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Report called for on arrests at deaf school - NewsFlash - NOLA.com
The head of the board overseeing the Louisiana School for the Deaf says she will call for a report after a series of recent sex-related arrests involving individuals connected with the school.
Glenny Lee Buquet, who is chairwoman of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's committee that oversees the school, said she was not aware of five of the six recent arrests involving allegations of indecent behavior with juveniles who attend the school.
Buquet said she will call for a report at the committee's meeting on Wednesday.
Of the five individuals arrested, three are current or former teachers at the school. Another is an alumnus not currently affiliated with the school.
The latest arrest involved the arrest of a youth minister who worked with students in an off-campus after-school program. Police allege that Joey Eugene Thomas, 31, considered a 14-year-old student to be his girlfriend, although investigators say both denied having sex.
The other four individuals were arrested on complaints they maintained an improper relationship with a 16-year-old girl, a day student at the school.
Virginia Beridon, interim director of the state Special School District that administers LSD and two other schools, said that the five arrested suspects victimized two students.
"I hope people don't think it's the whole student body," she said.
The school serves 215 deaf or hard-of-hearing students ages 3 to 21. Because the student body is drawn from across the state, some of the students reside in on-campus dormitories.
Beridon said that Thomas and the 14-year-old girl had engaged in the inappropriate behavior off-campus.
"While we do everything humanely possible to protect our kids, when it's off campus, there is only so much we can do," she said.
Beridon said the school has been vigilant in reporting incidents to authorities. She was not aware of any other ongoing investigations of a sexual nature concerning students.
After the November arrests, all parents received a letter discussing the arrests and announcing an Internet safety class, said Kenny David, the school's interim director since 2006. Only one parent elected to attend the class on Nov. 26, he said.
The head of the board overseeing the Louisiana School for the Deaf says she will call for a report after a series of recent sex-related arrests involving individuals connected with the school.
Glenny Lee Buquet, who is chairwoman of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's committee that oversees the school, said she was not aware of five of the six recent arrests involving allegations of indecent behavior with juveniles who attend the school.
Buquet said she will call for a report at the committee's meeting on Wednesday.
Of the five individuals arrested, three are current or former teachers at the school. Another is an alumnus not currently affiliated with the school.
The latest arrest involved the arrest of a youth minister who worked with students in an off-campus after-school program. Police allege that Joey Eugene Thomas, 31, considered a 14-year-old student to be his girlfriend, although investigators say both denied having sex.
The other four individuals were arrested on complaints they maintained an improper relationship with a 16-year-old girl, a day student at the school.
Virginia Beridon, interim director of the state Special School District that administers LSD and two other schools, said that the five arrested suspects victimized two students.
"I hope people don't think it's the whole student body," she said.
The school serves 215 deaf or hard-of-hearing students ages 3 to 21. Because the student body is drawn from across the state, some of the students reside in on-campus dormitories.
Beridon said that Thomas and the 14-year-old girl had engaged in the inappropriate behavior off-campus.
"While we do everything humanely possible to protect our kids, when it's off campus, there is only so much we can do," she said.
Beridon said the school has been vigilant in reporting incidents to authorities. She was not aware of any other ongoing investigations of a sexual nature concerning students.
After the November arrests, all parents received a letter discussing the arrests and announcing an Internet safety class, said Kenny David, the school's interim director since 2006. Only one parent elected to attend the class on Nov. 26, he said.