that educate new athletes to the sport about being careful of all kinds of predatory behavior that they are likely to run into.

So where is a mandatory educational component for marching members that tells them what to watch for, how to react and who to go to if they have or become aware of a problem?

DCI should really step up in this area.

Agree, and well stated.

(I saw your reply after I had written my previous post, just upstream)

[SFZFAN]

And again I ask why this thread has gone so far when it was reported yesterday by a first time poster and closed immediately. Poster banned right away. DCP Mods are all powerful, but they all have different rules evidently. Just wish this place had consistent rules. It never has and never will. Don't mean to be negative but we have all seen this before. It's not right but it happens everywhere. Guard members usually get very close with their instructors and it often goes too far.

Edited July 16, 2010 by SFZFAN

[MikeD]

I'd pay to have backrgound checks on every staff member my kid was going on tour with. Public school teachers typically have a thorough FBI and highway patrol check before getting hired....sometimes marching band directors get away with hiring extra staff without subjecting them to the same checks, and that's wrong, IMO. I'd expect most parents to do nothing less than investigate adults their kids are going on tour with as extensively as possible.

Many NJ schools now require any person working with students to undergo the screening to become a substitute teacher. In our district's case, that means 60 college credits and a full background check (w/fingerprints) plus approval by the board of ed to be approved as a substitute teacher, even if never working in that capacity.

[wvu80]

And again I ask why this thread has gone so far when it was reported yesterday by a first time poster and closed immediately.

From the specific to the general:

Anytime a poster raises awareness of safety and protection for the young people who march in this youth oriented activity, it meets with my approval.

[DCImonkey]

Another thing for teachers to consider.....depending on YOUR state laws, having sex with a student REGARDLESS of age can get you thrown in jail.

I know North Carolina has one of the toughest laws stating that no matter what age the student, 18+, you will be convicted of a Felony. This goes for any student you currently teach or have EVER TAUGHT! If I taught a 3rd grader, and 9 years later I hook up with her when she's a senior.....it's all over.

Some states aren't so tough....they'll look the other way if the victim is over the age of consent and let the local LEA determine the punishment. Usually firing or "transferring".

It just brings be back to something my fraternity Province Governor told a large group of us once at a workshop...... (he's a lawyer) "DON'T #### YOUR STUDENTS!" The cases involving student/teacher misconduct keep the power and light bills paid at his firm.

As a somewhat young teacher...especially teaching marching band, I understand all too well how those personal lines and boundaries get "smeared", but there are certain lines YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER CROSS!!! Heck I won't even add any students to my Facebook page until they graduate. It's not a rule at my school, but I stick to it so I don't have to worry about any possible "misinterpretation" of relationship.

Teachers cannot be too careful. COVER YOUR BUTTS! ALWAYS!

[troon8]

I'd pay to have backrgound checks on every staff member my kid was going on tour with. Public school teachers typically have a thorough FBI and highway patrol check before getting hired....sometimes marching band directors get away with hiring extra staff without subjecting them to the same checks, and that's wrong, IMO. I'd expect most parents to do nothing less than investigate adults their kids are going on tour with as extensively as possible.

I guess because in every position where I've worked with youth I've had to consent to a background check, I automatically assumed that all drum corps would do the same for their staff (and volunteers.) Pretty scary to learn this way that this isn't the case. It seems like such a no-brainer to me for a corps to have this policy, but as a friend says, "Common sense ain't really all that common."

Edited July 16, 2010 by troon8

[dugg]

see the 1961 film "the children's hour" originally written for the stage by lillian hellman.

[Jeff Ream]

And again I ask why this thread has gone so far when it was reported yesterday by a first time poster and closed immediately. Poster banned right away. DCP Mods are all powerful, but they all have different rules evidently. Just wish this place had consistent rules. It never has and never will. Don't mean to be negative but we have all seen this before. It's not right but it happens everywhere. Guard members usually get very close with their instructors and it often goes too far.

my hunch...being a first time poster, it may have looked like sour grapes or vengeance

[perc2100]

Guard members usually get very close with their instructors and it often goes too far.

Those are some VERY bold qualifiers that I think are pretty damning to that activity. The implication is that it is fairly typical for guard members and instructors to have inappropriate relationships, and I don't think that's the case at all. These scumbags who do engage in morally and legally wrong activities are by far a minority, and implying otherwise is disrespectful to the occupation. I am not a guard instructor by any means, but I have not known many guard instructors personally who "go too far" with their relationship with students. It sometimes seems like there is a gluttony of this inappropriate behavior (and really, one incident is far too much), but we have to remember that it is a rarity: we don't need a witch hunt, here. For every one teacher/guard instructor who crosses a horrible line with their students, there are dozens who do not.