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Child abuse prevention training needed in schools, says trainer

Journal Record - 1/1/2018

OKLAHOMA CITY Afterauthorities charged a teaching aide with 19 counts of lewd or indecent acts with minors under 16, more than a dozen victims are suing the Perryschool district in federal court, alleging officials didn't do enough to protect the children from a predator.

Arnold Cowen, a voluntary aide at an elementary school in Perry Independent School District in Noble County, told investigators he had illegally touched several of the girls, according to court records, but pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is awaiting trial.

A local abuse prevention specialistsaid the incident highlights the need for crisis education within schools. She said that in addition to following the letter of the law, officials and teachers need to learn the skills required to handle these situations delicately.

The events in question allegedly unfolded throughout the 2016-17 school year in an upper elementary math class. Fifteen girls listed as Jane Doe joined the lawsuit, which claims several of them reported incidents to teachers and the principal to no avail.

The accused officials are already facing criminal charges locally. This lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma last week, alleges those officials, as well as the local school board, failed to provide an environment safe from sexual predators, violatingseveral federal and state constitutional rights. The attorneys requested compensatory damages and punitive damages, as well as attorney's fees.

Attorneys accuse several officials within the district of mishandling allegations. Educators, including teachers and administrators, are required to report sexual misconduct allegations to the Department of Human Services as well as the State Board of Education. The lawsuit states no one did.

The math teacher for whom Cowen worked intercepted a note two girls were passing. One of the students had written that Cowen had grabbed her breast and made her uncomfortable, the lawsuit states, and the teacher allegedly took the girl into the hall and called her a liar.Two of the girls went to two other teachers, who told the girls to go to the principal's office, according to the lawsuit.

The court records state that the principal, Kendra Miller, instructed several of the girls to start fist-bumping or high-fiving the aide instead of letting him hug them and that any inappropriate touching was an accident. Miller notified Superintendent Scott Chenoweth, according to the lawsuit, who also failed to notify authorities.

On Jan. 20, the parents of one of the girls filed reports with the Perry Police Department, which triggered an investigation. Police arrived on campus Jan. 23. Miller, the principal, told authorities that she had received notice of allegations on Jan. 1, 19 and 20. Teachers told police that Cowen was a victim of false accusations, the lawsuit states, and he was a model instructor.

She told them they've had complaints before, but determined they were fabricated. The teacher for whom Cowen worked told law enforcement officials he believed it was the administration's role to handle claims, not teachers'.

The court documents state that when police approached Cowen, he almost immediately said he feloniously touched the girls while helping them with math problems and that he would also whisper derogatory comments into their ears.

Cowen was charged with 19 counts of lewd or indecent acts with a minor under 16, as well as one count of lewd or indecent proposals to a minor under 16 and one count of aggravated possession of child pornography.

The math teacher and principal each were charged with a misdemeanor for failure to report, and the Oklahoma Board of Education suspended their teaching licenses. The board voted in February to suspend the superintendent, and it voted to accept the math teacher's and principal's resignations in March.

Stacy McNeiland, CEO of the Child Abuse Response Evaluation Center, also known as the CARE Center, said she's heartbroken to learn about what the school and district members are going through in Perry.

"It breaks my heart because what that tells me is it simply is a lack of education on the adults' part," she said.

Her nonprofit organization offers free training to education officials of all levels, as well as children who are or could be victims. The adults should be able not only to handle an allegation properly and make reports but also recognize signs of abuse before they're disclosed.

"Its their responsibility to figure it out," she said. "It really is. I know that sounds harsh."

She said several districts have implemented protocols that advise teachers or other officials to go to a designated point person instead of contacting authorities themselves, a policy she said she advises against. Students are most likely going to an adult to whom they are close, and bringing more people into the reporting process instead of filing immediately causes things to get lost in translation.

She said child abuse is incredibly common in Oklahoma, which ranks third in the nation for the problem. One in three girls between the ages of 2 and 17 will face some kind of abuse in their lifetimes, and the rate is one in five for boys in that age range.

"Predators are still going to be there no matter what we do," she said. "Its up to the rest of us to be vigilant."

The Department of Human Services is charged with ensuring the students' safety, and the Board of Education is charged with revoking teaching certificates of teachers or administrators when appropriate, said Brad Clark, the state board's general counsel. The latter wasn't required until 2015, when the Legislature passed Senate Bill 711. He said State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister was a vocal proponent of the measure.

Both of those reporting steps are mandatory, and officials can elect to contact law enforcement authorities.

"I believe you could probably find multiple occasions where all three have been contacted," he said.

Cowen's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

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