PENNSYLVANIA
Daily Times
By Kathleen E. Carey, Delaware County Daily Times
For almost 40 years, Debbie Williamson Warren has lived with the nightmare of being sexually abused by her science teacher, and the only way she feels she can protect others is through the provisions that proposed legislation in Pennsylvania – House Bill 1947 – may provide.
The Florida resident and her family moved to the Olney section of Philadelphia when she entered fifth grade.
“I was 9 years old,” the now 47-year-old said. “My family had just moved from Danville, Va. My dad took the position as a principal at Cedar Grove Christian Academy” in northeast Philadelphia.
Childhood sexual abuse is a pervasive societal problem that gained much exposure after the Archdiocese of Boston came under scrutiny in 2002 for widespread abuse and concealment. In the Philadelphia region, two grand jury reports in 2005 and 2011 outlined abuse and cover-ups in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Since then, various legislative appeals have attempted to address the issue.
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