CENTRAL CITY, Neb. — Mamma Mia, here we go again.
Comments on Facebook sparked a firestorm in Central City with an accusation a teacher was grooming students. Now a new legal strategy seeks to hold people accountable for making false claims.
“A grooming agenda” is what a Facebook post said about the musical at Central City High School. The term groomer is often hurled as an insult online and to hear it used against music teacher Dane Christensen shocked those who know him.
“He's beloved in Central City, he's done amazing things and this was difficult for him, for his students,” said Danielle Helzer.
Questioning a teacher is one thing but the grooming accusation is where this may have crossed the line.
“Particularly a teacher because it is a specific definition for a teacher in their profession,” said Adam Morfeld of Nebraska Legal Action Fund
And that definition is spelled out in Nebraska law as building trust with a student with the ultimate goal of engaging in sex the student. As a civil rights attorney and former state senator, Morfeld has advocated for first amendment protections but sees a distinction here.
“You have the right to your opinions but you don't have the right to accuse people of serious crimes with no basis in fact,” he said.
“To be accused of being a groomer or molester, pedophile, those are not something we take lightly,” said Helzer who is on the board of the Nebraska Legal Action Fund and a former candidate for state school board.
A Central City man...
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