Published: November 19, 2008 10:27 am      

School district needs support during this trying time

High school life is full of up and downs. There are times of great joy: proms, dances, achievements and awards.

And there are times of sadness: a loss on the field or the basketball court, a missed opportunity, a failing grade.

Today the students at Clinton High School are working through the latter — the removal of a teacher from their classroom.

But that loss isn’t because of illness, injury, or death.

It”s much more complex than that.

The teacher, band director James Young, has been suspended from campus because of an arrest that goes to the very core of what students, parents and peers expect their teachers to bring to the table — trust.

You see, we expect a teacher to not only deliver an education, but to be an example, and we trust that person to shape students' minds and instill goodness as they prepare them for that big world ahead of them

So when that trust is violated — in this case Young is accused of trying to set up a tryst with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old, but instead was a cop — it is a confusing time.

Whether Young is guilty is not for us to determine — that will be decided in the courts. At this point, he is innocent until proven otherwise.

But that doesn’t lessen the grief of those who looked up to him as a teacher, those who worked alongside of him or the parents who entrusted their children to his care. Some may wonder how a person accused of such a crime would be allowed to teach children in the first place.

We have to remember that until all the information is on the table, which will come out at the earliest in court, probably many months down the road, there will be many questions.

We want to be upfront now in our support for the school district. We have been assured by the district that a background check was done when Young was hired five years ago and that there was nothing to indicate he could be involved in the crime of which he is accused.

Also the district was swift in removing him from the classroom, is doing what’s necessary to make sure students don’t experience a gap in their educational experience and that they get any counseling needed to cope.

It is an unfortunate situation for all and hopefully the students and the district will emerge from the confusion standing together, standing tall and with a sense of strength that develops when dealing with adversity.

That is what will help everyone see that the district, its students, teachers and leadership, should not be judged based on the actions of one person.