Former Pennsylvania high school teacher Wesley Amy was convicted last week of changing the grades of female students in exchange for their nude pictures.
Amy was a State College High School teacher before he was charged with corruption of minors. Three female students testified that their teacher allowed them to cut classes and gave them high grades for no work as long as sent him nude photos. What a deal.
The arrangement was discovered when another teacher testified that when she took over Amy’s class, she found that some of the female students were receiving good grades without doing any documented work. The fact that this kind of untrustworthy species of teacher (and human being) flourishes in our schools is not news any more, but this is more sinister in some respects than the run-of-the-mill Mary Kay LeTourneau. Wesley Amy was still teaching these students; he was teaching them the sleazy ways of corruption, quid pro quo, short-cuts and fakery. Why should they care if their perv teacher gets off on their selfies? They’re getting great grades, and as their corrupting parents and others keep telling them, it’s not the education that matters, it’s the grades and the diploma. What’s the matter with this arrangement? Nothing, in their eyes. Listen to Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner, talk about how people do what you want them to do in you make it worth their while. They have, thanks to Mr. Amy, learned that corruption and bribery pays.
The prosecutor says the girls were brave to testify under the circumstances. What was brave about it? What would have been brave, and what would have proved that the previous decade of public schooling, not to mention the guidance of their parents, left them with at least the seed of understanding right from wrong, would be if they had reported their teacher’s offer five minutes after it was made.
They didn’t, though.
It was too good a deal to pass up.
___________________
Graphic: Riverfront Times
Ethics Alarms attempts to give proper attribution and credit to all sources of facts, analysis and other assistance that go into its blog posts, and seek written permission when appropriate. If you are aware of one I missed, or believe your own work or property was used in any way without proper attribution, credit or permission, please contact me, Jack Marshall, at jamproethics@verizon.net.
The bravery might be in admitting that you have so little integrity that you would sell yourself in return for getting out of class.
One of the girls had refused to do that, and actually reported the incident. See the news article in my comment below.
I was beginning to think that “Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor” was no longer observed in the various states. After all, it seems to go on in every school system around the country in one form or another. Certainly, this Amy guy needs a private cell in the sub-basement of a rundown prison. Those freeloading girls, however, should have a little disciplinary session of their own. Too bad the pillory went out of style.
More information:
http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/state-college-teacher-found-guilty-of-attempted-child-sexual-abuse,1465839/
There’s something to be said for the ancient Greek punishment of exile…
Jack claimed that the girls testifying were not brave. However, as the article I quoted shows, the girls who testified were the ones who refused the teacher’s offer. If the teacher got nude photos, they were not from the girls who testified.