Opinion

Longview School District has much explaining, reform ahead to restore public trust after sexual abuse scandal; society needs to ask itself some questions, too

There’s still a lot to parse out as police continue to investigate alleged locker room sexual assaults by members of the Mark Morris School basketball team.

But several conclusions and pointed questions seem justified as a result of the police investigation so far.

First and perhaps foremost: The Longview School District has a lot of explaining to do. The evidence appears to prove that some educators failed to comply with mandatory state reporting requirements to notify police or child protective agencies about the alleged abuse.

Victim interviews and records of school officials’ electronic devices show administrators knew about at least some of the allegations nearly two weeks before one of the students finally approached police. Had victim “John Doe 1” had not come forward on February 9, it seems likely that the public would still be in the dark and the rumor mill would still be in overdrive.

The law requires reporting at “the first opportunity, but in no case longer than 48 hours after there is reasonable cause to believe that the child has suffered abuse or neglect.” It’s not up to the school district to investigate. That’s the job of the justice system. The law is specifically designed to prevent cover-ups, misinterpretations and potential favoritism.

The fact that the district suspended the players and consulted with the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association and an attorney is particularly damning. This is further evidence that administrators sat on this information rather than comply with the law and report it to police. Was this to keep it internal in the run-up to the February 3 levy election? Was it pressure from boosters? It does not seem to have been plain forgetfulness about the law.

I can’t imagine what lawyer would tell the district it did not need to report the gross and dehumanizing bullying described in police reports.

I acknowledge that the district needs to protect the rights and identities of minors (good luck with that in a small town). Nevertheless, the public has a right to know that this kind of abuse took place over an extended period. Surely educators can straddle the line between disclosure and privacy.

The district has announced it will hire a third party to investigate its practices and disciplinary policies. That’s a good step, but it should be fully transparent and honest if it is going to regain public trust, particularly that of school parents. And it’s also advisable to give school staff some refresher training on the mandatory reporting requirements. (As a Special Olympics coach, I’m a mandatory reporter. As a result of this incident, I’m recommending that all our local coaches review the rules.)

In addition, district administrators — particularly Mark Morris Principal Aaron Whitright — owe students and the community an apology. Recall the email he sent to parents on February 8 admonishing social media posters for spreading “false rumors and speculation that is harmful to our students and undermine the feeling of safety in our school. The rumors are upsetting to all, and they may unintentionally traumatize students.”

As we now know, the police investigation corroborated much of the alleged abuse — and thereby justifies and validates the student protestors who objected to the paucity of discipline for the abusers.

What is one to tell students, who now have grounds to believe the district was trying to sweep this scandal under the rug? We’re supposed to teach kids to speak up and confront wrongdoing, to be brave and bold — except at school?

Two other critical questions remain.

How could all this have happened repeatedly during school hours? The findings to date suggest a lack of supervision or, worse, student unwillingness to report abuse out of fear or a belief that there are no consequences for wrongdoing.

Finally, one is left wondering how these boys could even THINK that their behavior was anything but heinous. Was it because as athletes they’ve been held to lesser behavioral standards? Did they not realize their victims could be traumatized (as one prosecutor reported in court Friday). As a young athlete, I saw — and endured — plenty of locker room horseplay, but nothing remotely approached the abuse alleged here.

Despite all the publicity about bullying, it doesn’t go away — perhaps because, as research has found, the rational part of teenagers’ brains — especially those of boys — isn’t fully developed until about age 25.

Many teens obviously get through that phase of life productively and ethically. However, its no surprise that many kids fail to think through the consequences of their behavior. The underdevelopment of the prefrontal cortex makes them vulnerable to the pervasive violence present online, in video games and even the dehumanizing rhetoric of our political discourse.

I’ve long thought that too little is expected of American teenagers. But we should expect — and lay the groundwork for — all our young people to treat everyone with dignity.

I have stopped story comments, because unfortunately people are getting too specific. You can’t name somebody as committing criminal behavior without any evidence or investigation.

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