Steubenville Superintendent Indicted

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This is shocking:

Four school employees, including the superintendent and an assistant football coach, were indicted by a grand jury investigating a possible coverup in the Steubenville rape case. . . .
Superintendent Michael McVey, 50, was charged with tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice in the aftermath of the incident at the center of the case: the sexual assault of a drunken 16-year-old girl by two high school football players after a booze-fueled party in August 2012.
An assistant coach, Matthew Belardine, 26, was charged with allowing underage drinking, obstructing official business and making a false statement.
Two school employees, strength coach Seth Fluharty, 26, and elementary-school principal Lynnett Gorman, 40, were charged with failure to report child abuse.

Think back to when you were in school. Can you even imagine the school superintendent being indicted for obstruction of justice? 

When I was a sophomore in high school, the President of the United States resigned in disgrace, but the school superintendent? This beloved figure, Dr. Robert S. Alexander, was a pillar of the community, a paragon of integrity. They later named a high school after him:

“I went into education to try to form better citizens
from my students. I was hard, but fair.”

To think about Dr. Alexander (who gave me more than one paddling when he was principal of Turner Middle School) and what he meant to our community, my mind boggles at what a horrifying thing it must be for parents in Steubenville to try to uphold standards, when their school superintendent is charged with this crime.

 


34 comments

  3. The cynic in me thinks that given the size and number of the drunken parties going on that night, one has to wonder how many parents in that town are really trying to instill values.

    No one should have been raped, but given what seems to have been going on in town that night, what with the alcohol and lack of adult supervision, it’s almost amazing that she was the only one.

  4. It’s not just a lack of adult supervision. In many cases, adults facilitate the behavior under the misbegotten notion that if kids are going to misbehave, they should do it in someone’s home and not out on the town. Obviously, such an attitude presupposes that kids’ misbehavior is a given. Toss in the desire of parents to be “friends” and “cool,” instead of making the tough decisions which better serve their children in the long run and you get these sorts of situations.

    As for the administrators and coaches allegedly involved, it’s hard to know what to say. Certainly, if their concern was protecting the football team, such actions are beyond despicable. But, as with all such things, one must wait for the evidence to come out. We must remember, indictments are easy to come by, but must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury.

  5. Shocking, that the superintendent wanted the whole thing to just go away? I’d have found it more surprising if the administration had cooperated and reported the case in the first place, since it involved the football team.

    Maybe if it had just been something nobody cares about, like the band . . . .

  6. While the charges are shocking, the trial itself is where the state will have to fish or cut bait. Grand Juries are the creature of the prosecutor. In fact, a Grand Jury that does not follow what the prosecutor wants is called “a runaway.” I’ll reserve judgment until the trial verdict comes in. I’ve seen too many Ohio Grand Jury indictments evaporate before a jury.

  7. And this is really no different from the stories we Pennsylvanians have been hearing about Penn State and the Jerry Sandusky case. A clear case of internally reported child molestation, and they wanted to handle it internally.

  9. Oh, yes we can! At least y’all voted for George Bush in 2000 and 2004; Pennsylvania hasn’t been carried by the Republican nominee in decades.

  10. “…who gave me more than one paddling when he was principal of Turner Middle School…”

    They don’t hire administrators this insensitive any more. Only sensitive administrators willing to cover up underage drinking need apply.

  16. “Always protect the football players.”

    Almost.
    It’s really “protect THE PROGRAM.”
    Players come and go, the THE PROGRAM is forever.

  17. “Think back to when you were in school. Can you even imagine the school superintendent being indicted for obstruction of justice? ”
    Sr. Carmelita of the Bloody Ruler would obstruct Jesus Christ Himself if it helped me learn my multiplication tables.

  21. There seems to be a plot to dumb down school administration. This McVey is just another co conspirator in that effort.

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