Motive Not Known? Really?

[Big Don]

Motive Not Known of Special Education Teacher Accused of Taking Students to Motel for Sex

AP story

MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Police say the motives of a teacher accused of taking three youngsters to motels to engage in sex in a nearby town aren't known.
Donna Lou Sanders, 46, of Magnolia, was released on $100,000 bond Friday. She is charged with 12 counts of permitting abuse of a minor, and 10 counts of rape. Columbia County deputy prosecutor David Butler said she is being treated at a private mental health facility.
Chief Robert Gorum said Sanders told investigators on Wednesday, the day she was arrested, that she committed all of the crimes of which she is being accused.
Sanders, who was a special education teacher at Magnolia Junior High School, resigned from that job on Wednesday with a letter that consisted of a single sentence: "Due to catastrophic events that have taken place within my family, I do hereby resign as a teacher in the Magnolia School District."
________________________
Motive not known? Really? 'Cause, it IS in the headline and all...

 

[MJS]

Ummm....ok...I'm not sure how the police could not know the motives, seeing that they said she took the kids to the motel to engage in sexual activity. It should be obvious to them. This woman obviously has some serious issues that need to be addressed.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Ummm....ok...I'm not sure how the police could not know the motives, seeing that they said she took the kids to the motel to engage in sexual activity. It should be obvious to them. This woman obviously has some serious issues that need to be addressed.

I read an article about this a few years ago by Camille Paglia. She believes that as more pressures are being put on teachers to reach greater numbers of Kids they compromise themselves by getting to close. She expects the numbers to rise on these occurances based on our current education sytem.
Sean

 

[Empty Hands]

Of course, she's female, she must have had a Reason. Everyone knows that women don't have sex drives, and only engage in yucky sex in order to obtain money and security. Not like those filthy men, who will hump anything that shows a flash of ankle, now matter how inappropriate the time, target or circumstances.

 

[Tez3]

I imagine as she's being treated in a mental hospital she is being considered as mentally ill. She has been arrested but not convicted yet so is innocent until she is proved guilty. It's said she confessed to the crimes but it would be unsound to rely on that confession if she's mentally ill or confused. What she thought she was doing may bear no resemblance to what others thought she was doing therefore her motives may be unclear, it may take a psychiatrist to sort this one out. That's not to say the children weren't abused.

 

[tellner]

FARK (http://www.fark.com) features daily, sometimes thrice daily, reports of female teachers having sex with students. I suppose there are as many reasons as there are participants. "Serious emtional issues" certainly applies to some of them. So does "horny and wants to do the nasty with hot teenager."

Female teacher with two or three boys? You get one set of reactions from the public.

Male teacher caught in motel room with booze, pot, fifteen year old and her hot younger sister? You get another one.

I guess it's worse if they're being home-schooled :barf:

 

[punisher73]

It says that she was a special education teacher. Did it say if the victims were her students in the special ed. program? If that is the case it usually ups the penalty/crime.

It is interesting though that if a male teacher does something with a student you get the "dirty old man" etc. reaction. If it is a female teacher, everyone wants to know "the reason" and get them help.

 

[Bester]

Um, maybe she was horny, homely and couldn't get it unless she took advantage of someone who not only didn't know better, but was incapable of knowing better? There's your motive. A desperate doggie! Woof!

 

[CoryKS]

I read an article about this a few years ago by Camille Paglia. She believes that as more pressures are being put on teachers to reach greater numbers of Kids they compromise themselves by getting to close. She expects the numbers to rise on these occurances based on our current education sytem.
Sean

Yup, that's probably it. Bush and his damned NCLB.

Or sex.

 

[MJS]

I read an article about this a few years ago by Camille Paglia. She believes that as more pressures are being put on teachers to reach greater numbers of Kids they compromise themselves by getting to close. She expects the numbers to rise on these occurances based on our current education sytem.
Sean

IMHO, anyone who is in a position that deals with kids, ie: teacher, martial arts inst., camp counselor, cub or girl scouts, etc., extra care needs to be given. Its one thing to want to work or help a child, but that line needs to be drawn. Unfortunately, some people, such as the one in question, don't know when to draw the line.

 

[FearlessFreep]

"I think of all the education I have missed
but then my homework was never quite like this"

 

[Touch Of Death]

Yup, that's probably it. Bush and his damned NCLB.

Or sex.

That made sense.
Sean

 

[Touch Of Death]

IMHO, anyone who is in a position that deals with kids, ie: teacher, martial arts inst., camp counselor, cub or girl scouts, etc., extra care needs to be given. Its one thing to want to work or help a child, but that line needs to be drawn. Unfortunately, some people, such as the one in question, don't know when to draw the line.

Teachers and care givers are in unique positions. To dismiss it as dogs wanting sex is a little naive.
Sean

 

[MJS]

Teachers and care givers are in unique positions. To dismiss it as dogs wanting sex is a little naive.
Sean

Well, I agree, but for the record, I said nothing about your last comment. That was bester who made that remark.

Mike

 

[Touch Of Death]

Well, I agree, but for the record, I said nothing about your last comment. That was bester who made that remark.

Mike

Sorry I was multi-commenting in one broad statement.
Sean

 

[aedrasteia]

more information

she was charged with permitting abuse as well as rape - depending on laws in that state, she may not be accused of any direct sexual contact. Very bad for all the kids and families. Wish it weren't true but not an unusual charge. Enabling as a form of abuse is a hard betrayalf the trust of kids but I'm having the queasy feeling that she is not the first adult to do something similar, and ugly, to these kids

"According to the affidavit, Magnolia Junior High principal Chris Hurley said he had spoken with two girls — one 12 years old, the other 13 — and a 15-year-old male who was also involved. The youngsters confirmed incidents involving sexual activity and also told Hurley that Sanders had provided them with alcohol, the affidavit said.

The 15-year-old boy was interviewed by Dew, with his parents' permission, and told the detective that the 12-year-old girl was his former girlfriend, the affidavit said.

According to the boy, Sanders drove him and the 12-year-old girl several times to a cabin in rural Columbia County, where they were left alone for two hours or more, the affidavit said. The boy said Sanders also bought beer for the two youngsters. While at the cabin, the boy said, he and the 12-year-old girl engaged in sex.

He also told Dew that Sanders on several occasions bought alcohol and drove the youngsters around in her car while they engaged in sexual activities in the back seat. The 12-year-old girl later told a state police child abuse investigator that she told Sanders to turn up the volume of the radio while she and the male were engaged in sexual activity.
The 13-year-old girl told Dew that Sanders had taken her and the 12-year-old girl to El Dorado on two occasions and were left at motels to meet men in their early 20s. According to Gorum, an arrest warrant for one count of rape was issued Thursday for Dustin Lloyd Rowland, 21, of Union County. Rowland remains at large.
T
he 13-year-old told authorities she performed oral sex on one of the men, but did not have sexual intercourse with them.

The affidavit said the state police child abuse investigator interviewed the 12-year-old female, who said Sanders drove her and the 13-year-old to El Dorado on two occasions to meet with a 16-year-old boy that the 12-year-old had met through an Internet site. The 12-year-old said she engaged in sex with one of the males.

The 12-year-old said Sanders would drop the girls off in El Dorado on Friday nights and pick them up on Saturday mornings.

Sanders' husband, Magnolia High School assistant principal Terry Sanders, told investigators he didn't learn of the events and allegations against his wife until Monday. He said that, when he asked his wife, she admitted that the allegations were true."

 

[Twin Fist]

just wow

 

[Touch Of Death]

I think I have this figured out. The state awards teaching degrees to anyone whom goes through the program at the accredited college. Teachers with questionable backgrounds generaly don't get to teach regular classes, but the demand for special education proffessionals is so high they lower their standards and this kind of stuff happens.
sean

 

[CoryKS]

I think I have this figured out. The state awards teaching degrees to anyone whom goes through the program at the accredited college. Teachers with questionable backgrounds generaly don't get to teach regular classes, but the demand for special education proffessionals is so high they lower their standards and this kind of stuff happens.
sean

I didn't see anything in the article to suggest that she had any previous record of deviant behavior. Please describe for us the standard that should have been applied that would have enabled the school or the state to predict a future crime. Also, if you would be so kind, please provide a link to anything that might show that special ed professionals are held to a lower standard than regular teachers. Thanks!

 

[Kacey]

I think I have this figured out. The state awards teaching degrees to anyone whom goes through the program at the accredited college. Teachers with questionable backgrounds generaly don't get to teach regular classes, but the demand for special education proffessionals is so high they lower their standards and this kind of stuff happens.
sean

I have to say that, as a special education teacher, I find your post inexplicable. The background requirements (including a fingerprint criminal background check) for my certification were identical to those for teachers in other specialties - as the type of requirement you are apparently discussing is for licensure (documentation required to be a public school teacher) - not endorsement (specialty in a subject or area of concentration).

In addition, there is a similar shortage of math and science teachers - who, teach what you call "regular" classes - do you, then, propose that the methodology you propose applies to them as well, or are you do you have a particular problem with special education teachers for some reason?