But of course the leftwing propaganda media covers up the crimes of the Democrat client group of teachers.
James Varney now follows up: You the taxpayer will be paying the huge claims filed by the victims of sexual assault, which of course the teachers unions cause by fighting to keep child abusers on public school payrolls.
And the kicker: Leftwing lawyers then profit from the human tragedy that leftwing teachers union officials and leftwing Democrat school administrators permitted in the first place.
The teenage female athletes at California's Pomona High School said they felt special when a handful of coaches there took them under their wing, spending more time with them than others, providing extra encouragement, sharing personal stories and, sometimes, seemingly harmless flirtatious talk.
One track team member was amazed at a Nevada meet when she saw the coaches drinking, smoking marijuana, and sharing the party scene with teammates. But that attention turned to tragedy at a subsequent meet in Las Vegas when a coach brought the 16-year-old to his hotel room, plied her with alcohol, and, she says, raped her.
She mentioned the assault to administrators at the time and the principal assured her the matter would be handled. Instead, the coach kept his job and she endured so much ridicule she wound up leaving California.
Decades after the 1997 incident, her tragedy turned to triumph when a Los Angeles jury awarded her $35 million for pain and suffering in a civil trial this January -- made possible when the California legislature in 2020 opened a three-year window in which adults could bring litigation for sexual abuse they suffered as children.
And that's not the only penalty the Pomona Unified School District taxpayers and insurers face from those reckless 1990s: Seven other former students have alleged abuse by the coaches, leading to three other lawsuits that have been settled privately and a fifth that remains active.
The long timeline from the incidents to settlement or trial, and the thumping amounts the Pomona Unified School District was hit with, reflect a new willingness to acknowledge and punish sexual predators. In the wake of the #MeToo movement and infamous cases such as those involving Catholic priests, Hollywood, and top-tier sports, momentum is building for what might comprise the biggest group of victims in sexual misconduct scandals: K-12 students victimized by teachers and other school employees.
A review of insurance industry reports, legal blogs and media accounts by RealClearInvestigations turned up $1.2 billion in settlements for school districts in the last decade. And there are clear indications that the pace and amount of legal liability has been rising, along with the impact that has for taxpayers and schools.
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As states grapple with limitations on litigation against government entities, and in some cases open new windows for plaintiffs to sue, more victims are coming forward and school districts and insurers are scrambling to find the money juries and judges are awarding. Just how much all this may cost is unclear, because only cases that go to trial are a matter of public record, and usually it is only the big settlements or awards like Pomona Unified School District's that draw attention. Scores of other lawsuits are being settled for smaller amounts or are kept private through agreement between the parties.
"I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg," Oregon attorney Peter Janci told RealClear-Investigations. "There has been a lot of abuse that happened in schools, and there are more coming forward every day as public education and the sentiment to support victims has grown."
Varney notes that the Boy Scouts of America entered bankruptcy due to settlements involving child predation, and of course the Catholic church has paid out whopping settlements.
But what will be the final bill for allowing pedophiles to operate in the nations thousands and thousands of public schools?
The exposure for the nation's schools may be much greater, though the extent is unclear. News reports offer a steady of stream of articles about teachers arrested for molesting students -- though those typically involve young, attractive female instructors and not men, who are more often the perpetrators. As RCI has previously reported, the Biden administration reversed Trump-era requirements that that Department of Education collect data on incidents of sexual misconduct. In the face of fierce criticism, the department backtracked and says that at present, it "has no data."
One of the few academic studies on the subject -- a 2004 report Hofstra University researchers prepared for the DOE -- estimated that one in 10 K-12 students suffer some form of verbal or physical sexual misconduct from school employees. The vast majority of incidents never result in an arrest or trial.
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The cases also reveal a pattern in which school officials either ignored or downplayed warning signs that teachers, coaches, bus drivers or volunteers were engaged in problematic situations with students. The record is also dotted with predators who claimed victims at more than one school, having dodged flares at one place only to work again at another, a phenomenon advocacy groups call "passing the trash." These patterns emerged in 78% of United Educators' 2021 cases, although it fell to 42% in 2023.
Last year, the Sacramento Unified School District was hit with a $52 million settlement stemming from the abuse of at least eight elementary school students that led to a former aide being sentenced in 2016 to 150 years to life in prison. In that case, court papers said, administrators blew off myriad complaints from parents alleging the aide offered the students "secret candy" and "prizes," and some of those who ignored complaints were in turn promoted by the district.
"That is what complicity of silence has rendered in our nation's schools," said Terri Miller, president of the advocacy group SESAME (Stop Educator Sexual Abuse Misconduct & Exploitation).
"We hear too often how our school systems are struggling for money to afford paying teachers well, repair/build schools, provide supplies to classrooms, etc.," Miller told RCI in an email. "If only they would address this appalling problem they have chosen to ignore or hide, they would spare child suffering and decrease the astronomical dollars spent on lawsuits and legal fees."
But that would be bad for business, wouldn't it?