Special to the USA TODAY Network
We read with interest the April 6th article by Hannah Edelman “How a former school board member used his 'position of trust' to access and abuse kids.” The article explained sexual abusers often use their employment in schools to gradually build trust – also known as “grooming” – and then sexually abusing them. It highlighted the difficulty in bringing these perpetrators to justice in the criminal system. We applaud our Attorney General’s efforts in this regard.
But even when the criminal prosecution is successful, what becomes of the child survivor? Based on studies and survivor testimony, we know the survivor will have lasting physical and psychological dysfunction, often requiring years of professional counseling and other resources. However, because mental health services are often expensive, many survivors don’t receive the care they need on the often-hard road to recovery.
But why is the survivor left without the financial resources to seek treatment? Because current Delaware law allows the survivor to sue only the perpetrator, but not the school where the perpetrator worked. When you send your child to school, you expect she is in good hands and the school has hired honorable, trustworthy employees. But what happens if your minor child is sexually abused by a teacher or coach, the same ones who are supposed to be protecting him or her? Surely, you have a right to sue the school for allowing your child to be sexually abused, right?...
Baltimore Police Officers Mordechai Mandelbaum and Menachem Rosenbloom were found guilty on multiple charges on Wednesday, Oct. 14, following an encounter that ended with a surrendering man being ...