I have noticed that they get heavy coverage, and I've also noticed that they are forgotten equally fast. The problem is that the teacher is fired or gets to resign and go on to another job sometimes another job in education.

The denial on the part of the public schools is different to the denial of RCC. It is more a case of "this is a local problem" when the widespread nature of it calls for statewide and national oversight. The solution has traditionally been to fire the teacher and the incident becomes part of the record of one that one school system. If no action is taken against the teacher's certificate, then it does not become part of state records. Most of the time the local schools system cannot afford the potential expense if it goes to court. So, it's easier to let them go without the ethics violation. That is at least what I read into the Shakeshaft report. It states that 99% of the teachers accused (even when they confess) do not have action taken against their certificates.

So on one hand you don't have people actively covering it up. On the other hand they know about the problem and do nothing to fix it.

@CA, those percentages don't address the age issue, though. That is where I think the real shock and anger come into play.

Also, CA, I think there is a perceived difference between "moral religious folk" abusing kids and "those liberal school teachers". I'm not saying that there should be a difference (perceived or real), just stating that there is. Public schools are viewed in a different light because they are state sponsored and free, where as private schools (Catholic, Baptist, Montessori, whatever) are held to a higher standard. Again, this isn't right, it's just a fact of life.

*by free I mean no direct out of pocket costs. We still pay for them with our taxes.

It strikes me as distinctly different to compare the RCC actively covering up a fixable problem to a decrepit, financial black hole of a public school system not fixing it to the best of their ability out of a lack of funding to do so. Perhaps my analogy is flawed, but I see that as being similar to blaming the lone cop in Beckwourth, California (small town around the ass-end of nowhere) for not doing enough to catch Charles Manson. Surely the cop would help... if he had funding.

Well jeepers, obviously the Roman Catholic Church would be able to solve thier problems too.... if we sent them lots more money! ^^

They can already solve them, but that would mean admitting their leadership is flawed humans, something the RCC leadership isn't willing to do.

@ Draugnar

In all of the instances the students were between eleven and thirteen.

@ President Eden

It's not so much that they didn't have funding to fix the problem. I don't hold any teacher responsible for the crime of another teacher unless they knew of a specific crime and did not report it. I do think that on a national level the Department of Education should have done something over the fourteen year period to put in place some way to track these teachers and prevent them from being hired by another school system. How hard would it be to put a link on the DOE website "Teachers dismissed under suspicion of Child Abuse"? Once again the problem comes up for local school systems because a teacher who knows that his/her name might go on a national "Do Not Hire" list has more incentive to fight in court.

@CA, another factor, rightly or wrongly, I believe, is the fact that approximately 80% of the complaints against priests have been for male against male abuse - "homosexual" abuse (I put it in quotes because pedophilia is or should be in an entirely different category than typical homosexual or heterosexual behaviors/desires). The news and people in general, I suspect, are particularly fascinated and horrified by abuse of boys by much older men. There is a general assumption that abuse by a opposite sex individual is somehow more natural - when of course no abuse is natural. ...then of course there is the hypocrisy and closet-suppression angle... it makes for a better story - being that the church expects chastity from its priests *and* views homosexual behavior and desires as sinful. In all scandals people are particularly ready to hate and punish those who are dishonest... Example: Clinton, Bush, and Obama all used drugs when younger... Clinton lied about it ("I did not inhale"), Bush refused to discuss it, Obama admitted it openly and moved on. Of these Clinton's response is still a charged joke and source of ridicule. The others? Not so much. It is worth noting that no school scandal and cover-up has been shown (to my knowledge) to be traceable all the way to the Secretary of Education or the President... yet in the case of the church, it has been shown to go all the way to the top. This also sets them apart.

@ dexter I still see little difference. Both institutions (for whatever reason) have been soft on the perpetrators, allowing them to transfer around rather than subjecting them to any serious punishment. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I know of no action that anyone, right up to the top (Which is actually the governor of each state and the state superintendents). That inaction in the face of a documented widespread problem is pretty much compliance. Sure no high level official actively covered anything up. They just didn't do anything about it when they were the ones with the obligation to do so. I'm still disgusted equally with both institutions.

I was outlining the "news-worthiness" more than anything in that last post... I see little difference as well... but certain things trigger more of a media reaction and a public reaction than other things do. I do think that actively covering up is worse than inaction... but, yes, both are clearly failing on this very important issue. Am I to understand that you see an active cover up and inaction as equal?

I absolutely view willful neglect with every bit as much contempt as trying to cover up. The willful neglect can go on for another fourteen years if nobody takes notice and expresses any outrage. Sadly that looks like exactly what is happening.