Ringgold High School Latest To Be Rocked By Sex Scandal

A trail of months-old text messages, followed by a police investigation that discovers an inappropriate relationship between an educator and a student: It’s a story line that’s becoming all too familiar.

At Plum High School, police have charged two teachers with crimes involving students. At Norwin High School, an investigation is ongoing after what were described as inappropriate text messages were found between a teacher and a student.

It unfolded again Thursday in the Ringgold School District, where police announced they had filed charges against a former guidance counselor for allegedly having sex with a high school football player.

Rostraver police said Lianne Danko, 33, of Rostraver, was charged with three counts of institutional sexual assault.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2015/05/21/Police-to-file-charges-against-Ringgold-guidance-counselor/stories/201505210175

Plum Officials: District Won’t Inhibit ‘Constitutionally Protected Speech’

Plum Borough School District administrators and borough police walked back assertions they made last week suggesting students could be arrested for “irresponsible” talk or social media postings about investigations into teacher sex abuse allegations.

“The district will not prevent or inhibit any individuals from engaging in constitutionally protected speech,” said Superintendent Timothy Glasspool in a letter the district released Monday. Glasspool did not respond to requests for comment.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said the district’s statement was “more cryptic than we would have liked,” but the group said it accepted the clarification of the issue, according to ACLU-PA legal director Witold Walczak.

The ACLU became involved when local police and high school administrators held an assembly and cautioned students against discussing the investigation publicly, telling them they could be arrested for “irresponsible” and “immature” talk, tweets, texts, emails, or posts to Facebook.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/8250483-74/students-police-protest#ixzz3YY08sJbH
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Third Plum High School Teacher Charged In Connection With Student-Sex Case

Plum police on Wednesday filed witness intimidation charges against a Plum high school forensic science teacher.

Drew Zoldak, 40, of New Kensington, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of intimidation of a witness or victim.

Zoldak was arraigned just after 11:30 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Linda Zucco.

According to the criminal complaint, after investigators from the Allegheny District Attorney’s office interviewed Zoldak, he apologized to his class for being absent from class and singled out as the cause a victim one of the other Plum teachers is accused of having sex with. According to the complaint, Zoldak then called the victim to the front of the class and asked her if she would be okay with the following week’s topic: sexual assault.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/8216989-74/charges-assault-held#ixzz3Y3kPZQEK
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Birdsboro Man Pleads Guilty To Attempted Murder, Sex Assault, Attempting To Hire Hit Man

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

READING — The Berks County man accused of shooting a Limerick fire official in the head, sexually assaulting a minor and attempting to hire a hit man from jail to eliminate witnesses plead guilty to all charges against him on Wednesday.

Christopher Yingling, 43, of Birdsboro, received no special agreements in exchange for his guilty pleas and will spend the next 27 to 70 years in jail for his crimes, according to the Berks County District Attorney’s office.

“Given the brazenness of his crimes and the harm that he caused his victims, we are pleased with what is effectively a life sentence for the defendant,” said Berks County Assstant District Attorney Jesse Leisawitz in a statement late Wednesday night.

Berks County Common Pleas Court Judge Stephen B. Lieberman was scheduled to preside over Yingling’s trial.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130530/NEWS01/130529129/birdsboro-man-pleads-guilty-to-attempted-murder-sex-assault-attempting-to-hire-hit-man#full_story

Nazareth Teacher Accused Of Molesting Boy Student; ‘Who Checked This Guy Out?’ Board Member Asks

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Northampton County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Nazareth Area Middle School drama teacher has been arrested on charges that he sexually molested a male student at the school over a two-year period, according to court records filed Friday.

Shawn William Salevsky, 39, of the 1500 block of Kennington Lane in Lower Macungie Township, is charged with 22 offenses that include involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault of a victim under age 16, sexual assault, corruption of a minor and reckless endangerment.

Among the allegations in court papers, police said that during a school production of “Snoopy,” Salevsky followed the boy into the bathroom during a wardrobe change and touched the boy’s penis before the boy ran and shut himself in a stall.

On a bus trip to see a play in New York, Salevsky “did open his pants and attempt to lay on top of the victim,” according to court papers.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-c-nazareth-middle-school-drama-teacher-sex-stud-20130503,0,332875,full.story

More Contradictory Revelations From Penn State

This case just gets weirder and weirder.

Jerry Sandusky breaks his silence to proclaim his innocence but admits he had a lapse in judgement showering with kids (no duh Jerry).  This revelation in light of the fact that two eyewitnesses claim they saw Sandusky having sex with young boys in 2000 and 2002. 

There is an email supposedly floating around, penned by Mike McQueary, in which McQueary states he did not run away, he “stopped it” and “did the right thing”.  So did Mike see “horseplay” and “towel snapping” as Jerry puts it OR did Mike see something else.  I don’t think sodomy falls under horseplay.

One has to wonder when we will get to the truth in all of this.  Right now it seems like a great deal of posturing with a heapin’ helpin’ of CYA thrown in for good measure.

Penn State Child Abuse Scandal Fallout Continues

The fallout at Penn State continues.

In addition to Jerry Sandusky, JoePa, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Mike McQueary and Graham Spanier, you can add Second Mile charity CEO Jack Raykovitz to the growing cast of characters.  Mr. Raykovitz resigned Sunday after 28 years at the helm.  So far all the victims were boys in the Second Mile program.  Second Mile has retained Philadelphia law firm Archer & Greiner as its counsel.

Mike McQueary, on paid administrative leave, is apparently consulting with the Harrisburg law firm of Strokoff and Cowden, who specialize in employment law.  McQueary received death threats and is reportedly in hiding.  

McQueary is being handled differently than the others because he is a witness in the case and he also may fall under Pennsylvania’s whistleblower law.  The law includes protection for the whistleblower against firing, demotion or punishment.  McQueary’s status under this law is still being determined.