Ex-teacher faces charge in Y-C

I think this is ridiculous. Girls have such power these days! The power to destroy lives....I find it very sad that the Yamhill County Sheriff department doesn't have better things to do with their time. Does the parents of these girls realize what they are doing to another family? REALLY is it worth ruining other lives???????????????

I understand your point BEE, but no adult should EVER put their hands on a child...especially if they are not their own. This man was suppose to be an example to the children of the community he teaches, and is on the board of the city council. He is SUPPOSE to be an example to everyone. ON ANOTHER NOTE: I am a parent of a student at the school he taught at, and I am EXTREMELY disappointed in the lack of communication about this incident to us. Our children came home in early March with rumors, and questions.. so because nobody ever said a word to the parents of the student body, we had no choice but to tell our children they were wrong, and it was inappropriate for them to talk about it, because it could damage a teachers reputation. Imagine our shock when nearly a month later, we are seeing this story in the NR and on the news. This should have been reported to the parents of the school as well, so that we could make this a teaching moment, and be better prepared to answer the questions that our students have had. SHAME ON THE YCIS staff for keeping this from the parents. We are a small, close knit community, and I find it very discouraging that the school and district chose to keep this from the people that support their jobs and depend on them for the safety of our children day in and day out. And as far as ruining other lives, while these girls may not have theirs ruined? How dare you blame them. They are victims of a teacher who CHOSE to behave this way. HE is the adult, no challenge, or joke should have been worth HIS job...which HE made the decision to do this...HE is the one who made the choice to ruin HIS OWN life. If it were your child...I am positive you would be LIVID.

Maybe off the subject a little bit:

One thing I have noticed over the last several years. I can't really speak about this case. But I have noticed a lot of teens disrespectful of adults, in turn I think some adults take that okay and others not so okay.

I think a lot of people just aren't parent's anymore, Someone once said "When I grew up" I was more afraid of my parents than the being in trouble with the police" It appears those days are now gone!


When I grew up and I did something wrong at school, they would use the paddle on me. I had it happen once in my life. I don't have PTSD over it ! But it ddi tell me to "not do that"

That being said, my biggest regret in life was getting blamed for something I didn't do, and instead of sticking up for myself ( I gave in like I did it) so class could continue.

I'm not saying kids need spanked etc..etc.. But let's look at some reality. As an adult we are suppose to be held accountable for our actions. When we don't do our job, we get fired, when we break the law we go to jail or get a fine or both. Don't pay bills, often end up in court.

To me being a youth means there should be consequences for behavior, and I just don't see a lot of that happening within our society like we need.

I think being a teacher is a difficult job and I wouldn't want it from a liability stand point, same with a police officer. I do expect higher standards in those positions and better level of control than most, it is important to know that before you start working in it. My hope is that both parties can look at their actions in this situation and see how each of them may or may not have contributed to it and be accountable for their part (this includes being punished).

Troy Prouty*

"....grabbed her by the hips, picked her up,turned her upside down, carried her into a classroom and feigned depositing her in a trash can."

If the above statement is true, my opinion would be, Melvin Jordan is a child molester.

Let's discuss non-reporting:

Mr Chivaro's statement belies the sequence of events. By early March Mr. Jordan was gone. Our children told us this and a substitute began teaching Mr. Jordan's class. How could Mr. Chivaro possibly have been unaware of the inner workings of this case? Untruth or incompetence?

How can a principle, or a dean of students not know about this situation? It is public knowledge, posted on the Teachers Standard of Practice website, that Mr. Jordan had been disciplined several years prior for very similar behaviors, under a different principle.

Is Mr. Jordan a good instructor? Yes. Does he have a problem? Indeed.

From my experience as a parent within this district, I would assert that Mr. Jordan's situation is the symptom of a much larger issue which centers around the non-reporting. How far does this problem reach? Is it possible that given what appears to be an extensive effort to avoid transparency, this situation indicates that there could be other cases of a similar nature or worse that were not reported?

Why was Mr. Jordan initially allowed to resign in good standing? One assumes he took his retirement package with him, as will Mr. Chivaro in June.

If one considers the school district like a family, the Superintendent is like a parent and sets the moral tone of a school. What have we here in Yamhill-Carlton School District for a moral code?

What are we teaching our children and are we protecting them?

A school district the size of Y-C has a superintendant, principal, and dean of students? Sounds a bit top heavy to me.

KM13:
Thanks for the contribution. We checked, but missed it.
The publicly posted findings, which consist of several pages spelling out the actions and response in considerable detail, indicate Jordan was guilty of two similar but somewhat less egregious actions (my characterization) that led the TSPC to place him on three years probation in August 2009. That means he was still under official TSPC probation when the new incidents took place in December and January.
We will include some reference and a brief description in our next print story.
Steve Bagwell, Managing Editor

Correction:

Mr Jordan was disciplined under the current principal, Gretchen Brunner and the current administrator Mr. Chivaro. This creates even more questions as to what type of oversight Mr. Jordan was receiving and how they could expect us to believe that they knew nothing of this situation. We are putting and our tax dollars and trust into individuals who demonstrate a blatant disregard for the laws and procedures that are designed to keep our children safe.

There is this hole in the story, for example "

"In the second, he said, the girl said Jordan bragged about being able to pin her against a wall, then proceeded to do so. He grabbed her arms near her shoulders, then pushed her up against the wall and held her there, she said."

It really doesn't discuss how him and the student were there together to begin with or what exactly was happening in the exchange on why they were there.

I guess that will come out in trial, unless those close to this would like to discuss it here?

Personally I would like to see more explanation of things. It seems we always here one side of this person is the victim this person is the bad guy and we focus on the bad guy, not the other. BUT I would like the whole story, not just thehalf that sells or makes for great prosecution to sell an election at another date.

troy prouty*

He was arrested for that??? Are you kidding me?
Boorish behavior that shouldn't happen? Absolutely!
Would I be mad if it was my daughter? Yes.
A reprimand? Sure.
Get fired for it? Okay, maybe because it happened again.
But a crime? A crime??? Arrested by the police? Wow, I'm speechless. What has this world come to? I mean really, a crime and arrested for doing that. Crazy. No wonder the kids are so out of control these days.

Maybe all those folks who rushed to defend those two boys at Patton (who really were sexually harassing and assaulting those girls) will come to his defense.

"What has this world come to?"

It comes down to this, Mack. Back in the day when we all lived in the real world, a father such as myself (excluding you of course) would have been fully within his rights to knock the living daylights out of the prick for having laid his hands on any female in such MANNER.

The s.o.b would've been sporting a raccoon mask for about a month if he'd touched/treated one of my daughters that way.

Somebody's clock needs adjusting here and it ain't mine. I posted the above comment at 04:44.

And before you reply to my statement, Mack, I know what you'll say. You'll say that I can't do legally do that, that I'd be arrested for assault.

And I have actually been arrested for assault, just once in my life (so far) and it was for knocking the living daylights out of a prick so hard that it actually left him 'sporting a raccoon mask' for about a month.

Though, the District Attorney of Mendocino County did decline to prosecute in the interest of justice. The arrest still remains on my record, go figure?

Mack...of course he was arrested for that. THAT is not why kids are out of control these days...persons in a position of authority should never put their hands on children...let me rephrase that...NOBODY should put their hands on ANYONE. Harassment is harassment, assault is assault. This is NOT the first time he has been in trouble for this, and this is not something that a teacher should be doing to a student. EVER. If he felt like he needed to "discipline" those girls:1...it is not his job as the teacher, and 2...that is certainly not the way to go about it. There seems to be more to the story. As a parent, I reserve the right to prosecute ANYONE who lays hands and/or harms my children in any way. I believe that we spend alot of money prosecuting people who at times do not deserve it, but this "man" deserves it. If he had learned from the first incident, he would not do it again....he was not prosecuted (legally) for the first incident, and he did it again...so yes, as a mom the first time my child does something that it inappropriate or wrong, he gets a time out...the second time he gets in trouble....this teacher was still on his "time out" and he did it again..therefore, we step up the punishment. It was his choice to act this way....he is an adult and knows right from wrong...it is time he faces the music.

Was he doing this in a joking around sort of way or as a serious attempt at discipline. I guess I just assumed it was an attempt at being funny.
If it was a serious attempt at discipline...well, thats a lot more serious.
Does anyone know which it was?

I have no idea what sort of demeanor he displayed. However, I do know that when he engaged in similar acts two years earlier, they were taken so seriously that he was placed on three years probation by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, which ordered him to have NO physical contact whatsoever with students. If you are on formal TSPC probation and under formal TSPC order, does your demeanor really matter? Obviously, those in a position to make the call did not view such conduct as some kind of joke. Shouldn't that by itself inform one's future conduct? He knew he was at risk of losing his job over such actions and engaged in them anyway -- on two separate occasions in successive months -- according to the police report.
Steve Bagwell, Managing Editor

Sent yesterday from our superintendent:

"To YCSD parents and community members: The District regrets any adverse publicity it has recently received. As always, our first priority is protecting the safety of students. That overriding policy is followed by our need to guard legally protected employee rights. Please know that from the very beginning, we followed both our contractual and legal responsibilities, as we understood them. Throughout every step of the process, we relied on the guidance of legal counsel to ensure our obligations were met. We understand your questions and we understand the apprehension born from lack of information. We also hope you understand, how for some, truth is never as clear as it is when told by someone without all the facts. The problem is the law often prevents us from revealing the details of situations that occur with students or staff members. More than anything, we hope you never forget what a great school system this is. One filled with wonderful students and dedicated staff. We also hope we always remember how in this great nation of ours, people have the right to voice concerns and those accused have the right to be heard. Steve Chivaro, Superintendent"

I find this letter disingenuous and patronizing. No remorse is shown for not reporting, only for "adverse publicity."

Truth is the best way to protect our children.

His retirement...Our tax dollars.

Everyone here is so quick to convict and crucify a man solely on an accusation, yes he has a record but how do we know he was the one who violated his probation or initiated contact, "maybe he was taunted, or maybe he did submit this students behavior thru the proper chain of command and was ignored,hoping it would never be brought up again or that the nusance would go away, "hint".how do we know this particular student does not have psychological issues,drugs,low self esteem,poor diet etc,etc,etc,. not trying to defend this man, but we need to get both sides of the story before we go knocking people out.


MACK,TUBBS SR,- I HAVE ALSO KNOCKED PEOPLE OUT, DID NOT MAKE ME A BETTER PERSON OR CITIZEN,, THE MILITARY DID!! URAH!

Semper Fi to you, too, EAGLEEYE ;)

In response to Eagleeye: I was raised by a Marine. The objective here is to provide an education in a safe environment. Adults need to follow the rules if we expect our kids to do the same. Let me ask you what your commanding officer would do if you were warned and sanctioned and continued to break the rules? What type of man do want you to have your back in battle? What type of man do you want in a position of power with your 12 year old daughter? You have at least two parents in this thread, from Yamhill. Reread my entries along with YCmom22 and Sbagwell. As in the Marines, there is no excuse. There is a police report of these incidents. There is a record of previous violations that we were all aware of and probation and sanctions by the TSPC. The school knew, continued to employ this man, and chose to not to report to the police. Private parties who are afraid to come forward report that Mr. Jordan was removed before March 2, and his computer confiscated - then the district threatened teachers with legal sanctions if they spoke about Mr. Jordan's removal to anyone. What was on that computer? The police were never told. Taken from Oregon .gov:"By law, mandatory reporters must report suspected abuse or neglect of a child regardless of whether or not the knowledge of the abuse was gained in the reporter�s official capacity. In other words, the mandatory reporting of abuse or neglect of children is a 24-hour obligation. Who is a mandatory reporter? This includes: School and child care personnel: Teachers, school personnel, educational advocates assigned to a child pursuant to the School Code, truant officers, directors and staff assistants of day care centers and nursery schools. The district took it upon itself to be the authority in a situation where by law they were not. They took things into their own hands and said nothing. This has happened before...it will continue until some sort of accountability comes to pass. I am not holding my breath

This is not the first time something like this has happen with Mr. Jordan. I know what happened 4 years ago. Had it been another student he would have been fired then, instead he was allowed to leave for a few years. I know about 11 years ago he told a student she would be pregnant by the time she was 16. Is this the kind of teacher we want teaching our kids. He tried grabbing my child by the shirt 9 years ago. I told him if he touched my child it would be the last child he ever touched. What upsets me the most is that he was allow to quit so he can keep his PERS and live off the state for the rest of his life. He needs to be fired so he has no PERS. I feel Mr. Chivaro and the school board need to reverse the decision made on March 6th.

In response to YCmom86:

The Yamhill Carlton School District has hired a law firm to defend the administrators in this case. Taxpayers money is being spent to justify illegal, unethical behavior. Mr.Chivaro is going to keep his PERS and at the moment he is spending our money - twice. The money we don't' seem to have for materials, books, programs, etc. The money we fundraise and donate in the form of materials and cash.

I wouldn't count on our school board to do a thing. They are just going to wait it out and breathe a sigh of relief when he is gone, regardless of the cost to our district and our kids.They are not running this show and never have. I has been indicated from numerous sources that Mr. Chivaro is in the practice of keeping pertinent information from them until there is a crisis. Often they find out what is really going on from community members. Once they do find out, he makes them complicit because if they say they didn't know, they look incompetent. The school board ends up doing the bidding of our superintendent.

For one man in a very small town, Mr. Chivaro seems to wield and inordinate amount of power and fear. If this community had the courage to organize, we could have a very different outcome. but at this point it looks like the community will take the same stance as the school board.

I predict that in the end Mr. Chivaro will walk away from the mess he leaves us with, his benefits intact and very little responsibility for the countless failures to report over the years and for the abusive and intimidating treatment of staff and parents.

We are going to look mighty foolish when we discover that truly "the emperor has no clothes."

KM13

While I understand your concern about money spent on legal fees, I think it's likely that the district has insurance coverage for legal fees and judgements for this type of claim. The district policy may have a deductable involved but I doubt the district (or taxpayers) will have to foot the entire legal bill. As far as school board action, I'm not sure they could do anything to anyone until the facts of the case are verified... which might take some time as everyone at this point has "lawyered up". This case will probably continue long after Mr Chivaro has gone....

It probably will.

Hacksaw:

Don't' you find it a bit ironic that we are paying one way or another for our administrators to lawyer up when they have already been legally cited or breaking the law? The police confirm that Chivaro's statement to the press is a lie. He absolutely knew as did his administrators that were cited. The school knew about Jordan's "retirement" and cut him a deal...more taxpayer money, as YCmom86 points out.

The relationship in this district between the school board and the superintendent is reversed. Steve Chivaro is under the mistaken impression that the board works for him. Couple that with the every increasing amount of evidence that The Mel Jordan case has been covered up for years and that there are other people stepping forward to discuss other similar cases of verified non reporting and abuse of power, one has to wonder what would actually move the board to discipline Mr. Chivaro, especially as a pattern of behavior emerges. Maybe a move to remove all of them for failure to act and enforce school policy? In any other job position, he would have long ago been fired.

ORS 419B.015 makes it clear that any suspected abuse to children is to be reported directly to DHS or law enforcement. No intermediary such as a school district, is cited as an alternative expert for evaluating child abuse reports. The role of DHS and law enforcement is to evaluate all reports.

A school district cannot ethically dictate that its staff report to the district before following the state laws for mandatory reporting. To do so suggests obstruction, or tampering with the legal reporting process.

If a district were to threaten reprisal in any way, for staff following the reporting laws, wouldn't this be coercion?

" In any other job position, he would have long been fired."

If a Secret Service agent can be fired before a conviction of misconduct, then why can't a school teacher?

I visit the restaurants and businesses in Yamhill-Carlton periodically and have enjoyed the small town atmosphere and the people. However, I think your problems go MUCH deeper than just the school authorities!...I have witnessed on more than one occasion the chief of your local police department behaving in a VERY unprofessional manner. It seems as tho he enjoys adult beverages and often over imbibes and from what I understand, others in his family frequent the local tavern and cause what I would describe as "drunken brawls"..making our visits to that restaurant/tavern off limits as long as the chief and his family continue to use it as their personal hang out. The owner and staff seem to be decent folks, so I can't understand why they would allow that kind of behavior in their place of business if it keeps customers away. Maybe Yamhill needs some new blood in the chief's seat. How can the people of Yamhill trust that they are being protected when the chief overindulges as he does? I wonder if the folks feel as tho he has lost his capacity to lead, serve and protect!..I know I am not the only one that is aware he has serious issues that affect his performance......step up folks and speak out.or.....settle for the lack of leadership you will have deserved by not voicing your opinions and and concerns. Perhaps you are afraid of retaliation!.....It's your town, your tax dollars....these school issues and this chief....are wasting your money...I heard about him rolling a fire truck when I lived in another state! What penalty did he pay for that...? Otherwise, you have a great community.

I can't speak to the factual content of your post, but it seems kinda lame to bring your complaints to this forum. If you have an issue take it to the Sheriff, the city council or somewhere that can actually address your concerns. Posting here makes it sound like gossip and sour grapes from a citizen with an agenda.

Did you ever see the movie with Clint Eastwood "Hang Em High"...you people have issues that you are sweeping under the carpet and not addressing....if you all knew this teacher had problems in the past, why not stay focused on his behavior or demand he not be around your children after the first infraction? If your citizens are too intimidated and afraid of retaliation why would they complain to the very city council that does nothing, for fear their heads will roll? Keep pacing and wringing your hands, the solutions are bound to come to somebody as to how to "clean-up" your community.....watch "Hang Em High"....it's a good lesson in backbone!...this teacher was ON THE CITY COUNCIL for 6 years?....I rest my case...!

What exactly is your "case"? I doesn't seem that the issue at the school is being "swept under the carpet" as you say....looks like a full on investigation to me. Your accusations against the police department could be easily reported to the sheriff's office if there are as you say "drunken brawls".

If these issues are important...you should do something about it rather than expect other citizens to do the work for you. Posting here will do nothing....