Writer sickened by story of predator teacher

I am sickened by the article regarding the sexual predator who continued to work at South High School here in Madera. So many young girls, and possibly boys, were approached and I am hearing they reported abuse to the principal several times. He was taken off active duty and placed on paid leave; $200,000 later he was finally charged.

How long from the “first” complaint was he on leave? The local police department could have planted a young, female rookie in the classroom and it wouldn’t take long and you would have your evidence. Not $200,000 dollars later, and how many kids were affected?

This was not a “he’s being mean to me” type complaint where teacher and students just are not getting along. This was not one, but several complaints of sexual misconduct.

Why was this principal not standing at the door of his classroom during lunch hours or having someone else track this pervert’s whereabouts? There was more than one complaint. Paper was taped over his classroom window. Is the principal at this school just stupid or just collecting a paycheck like some of our higher up city officials?

All of this is only my personal opinion, but wake up parents; your children are not safe at this school and obviously complaints mean nothing to the principal who is there to keep your children safe.

A sexual predator in any school is a major threat to all of society. They usually start on their own family members or their friends, then feel safe enough to graduate to their classrooms. Children of all ages are embarrassed because it is of a sexual nature and often it goes unreported. If any child, of any age, files a complaint of sexual misconduct, you do not just take the complaint and move on.

Children who stand up to any adult for sexual behaviors of any kind should be listened to seriously and the complaint needs to be investigated thoroughly until found false without a doubt. I had one of the students at this particular high school tell me that girls on the swim team were doing drugs.

I immediately called the principal. He seemed like he couldn’t care less, passed the buck and had me speak with the coach over these particular girls. I spoke with the coach and he said there was no policy for drug testing athletes at that school. He stated the girls I had mentioned were his top swimmers. I stated these children are on drugs and he said again, those girls are my top swimmers. I had proof of these girls texting other girls about their admitted drug use and partying activities. The school refused to do anything. He did not want to even see the texts.

We have people complaining about the Tribune printing everyone’s opinions and they are blaming the Tribune for these opinions of people that speak without knowledge or before they sit down to think about things before they speak. Sometimes I cannot believe what people actually say, but they have the right to say what they want. That does not make them right and sometimes not so smart, but it is their right to say what they want.

That is not the Tribune’s fault. That is freedom of speech. Some people will state they are never going to read the Tribune again, cancel their newspaper or ads, etc., because they are standing by their friends and the Tribune is printing things they disagree with. Their loss, as far as I am concerned.

What is legal and what are only opinions are simply just that, unbiased articles.

People of all walks of life get excited and forget to think before they speak. The parents of children in that school, in my opinion, need to look into finding a new principal.

— Joyce Aguirre,

Madera