This young man was the son of a couple who was
very active in the same church in which I grew up.
He had devoted himself to teaching - not just
teaching regular classes but teaching English to
immigrants - conveying words and ideas by using
pictures or charades. He could have a class in
which students spoke ten different languages and
teach them to speak English - one of the most
difficult languages to learn. His fellow teachers
described him as a patient and loving teacher.
Another compared him to Mister Rogers of
television fame. He worked closely with the office
of Refugee and Immigration Services to help
students adjust to their new life. He is described by
the director Barbara Smith as a dedicated teacher
whose students loved him and the kind of person
who goes above and beyond the call of duty. This
young man had a masters degree in education
from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and by
all accounts was a very gifted, talented and
respected teacher.

So why would anyone like this make such a drastic
decision as to take his own life??? Let's take a
look at the events preceding his tragic death.

About two and a half weeks ago one of the
students that he was trying to help, alleged that this
teacher assaulted him - shoved him and injured
him. Considering that this was an alleged assault
by an adult on a minor, one would assume that the
police were notified. NOT! The school system
notified Child Protective Services and the teacher
was suspended with pay until the matter was
investigated. A school resource officer later had
the case passed to youth detectives, who
interviewed the student at which time he recanted
his story. This interview is said to have taken place
no later than Tuesday October 14 but it is believed
that the teacher had NOT been notified that he had
been cleared of the alleged charge against him.
"Roanoke police spokeswoman Shelly Alley
confirmed that the assault investigation was being
jointly conducted by the police department, the
school system and Child Protective Services."

So, where does the buck stop in this case?
According to the police the investigation is closed
because of the teacher's death. I feel that the
investigation should just begin! Who was
responsible for notifying the teacher that he had
been cleared of the charges? Did the police notify
the school system of the results of the interview?
Did the school system know the outcome of the
interview and just failed to notify the teacher? Was
everyone just TOO busy to be bothered with
something which to them was so insignificant?
AND does this student get away with telling a
terrible lie which resulted in the death of his
teacher? What are other students being taught as
a result of this? What are some parents teaching
their children?

It is a sad state of affairs that in this day of all
the time saving conveniences and improved
technology we have no time to do what MUST be
done. Messages can be e-mailed or faxed around
the world in a matter of minutes but nobody had
time to notify this young man that his name
had been cleared!

Marilyn