D.C. Muriel Bowser, hoping to build on the legacy of Michelle Rhee and Kaya Henderson, selected Indianapolis Superintendent Lewis Ferebee as the District’s new chancellor.
However, Ferebee is under renewed scrutiny because of his inaction in a sexual abuse case of major proportions in February 2016. Some of Ferebee’s underlings were fired for the mishandling of the case, but Ferebee won a bonus from the school board, which was thrilled by his willingness to privatize large parts of the school district.
In February 2016, a mother found “sexually explicit text messages” between her 17-year-old son and a guidance counselor. That same evening, Superintendent Ferebee was informed about allegations of an “intimate relationship” between a student and a staff member. Ferebee is now a defendant in three civil lawsuits. Six days passed before outside authorities were informed about the complaint. Two employees were criminally charged and two others were fired. Nothing happened to Ferebee.
Ferebee was one of more than a half-dozen Indianapolis Public Schools officials who had some degree of knowledge about the alleged relationship and did not report it. But only four suffered known consequences, fallout that struck some of those involved as unjust.
Shalon Dabney, a human resources official who was charged with failure to make a report, a misdemeanor, said it is unfair that Ferebee emerged unscathed — and appears set to move into a new high-profile job.
Ferebee said that student safety was his highest concern.
“I learned that there was a report from a parent of a possible inappropriate relationship between a staff member and a student,” Ferebee told the school board, under questioning by an attorney for the two administrators who were later fired.
“What was it about? Inappropriate poetry relationship?” asked the lawyer, Kevin Betz. “You knew it was sexual; right?”
“I did not know that,” Ferebee replied.
The initial email alerting Ferebee to the allegations included no specifics but said that a “parent claimed this evening that her son is having an intimate relationship with a female teacher.” The email, which has not been previously reported, was reviewed by The Post after it was entered into court records this year as part of the litigation against Ferebee and other school officials.
In the interview, Ferebee declined to comment on his contention that he was not aware the relationship was sexual…
Indiana law requires teachers, principals and other school officials — including superintendents — to “immediately” report suspected child abuse to law enforcement officials or child protective services. Indianapolis Public Schools policy and procedures say staff must report to child protective services.
The obligation to report immediately is intended to avoid exposing students to further risk. In this case, after human resources officials interviewed guidance counselor Shana Taylor, she went straight to the victim’s house “in an attempt to interfere with or influence” him, according to a lawsuit filed by the student against Ferebee, the school system and Taylor.
Taylor declined to comment.
Taylor, then 37, was arrested and charged with 11 counts, including child seduction, for her interactions with two boys. She pleaded guilty to three felony counts and was sentenced to six years of home detention.
The victim, identified in court records only by his initials, told police that he and Taylor had sexual intercourse on about 20 occasions between October 2015 and February 2016, including at his home, at her home, in her car and at a hotel, according to a detective’s probable cause affidavit.
Of course, it all depends on the definition of “immediately.” Does it mean “now,” “at once,” “in good time,” or “in six days?”
Diane Ravitch's blog 