We have all heard the saying, “What a difference a day makes,” right? Well, here is a saying that is applicable to an incident that’s been going on in Carmel, Ind.: “What a difference a zip code makes.”
Nearly two months ago, the public was informed of a “bullying” incident at Carmel High School that involved senior basketball students assaulting freshman teammates. The reported incident occurred on Jan. 22 on the team bus while three (not one, but three) coaches were on the bus.
Here’s an overview of one victim’s account: the freshman said he was asleep but woke up and decided to go to the back of the bus. When he got back there, the players grabbed him.
Reports say that the senior players could be charged with sexual battery, criminal confinement and deviate criminal conduct. Under Indiana law, the latter is an act that “knowingly or willingly causes another person to submit to deviant sexual conduct.”
I think it’s pretty obvious that sodomy occurred.
Apparently, however, the aforementioned assault wasn’t the first heinous act at Carmel this year.
A 17-year-old student said students assaulted him on Jan. 8 in the locker room. This student revealed that “there were ongoing issues that were occurring in the locker rooms at Carmel High School.”
It seems that he’s not too far off with his claims, as many bloggers (some believed to be current and former Carmel teachers) have proclaimed that such incidents have occurred at the high school for decades. It’s also important to note that many bloggers have even provided detailed accounts where Carmel teachers have behaved inappropriately as well – some even allegedly engaging in sexual activity with students.
While the incidents at Carmel are horrible, should have never occurred and are certainly unfortunate – particularly for the victims – the thing that I find just as appalling as the actual act is the way the school district has handled the situation. Not only has the investigation been going at a snail’s pace, but very few repercussions, aside from removing the accused players from the team, have been implemented.
Has Carmel forgotten that there were three coaches sitting at the front of the bus when the incident occurred? Should they not be held accountable to some degree?
I’ve taken students on field trips before and I’ve also volunteered as a chaperone on several occasions. Never in any of these situations did I take my responsibilities as an authority figure lightly. Because I understand how mischievous and outright bad teens can be, I constantly kept my eyes open for inappropriate behavior. Oh… and by the way, I almost always sat at the back of the bus because I know that’s where most of the bad stuff goes down. In all the trips that I’ve taken, never have I and the other chaperones sat in the same area. It was always one sitting towards the back, one in the middle and one up front. Such a procedure was one that I always implemented because I understood that parents trusted me with their children’s lives. Shame on Carmel High School Principal John Williams, Superintendent Jeff Swenssen, and all the coaches for their lackadaisical approach to effectively address this matter.
The entire team should have been disbanded and the coaching staff suspended until further review. Doing so would probably get Carmel officials moving a bit faster. Instead, however, they have chosen to focus on advocating for basketball championships rather than for the rights of all students.
Now, back to the whole “What a difference a zip code makes” thing. I would be willing to place a high-stakes bet that if such an incident occurred in an urban school district like Indianapolis Public Schools, city and state officials would have intervened and drastic measures would have already taken place. People would have not only been calling for the coaches’ resignation, but also that of the superintendent, who is ultimately responsible for the district.
Is it just my thinking, or does it seem the rules don’t always apply to more affluent parts of town?
Whew, the things that make you go “hmm…”
