Cooperation Vital in Abuse Allegations

Albuquerque Journal
February 12, 2016

http://www.abqjournal.com/722771/opinion/cooperation-vital-in-abuse-allegations.html

The Santo Nino Regional Catholic School, shown before its 2006 opening, is contending with allegations of inappropriate sexual contact between a teacher and students dating back to 2007. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)

Recent contentions from five students at Santo Nino Regional Catholic School in Santa Fe that a teacher had put his hand on their bodies in places where it didn’t belong unfortunately reminds us that our children can’t be perfectly safe anywhere.

That’s a shame. In an ideal world, no child would be touched in any way that isn’t loving, supportive and completely non-sexual. They should be handled as the precious treasures that they are.

At this point, no conclusion has been reached about the truth of the accusations. So far, teacher Aaron Dean Chavez has been charged with five counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor. On behalf of his client, Chavez’s attorney has denied all of the allegations. It will take some time for this matter to work its way through the court system and reach a resolution. That is as it should be, with a presumption of innocence before proven guilty.

A somewhat disturbing aspect of this case, though, arises from revelations that two girls alerted the school’s principal in 2012 that Chavez had allegedly touched them on their buttocks while he bounced them in his lap when they were first-graders.

State Police were notified, no charges were filed and Chavez continued working at the school. It’s possible the charges couldn’t be substantiated. Given the latest developments, the New Mexico State Police is investigating what happened and why charges weren’t filed then.

We encourage everyone to cooperate fully with the investigations, both of the allegations and how they were handled by the people in charge. It’s sad to say, but the Catholic Church’s historical record in covering up and inadequately dealing with sexual abuse charges against their priests engenders some mistrust about how such allegations about their teachers might have been handled.

We hope the archdiocese has learned from the past and is being open with investigators, with its highest priority on protecting the children in its care.