Parent Group Figure Links Child Sex Attacks to Lax Teacher Residency Policy

 People Just Aren't Grasping the Cause and Effect Thing

Sometimes a stupid statement should be ignored. But then there are other times. If you haven't figured it out by now this is one of the latter.

The Buffalo News in its interminable crusade to demonize and vilify Buffalo teachers has outdone itself in today's piece that discusses the sexual abuse of children -- black, urban children in particular. Sandra Tan's piece features gut wrenching testimony from two adult survivors of childhood sexual attacks. They share their harrowing experiences, one telling that they knew their attacker while the other didn't.  Both suffered years of post traumatic fallout from the ordeal they suffered as children.

The article seems to be going along with no particular subtext or editorial leanings, though one victim blames a Kindergarten teacher for releasing her to the attacker who shared her last name in spite of her telling the teacher the 15 year old rapist wasn't her uncle. If that's the case then I hope the teacher was sanctioned accordingly. I can't imagine ignoring a 5 year old telling me "He's not my uncle" and ignoring her. 

And then we hear from DPCC frontman and clinical strength Teacher hater Samuel Radford III of whom Tan writes:

Parent advocate Samuel L. Radford III said the families who live there (areas near schools) need the greatest support, but they don’t get it because many key school district stakeholders – teachers, administrators, police officers and counselors – don’t live in the city.       

...Wait, Whut?...

 Did he just say teachers living outside the city are essentially depriving students and their families of support that will keep them safe from child molesters? Can we see a cause and effect flow chart on how exactly that happens, Sam? Is there some data you can share that demonstrates how teachers choosing to live as I do in rural Eden, NY are responsible for facilitating and enabling children to be sexually assaulted by predators who live within a half a mile of a Buffalo Public School? 

You can't just say shit, Sam. You can't just spew out any old  nonsense that flutters into that thing between your ears just because you have a beef with teachers, especially teachers who've chosen to live somewhere without begging your permission. 

You can't just make stuff up from the assorted bigotry you carry around in your head about suburban or rural dwelling pedagogues and tie it to anything Sandra Tan decides to write about. To do so is to trivialize and politicize these people's trauma and  marginalize their sufferings in an unrelated context you've introduced to serve your own agenda. It's low. 

And shame on Tan for allowing such nonsense to be introduced into a serious and poignant story of abuse, recovery and survival. Much is being made of Donald Trump allowing some idiot bigot to utter all kinds of hateful venom about muslims and a sitting President without stopping the guy in mid-spew. Sandra Tan is no better than the Donald in this regard for allowing it and failing to edit it out before posting her piece. 

And as if this isn't enough already, Sam Radford III goes on to say that school people should be calling him as a parent and stakeholder to report suspicious or documented predators around schools neatly implying that Buffalo teachers treat their students with less concern and compassion than they show for their own kids:

“If there is a sex offender in and around a school that my children walk to, or that my children go by, then I want to know about it,” he said. “Notify me, and use the same protocol that you would want for your own children.”

What teacher or parent wouldn't agree with that? Just one problem with this suggestion. I've conversed with several people who've taught in schools where Mr. Radford's kids were students. A teacher at one school informs me that teachers were discouraged from contacting him to discuss his kids' or their education. He did not want to hear from them and apparently the school honored his request as a matter of policy. 

So maybe World History teacher Mr. Green living in East Amherst really isn't the problem after all Sam.