4th graders pen-pals with child molester

[berkeley]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/12/rickey-rowlett-child-molester-pen-pals_n_1421697.html


Turns out teacher doesn't always know best.

Laura Perry, a fourth-grade teacher at Houston's Trinity Lutheran Church and School, set her students up to be pen-pals with a child molester, Newser reports.

Perry's students exchanged letters with Rickey R. Rowlett, while he was in jail on charges that he sexually assaulted a girl younger than 14 from 2008 to 2011. He was convicted on March 22 and guards discovered his letters with the students when he was moving to a new cell, according to the Houston Chronicle.

[berkeley]

During the correspondence, which began before Rowlett was convicted and sentenced to 50 years in jail, the fourth-graders offered personal information and expressed interest in meeting Rowlett once he was released.

"It's very alarming," Comal County District Attorney Jennifer Tharp said of the communication.

Perry, who is a family friend of Rowlett and whose father testified as a character witness in his trial, allegedly told her students that he was wrongfully accused.

Parents of two children in the school -- one of whom was in Perry's class -- filed suit against Trinity Lutheran Church and School on March 27, according to CBS Houston.

The suit alleges that Pastor Michael Dorn approved Perry's plan. But John Menke, chairman of the school's governing board, said that only Perry and the school's principal Ann Boatman knew of the arrangement.

Perry is no longer on the school's staff and Boatman is on administrative leave.

Another claim in the lawsuit is that Perry's husband, Blake Perry had contact with students and helped coach soccer at the school, even though he's charged with possessing and promoting child porn.

[Jay]

Why did the parents not know about this stuff?

My folks would have known and have had a 1st class fit. Parents really should be far more involved in their children's lives and schooling than they are.

[berkeley]

Not sure it has much to do with parental involvement. More like a sneaky teacher and children that didn't speak up.

[RandyWayne]

I just read this story an hour ago and thought of all sorts of creative punishments for this teacher. At least she was fired -had it been an LA school, she would have been put on paid leave while the district investigated. But it honestly sounds like more serious charges are in order.

[Cindy]

That is horrifying.