Last night we got an automated phone call from Lewisville Elementary which is nothing extraordinary since we get about one or two calls a week from the school. But last night my youngest took the call and listened to it and then informed me that his principal and science teacher had been suspended. Given the fact that Justin is 10 I kind of took it with a grain of salt because there is no more reliable way to get a muddled message across than to tell a 10 year old boy something and have him pass it along.
After Justin gave me the message I checked the school system’s website and found nothing there and heard nothing on the news so I chalked it up to a misunderstanding. This morning I saw nothing in the newspaper and there was nothing on the news all morning until about 9:00 a.m. when it was reported on WXII that Principal Rash and Mr. Snow the school’s popular science teacher had been suspended. The school system hasn’t given a reason for Mr. Snow’s suspension but they did say that Mr. Rash was suspended because of how he handled the unspecified allegations against Mr. Snow.
This is the first time we’ve had anything like this happen with any of our own kids’ principals or teachers. Both Justin and my daughter Erin really enjoy Mr. Snow’s classes and the few times I’ve been around Mr. Rash I’ve found him to be engaging and popular with the parents. Hopefully the school system will let us know what’s going on.
I just checked the school’s website and there’s still nothing on there about this whole mess. I’d like to suggest that they do a better job of using the site to inform us of what’s going on, and I’d also like to suggest that the school have a number we can call in to retrieve any messages that we parents might have missed because our kids listened on our behalf. I’d suggest putting an audio archive online but I don’t want to overtax them.
**Update** Here’s another point I’d like to make. I know that due to state personnel laws the school system can’t tell us too much about what’s going on, but why can’t they at least tell us if this is a potential criminal matter or more of a procedural matter? We got a call last week about a pellet gun being found on a student last week so I’m wondering if Mr. Snow and Mr. Rash were suspended for mishandling that situation. Or is it something far more serious like what happened recently at Jefferson Middle School? They could at least let us know the potential severity of the situation. I’ve had two kids who were or are students of Mr. Snow so I’d at least like to know if he’s suspected of doing something really creepy. If he’s not suspected of something criminal it would benefit him and the parents to let us know it’s a procedural matter.
**Update #2** I got around to reading the Winston-Salem Journal’s item about the incident and they got confirmation from the sheriff’s office that they are investigating, so I guess we can assume that it’s a criminal investigation. Justin came home from school with a note from Mr. Gale who is the acting principal. Here’s the text:
Dear Lewisville Parents:
As most of you know by now, Alan Snow, the science specialist at Lewisville Elementary, and Ron Rash, the principal, were suspended yesterday with pay. School-system administrators are investigating an allegation of misconduct against Mr. Snow and how Mr. Rash handled the allegation. I understand this is a difficult time, and as soon as the investigation is completed, we will provide more information.
I will be filling in for Mr. Rash as principal for a short period of time until the investigation has been completed. I would like for you to know a little about me.
I retired from the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System in June, 2005 after serving the school system for thirty-nine years. I served as principal in three schools:
- 1990-2005 Piney Grove Elementary School
- 1978-1990 Speas Elementary School
- 1971-1978 Fairview Intermediate School (now Ashley Elem.)
I also served as a sixth grade teacher at Clemmons Elementary School from 1966-1971.
As I entered Lewisville Elementary Monday morning, it was quickly evident that Lewisville has a very dedicated, caring staff that is providing a wonderful environment for children. During my short stay at Lewisville, it is my desire to assist you and the staff to continue to provide a safe learning environment for your child. I can assure you that we will do everything in our power to do just that.
If you have any concerns, questions, or comments, I will be happy to talk to you. I look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
signature
Thomas N. Gale
Acting Principal
I talked to another parent who did hear the automated phone message that was broadcast last night and she said that a contact name and phone number was provided for calling with questions. She was quite frustrated that she didn’t have a pen to write down the name and number and there was no way to replay the message. This just reinforces my belief that for something this important the school system needs to come up with some alternative messaging systems.
**Update #3** Here’s a link to WXII’s October 31 report on the investigation. According to the report the sheriff’s office was informed of the allegations early last week, which begs several questions. First, why weren’t parents informed about this sooner? Second, why was Mr. Snow allowed to keep teaching for another week? If it went to the sheriff’s office early last week it would lead a logical person to believe that the school system knew about this even earlier. I think we parents are owed some answers.
**Update #4, 11/9/06** I called the Assistant Superintendent who’s responsible for Lewisville Elementary, Charlene Davis, and she returned my call very promptly. She discussed the issues with me and shared with me that the investigation is now in the hands of the sheriff’s department and that she’s asked the school system’s attorney to make sure the sheriff shares any developments with them as soon as they can. She also filled me in on the timeline of events and all things considered it sounds like they moved on this as quickly as possible. She also told me that she’s spoken with lots of parents (apparently I wasn’t the first to call) and that she’s happy to talk with any parents. So if you have questions please do call Ms. Davis.
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Befuddled 
I personally feel it is WRONG that people’s names are being used in the media on mere “allegations” that have yet to be substantiated. What is to keep teachers/parents/students from pointing fingers on a daily basis when they don’t like another teacher, student, parent or administrator? Where do you draw the line between “right to know” and protecting people’s good name?
Certainly, children’s safety is the number one priority, however what about people’s careers, livlihood, and reputation? The climate in the school district is like a “witch hunt” right now. The public assumes when these type of reports come out that the accused are guilty–“where there’s smoke there is fire kind of thinking”…
The result is people’s reputations are forever tarnished.
In this particular case, — I have heard various rumors about what happened at Lewisville–all making it worse on the reputations of the individuals who have been accused of wrong doing as well as the school district as a whole. You are right–putting out little information is almost worse than no information at all. Nevertheless, I have heard from another parent in the Lewsiville community, that the person who made this “allegation” waited months to come forward. Sounds a little fishy? Or at least raises some red flags…
Also, your point of revealing the details of an investigation immediatly while sometimes that is important, yet at other times investigations need to occur (at least initially) outside the spotlight of today’s tabloid media. Seems like people would need some time to use some discretion before investigations spirals out of control in the media.
We have also heard the claim against the science teacher is very “vague”. With that in mind, how do we know whether or not the “accusing” may have plotted to “get back” at the teacher or principal for some “issue” he or she was having with the school?
Another concern we have…where is the “dis-incentive” for people making false allegations? I am also wondering if the accuser in this case supposedly waited months, should that person not be sited by authorities for failure to report? If the claim proves unsubstantiated and yet the accuser faces no consequences, what message does that send to others who are thinking false accusations might be a good way to get someone in trouble??
I have also heard some people say-“Truth will set them free” Truth can set some people free–maybe, sometimes, But what happens when an allegation is investigated–and can’t be proven true or false? One person’s word against another….The accused may know he or she is innocent, yet the public will always have “lingering doubt”. So, truth has not really set them free, has it?
I feel like today’s “hysteria” is child predators….Nowadays, people are so overly sensitive about child predators that they have changed their way of living for a fear that is mostly irrational. I wonder…are there really any more “predators” today then there were years ago? Now, we just hear about it 24/7–in the media–which leads to unrealistic fear… and “witch hunts” where people’s reputations can be ruined.
Also should people’s names be revealed when no official charges have been made? Everyone knows the people accused now. No one knows the “accuser”. If accusers (not talking about victims–talking about accusers) are kept completely anonymous. Again, I say…. where is the deterrent to them for making false claims? Also, people in the school district may know the character of the accused but what about the general public? People in the general public hear those names and immediately assume the worst.
Why would people want to go into a profession–go to college for four to eight years knowing all it would take to ruin their livlihood and reputation could be a claim by someone, anyone who might be crazy or just having a bad day?
P, Smith,
You make some very good points. In talking with my wife we had the same gut reaction, which was that we know how much our kids love having Mr. Snow as their teacher and we find it hard to believe that he did what everyone is assuming. We also wonder if he’ll ever be able to recover from this if these allegations are indeed false.
I absolutely agree that there’s a problem with how this is handled. Actually I think there are several problems. One is the problem that you pointed out, which is that the individuals involved have their reputations sullied (i.e. guilty before proven innocent) by the school system’s method of handling allegations. Surely there’s a way to protect the students and protect the reputation of someone who may be guilty of nothing. Here’s a hypothetical:
A student alleges a teacher has done something wrong. The teacher is given a “temporary assignment” or is called away for “training purposes.” Whatever it is the teacher is removed from the teaching environment and monitored. A full investigation is conducted. If during that investigation it is found that the teacher may have done something wrong, or multiple students are involved, then those allegations are investigated and once they’re ready to file charges then they go public. When they go public they can assure the parents that as soon as the allegations were filed the teacher was separated from the students so that no further damage could be done. On the other hand if the allegations are found to be false the teacher’s reputation is intact and the school system/sheriff’s office can take any appropriate actions against the false accuser.
And that brings me to a very important point you raise. There should be serious consequences for any student or parent involved in filing false accusations. It’s as bad as yelling “fire” in a crowded theater, and in situations like this lives can be absolutely ruined.
Finally, I’m getting pretty frustrated with the school system. I know we’re on fall break, and I know that the fifth graders had their annual trip to Camp Hanes at the end of last week (a trip Mr. Snow is usually a big part of), but that’s no excuse for not telling us what’s going on. I think it’s unfair to Mr. Snow if the rumors you’re hearing about false allegations are true and it’s definitely unfair to the Lewisville community that we have to function based on rumors. They’ve had three weeks since the allegations were supposedly made and I find it hard to believe that it takes this long to figure out if these are valid or bogus accusations. And quite frankly after their handling of the Jefferson incident I don’t exactly have a lot of confidence with these folks.
Finally, I actually kind of go the other way re. the hysteria about child predators. I actually believe that there were as many in bygone eras as there are now, but it just wasn’t acknowledged. I think a lot of people suffered in silence in the past. On the other hand I do believe that as parents we sometimes over react to perceived threats and that does create a kind of hysteria. We do have to keep the risks in perspective, but at the same time we also need to make sure that the people we entrust our children to are doing everything they can to provide a safe environment.
The dark side to all this is that even though we have no idea what the allegations are in this particular case, at least not from what the school system is telling us, we all know what the worst assumptions are. By handling the situation as they have the school system has created the perfect environment for rumor and innuendo and that is patently unfair to the whole community.
Thanks for the comment and I sincerely hope that this gets resolved without too much more damage.
Some interesting comparisons to what happened at Duke and the case in Lewisville–an allegation from an unreliable witness–in this case a teacher with a vendetta against another teacher. Sounds like the science teacher is coming back to Lewisville after a thorough investigation which found no wrong doing on him. Now, the question is: what happens to someone who makes up a story to “get back at another person”?
See 60 minutes report:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/11/60minutes/main2352512.shtml
Also, below are some interesting comments from the DA in Winston, Tom Keith in Saturday’s WS journal–commenting on the Duke case. Too bad he does not practice what he preaches–since in the case of Lewisville he apparently did not take into consideration–the reliability and credibility of the allegator.
From WS Journal article:
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192646134&path=!localnews!regional!&s=1037645509151
“It’s a brand new page and the page is blank,” said District Attorney Tom Keith of Forsyth County, a member of the executive committee of the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys. “He’ll (Coman) look at everything that’s been done. He’s not necessarily brought in there to try it. He’s brought in as a new prosecutor with absolute carte blanche.”
Keith, a co-signer of the letter that rebuked Nifong, said that the special prosecutors will not only review the case file, but talk to key witnesses – particularly the accuser, who has changed her story at least three times.
At issue will be her credibility and reliability and her reasons for changing her story multiple times, he said.
“You can’t just rely on paper,” said Keith, who was also the author of a September letter that offered aid to Nifong from more experienced district attorneys. “You have to talk to the witness. In any of these cases, the key thing is the credibility of the witness.”
In that sense, the special prosecutors will be doing something Nifong didn’t do himself – talk to the accuser and assess her reliability.
“You start with – first, whether you believe it – and then you ask, ‘Well, how credible is this going to be to a jury?'” said Burley Mitchell, a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court and former Wake County district attorney.” Saturday Jan 13th
Food for thought…goes to show that people in power can take a story and manipulate it to what they want the outcome to be…
P. Smith, Lewisville, NC
We need to ask ourselves some questions as adults and as parents: How many times does a teacher get suspended in less than a year with different accusers each time (from my understanding it was 2 accusers the first time and unknown number of accusers this time). No one is out to get this teacher these are not false allegations. I am not saying Mr. Snow is innocent or guilty by any means but all these people are defending him and not thinking about these possible victims. We are acting like a person who is nice, caring, teaches, and plays with children cannot also do bad things; but what about the preachers that have been accused recently they are the least likely for anyone to think would do bad things, so why is this any different-maybe he did maybe he didn’t, but my main concern as a parent is the children’s safety. When people are victimized they are afraid to come forward for several reasons: Fear, Empathy, Respect, Shame, Guilt, Blame and Trust. Now imagine if your child came forward to you with some news that you just couldn’t believe that shocked you and scared you. Your child trusted you with his/her concerns- as a parent what are you going to do? Well most of us would go to the authorities, correct and most of us would expect our community would stand behind us for the sake of the victim. We send our children to school thinking they will be safe but that isn’t always the case-you can see this on the news all around the US daily. The sheriff’s dept is doing a wonderful job and investigations take time, sometimes a lot of time. We need to be patient and let them do what is best for our children.
Most of the parents from Lewisville remember when Mr. Snow came back from suspension the first time the school sent home a letter but do we remember what that letter stated…that Mr. Snow was accused of inappropriate conduct towards a TEACHER, not a child. If we as parents knew it was a child we could have made decisions about if we trusted this man or not, we didn’t need details-they could have just said “that accusations were made that involved a child/children and if you don’t want your kids in his class we will accommodate that”, but they didn’t do that. We are smart people and obviously the man didn’t get charged with a crime so if we truly trusted him than we wouldn’t have minded our kids around him or maybe we would have minded but we should have been able to make that decision.
Now keep imagining that this is your family that the accusations are coming from and you see the reports that the parents and community are protecting Mr. Snow and basically saying these accusations are false and calling your child a liar-how would you feel? How must this child feel hearing all this stuff? I thought we as a society were past the idea that someone asked for it by dressing a certain way or by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I thought we were past making the victim feel like they are to blame.
A lot of people will not know this but after the allegations were made Mr. Snow was not immediately suspended he was there at the school as was the victim for a number of days, the parents of the accuser didn’t want him there while the investigation was going on, they felt that you couldn’t have a fair investigation if the accuser and accused were in the same vicinity but no one listened and mistakes were made. As the victim how would you feel knowing that every day you would have to go to school seeing this person that you have made accusations on? I know I would feel like no one believes me, that it is okay to do those things that I thought were inappropriate. I am not saying he is guilty but we need to remember that children are involved and this is very delicate and we are shaping our future so are we going to teach them it is right or wrong to tell on someone doing something we don’t like or something that is hurting us mentally or physically.
Also think about if something happened at work and someone did something you didn’t agree with or that hurt your feelings or hurt you mentally or physically and you went to the proper authorities would the accused be immediately asked to leave and not be near the accuser, and would we react differently when we hear it on the news (it being adults instead of children)? It seems like the children are not protected they are not believed and they are the only ones who really matters aren’t they? Just remember as this investigation is going on and you are making comments or getting in front of the cameras- “how would you feel” if this was your families issue, if you had to be the parent of the child in question, if even after your child came forward they had to face the accuser in some shape form or fashion during their schools day, or if you were the first accusers who told and nothing was done and the accused was back in your school. How would you feel if it seemed like nobody believed you, if your community wasn’t behind you. Also remember what are we teaching our children or victims in general-that if you come forward you will be made to look like the bad guy, that if you come forward no one is going to believe you, that if you tell on something that you don’t like that you are to blame and the person you accused is going to walk away without any remorse/repercussions for his actions innocent or not. If someone does something to you that you don’t like, makes you feel uncomfortable, that you feel is wrong what would you do-as adults we can choose not to be around the person or we can press charges, what rights are we giving our children if the same happens to them?
The family of one of the victim wants to talk but they are waiting until the investigation is over and the sheriffs dept has done its job (which they are doing an excellent job) they have also been instructed by family members and close friends to seek legal council to ensure that the investigation that the school is doing goes the way it should and to see if any wrong doing was done in the way that the case was handled when the school found out from the first accusations to the last accusations. The family is trusting the sheriff’s dept completely and cooperating and they know that they will do what is best. From what I know the person in the Sheriffs dept that has been in contact with the family is the only ones who seem to really care about the well being of the child and the outcome of the investigation, and to make sure that it is done correctly and precisely. It is the school and school system that everyone around the victim is questioning, whether they do seek legal council or not is yet to be determined but again it is not toward the sheriff’s dept but toward the school system and school. We don’t need to rush to judgment on anyone but at the same time remember our children are involved. Remember by victims speaking out it opens the door for others who were possibly ashamed or scared to come out before may come out now by the strength and courage of the recent victim. People are always scared or ashamed to come forward as a society let’s not make it harder for them to come forward. Please pray for all involved.
Concerned Parent and Friend
I am sorry the statement above :letter but do we remember what that letter stated…that Mr. Snow was accused of inappropriate conduct towards a TEACHER, not a child…that is my fault that was a misunderstanding, it was not disclosed at all on whom the conduct was toward ( I dont have kids that go there just friends of a family)