Former coworker in trouble
By Sissy15
@sissy15 (12350)
United States
January 11, 2025 12:33am CST
This week nothing has taught me that you never know someone quite like the reality that a former coworker was arrested for molesting (I use this term because I'm not sure if mylot will allow me to use the actual term of what she did or I guess allegedly did since she hasn't been officially convicted yet) a 15 year old with the mental capacity of a 9 year old. I'm friends with the mom of the buddy I work with since she was also a para at the school I work at and she sent me a screenshot of the article almost as soon as it was posted and I was like wow not quite having who it was sink in. She then informed me it was my buddy's former para. I have been with my buddy since first grade and he's now in third grade. Before that, he had three different paras in kindergarten and the lady in the news article was one of them although briefly. His mom was understandably freaking out. I was in complete shock.
I worked with a different kid in the same grade as my buddy that year and while I wasn't working with my buddy I knew him then. The paras in that grade often talked and worked with each other's kid when the other one wasn't there and we would do recess and lunch duty together and I talked to her quite a bit for the few months she was in kindergarten before she was moved to the older grades but it was brief interactions where we talked a lot during those short times where it was enough to talk but not enough to really get to know each other. She seemed friendly enough. It wasn't until later that I learned more about why she kept getting moved around and ultimately left the district and her interactions were often inappropriate albeit not anything like what she is now being accused of but she lacked boundaries of what was appropriate and not but again nothing like what she is doing now. I always assumed our district fired her but now I'm hearing she left but I learned why she was gotten rid of so I always figured she was fired but now I'm hearing when she went to talk to the principal about her actions she just decided to leave so I'm not entirely sure what went down.
I can't say exactly why she was gotten rid of but I can say once again it was not for anything like the charges she is facing now but still inappropriate. Not a single person that worked with her in my building has anything nice to say to her. I remember he telling me that she'd never send her kid to our district and that another district paid better and I remember thinking then why are you here? I then heard she was moved around because of other reasons. I am now questioning a lot of the interactions I had with her. I wondered for a while how she even got another job at another school knowing how she left ours but then I reasoned she didn't mention her job with us or if she left on her own accord that'd make more sense.
She has been all the talk at my work as we all talk about the interactions we had with her. I saw a lot of people asking if the school bothered to do a background check and I can tell you we get our fingerprints done and do a BCI background check. The issue with this is you have to be caught and charged for anything to show up and if you haven't been caught or acted on any bad urges up until that point it's obviously not going to pick it up. You can be a terrible human and not have a criminal record.
What's crazy is I saw she made People magazine at least online. The article about her was also posted by Glenn Beck. We are all still in shock. I honestly didn't know she was capable of that based on the interactions I had with her, which goes to show you that you don't ever know anyone. She worked for a school. You're supposed to be able to trust the people that work with your children and she violated that trust and it makes me so mad. She has made it more difficult for people in my line of work to be trusted. I feel like we are going to be watched more closely now. Most of us aren't like her but it only takes one bad apple. I am afraid of what she could have done to other kids now too and I pray she never hurt my buddy. I have been watching the comments under articles trying to learn more from other people who knew her and I saw one saying she was so great with kids and I was like no, no she wasn't. I only briefly worked with her and I thought she was too until I started learning more. I have to wonder how long the other lady worked with her.
4 people like this
4 responses
@snowy22315 (183787)
• United States
11 Jan
Someone I used to work with was fired for that too. Luckily, it didn't get to the physical stage. One of the kids told another staff member.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12350)
• United States
12 Jan
It is difficult and yes this definitely makes it more difficult for us because they are less likely to hire us in so we could get benefits. It will also mean we are probably watched more. Honestly we are support staff so we are usually not even thought about until something like this happens and then we are only thought about negatively. It's going to be difficult for us for a while I feel like. Thank God my buddy I work with has a mom who did what I do. His mom is super nice and easy going and it makes sense that this is the only para he has had that she never liked even before this came out.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12350)
• United States
12 Jan
It has definitely been a shock and we are all surprised that it has made national attention. From what I've heard a lot of her family has nothing to do with her and that happened long before this. I know she has a son a little younger than mine and I feel bad for him and I wonder if she may have done stuff to him too. The poor kid can't help who his mother is.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (169959)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Jan
These types are all over. It's sad that they have such sick minds. Taking advantage of those innocent people is evil. Exploiting others and being in People.Ugh!
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12350)
• United States
12 Jan
It's sad that so many of them exist. I'm really surprised this made national news. I've heard of other local incidents that didn't make national news and as you have said this isn't a new thing. It happens more than a lot of people realize.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12350)
• United States
20 Jan
@celticeagle I love my job and I'll probably be working until I physically can't anymore because I won't be able to afford to retire but things like this definitely make it more difficult.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (169959)
• Boise, Idaho
14 Jan
@sissy15 .......I can only imagine how bad some places are. I am so glad I am retired and I don't have to worry about such things anymore.