Child Protection

Please take a few minutes to search New York Times website (www.nytimes.com) for the title "Brooklyn Tech Teacher Was Known as Cool Friend, Until His Arrest" and then read about a current case of "grooming."
In the April 2013 ESK I first wrote about the grooming technique to lure children to covertly abuse them.
A teacher, Mr. Shaynak started grooming children for abuse in simple ways such as offering to buy them lunch or giving them cigarettes. His students viewed him as a cool and hip teacher but one who made suspect requests, including taking pictures of his students to "inspire a nude painting" he wanted to do. While students he proposed the concept to thought what he was asking was odd, they did not want to report it to school officials. Why? Because they liked him for his "coolness" and did not want to cause trouble for him.
But then things started to get more aggressive and he started sending lewd pictures of himself to the children. Once this started happening, one girl reported him and then the truth started to come out. He now stands accused of preying on seven girls, giving them alcohol and cigarettes, sending them sexually charged photos, taking a few to sex clubs and a nude beach. He then had sex with a few of them after they reached 17 (the legal age of consent). Mr. Shaynak is now under indictment.
All of the signs were missed because these students with whom he had built relationships with viewed him as "one of their own" and he had gained their trust. This is classical grooming. They trusted Mr. Shaynak so much (in addition to cigarettes and alcohol, giving them good grade on tests when none were deserved) that they did not want to tell anyone outside of the student circles in order to protect the predator who was preying on them! Going unchecked, Brooklyn Tech, the high school where he taught, was a virtually unlimited feeding ground with 5,400 students.
The even scarier part is that he slipped under school official's collective noses. Years before Mr. Shaynak became a teacher at Brooklyn Tech, he was accused of other questionable acts. In 2005, he was accused of beating up an 11-year-old boy. But, because he was never convicted, although a restraining order had been issued, he still passed a NYC Education Department background check!
For Kiwanians there are many lessons to be learned by reading this article. We have to spot this type of behavior before it ever gets to the abuse stage. Secondly, perform background checks. Here is a case where the background check process failed because key facts were overlooked. We cannot afford to so the same, but if we never do a background check at all, we do not give our kids a chance to be protected.
I urge you to learn from this case, taking necessary steps, everyday, to protect our children.

Column Posted on Web Site November 1, 2014