“Failure to Protect”

[BRASSO]

20 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:

Music City was not mentioned in this article.

 Mark Calima was however. Current DCI Judge.

[Tim K]

45 minutes ago, Plankton said:

Correct. Open Class should be restructured to include members up to age 17, and heavily chaperoned. World Class is then designated as ADULTS only, ages 18-22.

I understand the sentiment and there are valid reasons why this may be a good idea, but for this discussion it does not solve the problem of sexual misconduct and could potentially make things worse. 18-22 takes away many legal issues, but that’s all. There would be no grounds for not hiring people with questionable backgrounds and no reason for no fraternization policies. Remember a few months back on this site people argued that no fraternization was not necessary, back in the day they dated instructors at age 18 or 19, what if there was only a year or two age difference, etc. Make the environment safe and set the protocols first, and if we cannot be certain youth would be protected, then look at the restructuring. 

[JimF-LowBari]

38 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:

And what is the overarching message of this article?  Seriously?

The piece headlines with "Elite youth drum corps have become a haven for instructors with sexual misconduct in their past"... but fails to present even ONE such example who is currently in the drum corps activity.  Nothing but people from the past, now gone from drum corps.  So is it a haven?  Or it used to be a haven, but not anymore?

To me, it feels like a lot of investigative effort that failed to uncover any present-day findings like the Hopkins story did.  Rather than let all that effort go unpublished, she put out an article anyway... one that makes me think of the word "overreaching" rather than "overarching".

Details do matter.  That is one of the many lessons drum corps teaches.

Still have the enablers in high places in some corps... Crossmen comes to mind first. And whatever the hell RB is still doing in Pioneer 

[MikeD]

32 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

I started doing background checks to teach bands 25 years ago

Bands where I taught going back to the 80's required staff to go through the substitute teacher process, which included background checks even then (as much as was possible in those times). 

However, the overall environment was far different. Teachers who messed with students were rarely prosecuted, as the victims almost never pressed charges. The "norm" for decades was for the offending teacher to resign. When that person applied for a new position, and the new district contacted the old district, all the old district could say is that the teacher resigned in good standing. Stating anything else, even if done in private, would have opened the first district up to a lawsuit by the teacher if that person found out what happened. 

I know of many music teachers in NJ, going back to the 70's, who got subsequent jobs after being caught and resigning...sometimes multiple times in multiple districts.

[dark-helmet]

It's obvious that DCI needs to restructure, but at this point can from corps as a large circuit be saved?  It's already cost prohibitive, with less sponsors, sites and housing where does it go?  Welcome back DCM and DCE?

[Ghost]

24 minutes ago, corps8294 said:

It was mentioned on Facebook that once housing sites and show sponsors start pulling away from the activity, en masse; things are going to be in severe state. The drum corps activity could very much be headed towards a severe state...and it's pretty much there, already. Why would sponsors and alumni want to donate to a sinking ship? 

Loads of decisions by corps these next few months.  What to purchase, schedule for delivery, souvenir orders, ST needs, transportation contracts, etc.

[BRASSO]

38 minutes ago, MikeD said:

Bands where I taught going back to the 80's required staff to go through the substitute teacher process, which included background checks even then (as much as was possible in those times). 

However, the overall environment was far different. Teachers who messed with students were rarely prosecuted, as the victims almost never pressed charges. The "norm" for decades was for the offending teacher to resign. When that person applied for a new position, and the new district contacted the old district, all the old district could say is that the teacher resigned in good standing. Stating anything else, even if done in private, would have opened the first district up to a lawsuit by the teacher if that person found out what happened. 

I know of many music teachers in NJ, going back to the 70's, who got subsequent jobs after being caught and resigning...sometimes multiple times in multiple districts.

 State's Statute of Limitations vary ... quite significantly in some states. In New Jersey, the state where these alleged sexual assaults of minors occurred that you are sharing with us today, there is no Statute of Limitations for Sexual Assaults of minors by adults. As such, those minors  that were sexually assaulted back then, now adults, still have legal redress should they choose. Recall, the sexual assaults in the Catholic Church by some Priests that took place in the 50's- 80's, were legally dealt with when many of those children victims grew up and sought, and received, legal remedy, and in some cases, decades later.  Some of Hopkins alleged sexual assaults took place in the 80's. So these predatory creep teachers from back in the 70's. 80's, in New Jersey if still alive, are not off the hook for their heinous crimes on minors from back then even today.

Edited December 14, 2018 by BRASSO

[JimF-LowBari]

40 minutes ago, corps8294 said:

It was mentioned on Facebook that once housing sites and show sponsors start pulling away from the activity, en masse; things are going to be in severe state. The drum corps activity could very much be headed towards a severe state...and it's pretty much there, already. Why would sponsors and alumni want to donate to a sinking ship? 

Or why would sponsors and alumni want to donate to a corps with these issues? 

[garfield]

1 hour ago, cixelsyd said:

 

 

How can you demand that others name names, when you will not do the same?

 

You said what I couldn't.

Thanks.

[cixelsyd]

19 hours ago, garfield said:

I'm not questioning whether or not she did research, but statements like this one paint a completely different picture of the activity, and DCI, than are true or warranted:

"DCI can discipline or suspend corps for violating its policies. But until it put the Cadets on probation in April, DCI had never disciplined a corps for concerns about participant safety."

Bold mine, as is my contention that this statement is absolutely false and misleading.

Unless, of course, one defines "participant safety" as a myopic subject focused only on sexual harassment.  Many people know of many corps that have been disciplined over concerns of participant safety.  Food safety, travel safety, medical safety...

 

Capital Regiment, 2006.  DCI installed their own designee (Fred Morris) to assume tour director duties for the last few weeks of their tour.

And if we are to be intellectually honest, the 2002 tour Magic was assigned was punishment for transgressions of previous management three years prior.