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School district maintains proactive stance on teacher sexual misconduct
11/3/2009 9:00 PM   10 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend

The arrest of a former Leavelle McCampbell Middle School teacher on criminal sexual misconduct charges is the fourth Aiken County incident in the past 15 months related to inappropriate teacher involvement with students.

Another former Leavelle McCampbell teacher is included in that count.

The teachers' connection to Leavelle McCampbell is a coincidence, said Aiken Superintendent Dr. Beth Everitt and Associate Superintendent Dr. Cecilia Davidson.

"They are totally unrelated," said Davidson. "These teachers never worked in the building at the same time."

Joseph Magni Jr., 28, of Lexington was arrested by Richland County sheriff's deputies Sunday on allegations he had sex with a 14-year-old student at the school and at an Aiken movie theater in May and June. He had worked at Leavelle McCampbell in the 2008-09 school year and left the district in June. District officials said they were not aware of any sexual abuse allegations at the time Magni left.

Last month, an LBC Middle School teacher was arrested on charges related to sexual misconduct with a student while she was teaching at Leavelle McCampbell. The latest arrest and the others are disheartening, Davidson said.

What the district has done and continues to do is take steps to prevent such incidents, Everitt said. All new teachers get information in professional development sessions about state law and district policies. Every year, about 50 teachers and administrators attend Summer Institute - a five-day seminar that provides them with information about resources in the community and ways to recognize when children are having problems.

"We want our staff to be aware of any situation," Everitt said. "If something seems unusual or strange, if a student seems uncomfortable, we want our teachers to talk to them. If concerns are raised, we don't ignore them. We continue to providing training for staff, principals and parents. Some schools have done awareness training, and our churches do, too, to help prevent abusive situations."

South Carolina's Code of Laws has statutes related to suspensions, hearings and dismissal of teachers for violations of rules and regulations, including gross immorality.

"We have a sexual harassment policy in place for both staff-to-staff issues and staff-to-student," Davidson said. "They are reviewed by administrators with faculty and staff as part of our beginning-of-the-year process."

Before prospective teachers can get formal certification, the State Department of Education does fingerprint checks. During the hiring process, the Aiken County School District does SLED checks on new hires, Davidson said.

When allegations are made against a teacher, the faculty member is placed on administrative leave with pay pending an investigation, said Aiken County School Board Attorney Bill Burkhalter. If the teacher is convicted or pleads guilty or no contest to any charges, he or she is subject to dismissal.

Everitt reiterated that training and discussion on sexual harassment and abuse issues will be addressed again.

"We're going to be proactive," she said. "When something is reported, we follow up on it. In many cases, there is nothing to it. But we can't ignore them."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.


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  10 comment(s) on this story

Innocent till proven Guilty. :  11/18/2009

People have to remember we are talking about a 14yr old and that everything that is said may not be true. What if they are all lies and she just ruined his life for the heck of it.. You cannot just assume that he is a pervert. He is not. He is a kind, christian young man.

The Final Word... :  11/14/2009

Many of you have done nothing except show your ignorance. The so called 'concerned parents' who met at a restaurant the other night should have been at the school for 'parents as partners' meeting with the teachers and administration to learn what they are doing in the classroom. They also had a spaghetti dinner, which was wonderful. Instead you go to a restaurant and drink alcohol, complain, talk about nothing, and are ashamed to show your face! How really concerned are you for the children? You are an example of people who prevaricate (look it up!) in order to gain attention and reveal their own agenda. You people just can't stand the fact that a brilliant Africian-American woman is leading a school forward and educating our children. And the five or six teachers who wine and complain (all of which are white) need to get off the race issue. You are a disgrace to the teaching profession. You should also remember that every individual is accountable for their own actions- they should be professionals... however, they are apparently just as ignorant as some of you and really don't know what it means to have personal responsibility. Let the justice system take care of Magni and Key- and let the faculty and staff at LMMS do their job. And above all, how stupid are you to not realize that all of this is upsetting the students at the school? Stop being self-righteous and think about the entire family at LMMS, which includes the students, you are trying to destroy. You will not prevail- good always overcomes evil. Read your Bible if you have one!

Parent disgusted with stupidity!

Enough is Enough :  11/11/2009

Freedom of speech does not mean to have a closed mind and show ignorance. If you have not worked under the principal or even walked down the halls and/or into the classrooms at that school you are spreading lies about then you should not even comment. If you are a TRUE TEACHER at HEART, then you would love working under her and appreciate her leadership and support. She believes that ALL CHILDREN can learn and that ALL TEACHERS MUST SUPERVISE, TEACH, AND ENGAGE!!! LMMS is making great strides and moving along with their mission with a DIVERSE STAFF. So please get your facts straight before you show your IGNORANCE!

Supportive Parent

principal :  11/4/2009

Just because a person had a fraudulent check charge does not mean they can not fulfill the duties of their job. The economy is very bad and sometimes it is just easy to get your checkbook in a mess. She is not in jail on sexucal misconduct charges. I think she has taken a very difficult school with many problems and is trying to turn it around. It has to be a very difficult job.

Principal's arrest :  11/4/2009

Fraudulent Check and there is at least one restraining order against her.

:  11/4/2009

Why did the principle get arrested??

Aiken county hiding mistakes :  11/4/2009

Aiken County only hides mistakes involving people that they like. If they do not like you then they throw you into the public eye. Case in point, does anyone remember reading or hearing about the Principal at Leavelle McCampbell getting arrested? No. Because the school district likes her. She also has an open history of being racist/discriminatory. Look at her hiring history, and ask any former faculty member. But the school district likes her.

former middle school parent

Allegations :  11/4/2009

Remember that these are allegations at this time. Everyone is assuming that we have horrible things going on in our schools but it hasnt been proven yet. I dont agree with anyone hurting our children, but we also need due process before convicting anyone. Today it is to easy to cry wolf and we all need to be careful in our conclusions.

Educate the students about the Pedophiles :  11/3/2009

None of these guidelines will stop the pedophiles. You can't stop pedophiles with sled reports. It starts with educating the students. You need to not just hold seminars with teachers you need to be holding discussions with students about what is and isn't appropriate attention from a teacher. You need to educate the students on what these type of relationships will do to their future. Please!Sled Reports! That's a joke.

Thank God :  11/3/2009

Thank God these animals were caught, and it's refreshing that our educators are taking a stand, admitting there was a problem and has a ZERO policy against harrasment of any type. Hey Aiken County! Learn from the Department of Education on these type problems and be proactive. Oh, I forgot you don't admit mistakes.

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