This is happening all over the country. Go to www.schoolteachernews.com and click on the Scandal page. They have documented over 270 of these types of incidents since just the beginning of 2008.

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I guess I can't understand the logic in the state law which prohibits investigations into previous arrests if they resulted in no conviction. I know that "you are innocent, until proven guilty" and I wholeheartedly agree with that fundamental right, but previous arrests (even if without conviction) could shed light into somebody's character I think. Especially important for teachers who have access to our children. Don't use a non-conviction arrest to automatically disqualify someone, but consider it and all of the other background to piece together a teacher's qualifications and suitability in a classroom. As a parent, my children's safety supercedes someone's right to privacy in this situation.

Zipper: Actually someones;s right to privacy does supercede your childs safety, in this situation.

I still don't see the molestation, from reading the article. Touching the student? Hugging the student? I guess I was molested in school and did not realize.

Like the school administrator said, the system worked. Now let's see if the DA has a case.

Believe me, even if he did nothing wrong, he's in the system now and will have to deceide either to face a possible prison term or plead to a lessor one. Any conviction this time, even a minor one, will show on his record and effect any future in teaching.

This is when you have to have faith in your police and justice system, to do the right thing. But it's not a given, in Shasta County, that will happen.

For the record..in my estimation, a teacher that does actually molest a student should be hanged.

First, at the risk of being verbally abused by simple minds, I hope this person gets a fair trial.

In my 35 years, I've been a little surprised to learn how many of my female friends have been molested (myself included). More recently, I guess as it is maybe less taboo to open up about it, I've learned that some of my male friends or ex-boyfriends have also been molested. Why so many of us? Why is this is so common? Please don't say that it's because the gays - my eyes will skip over your comment as soon as I start reading the bigotry.

I feel kind of sad when I see the Girls Gone Wild commercial, not because there are naked girls. That's fine. But what's with this 'barely 18' stuff? As if a girl is more sexy because she is close to being a child. Is that it? If the reason men want to watch these girls is because they are at their 'perkiest' or have no cellulite, well, that seems not so bad. But I know plenty of 20-23-year-olds who fit this description. I hate to sound judgemental, but I hate that 'barely legal' term on that commercial.

Can anyone explain this to me without sarcasm and/or disrespect?

You have written what is, in my opinion, the most intelligent and factual comment on any RS article.
The sad truth is that you're last sentence is 100% correct.

A fingerprint system for volunteers is long overdue!

I work in this district, as a teacher.
One year, a parent who had been volunteering in my room once a week, all year, was arrested. What for? Violation of his parole. Parole for what? I was told he was a "non-registered" sex offender. I asked our campus officer at the time what kinds of offenses were considered "non-registerable". I was told, "peeping tom", "indecent exposure".... stuff like that. Eeww! The creep had been working in my class. When he got out of jail a few months later, I was communicated with, by email, by this man's mother (the grandma of the student in my class). She informed me that her son was out of jail and that he was hoping to resume his volunteering job once a week. I communicated that I was EXTREMELY uncomfortable with that, and that I didn't agree he should. My principal at the time explained that he had rights.... with a child in my class.... and that if he WANTED to come back to my class and volunteer, I would not have a choice but to let him. I was furious. I think the guy felt uncomfortable too, because he never did return. But the thinking behind this left my confidence in our system at an all time low.

Another year with RSD: I have a parent volunteer... his daughter is in my class. I had had his older daughter as well. Worked in my room all year. The following year, he was CONVICTED of child molestation. He had been having sex with his daughters. He is currently serving at High Desert Prison... but once upon a time, was allowed to volunteer in a public school.

I could go on. There have been other such incidents over my 2 decades teaching in this district. The point is, we do obtain finger prints for teachers (though not sure why this information was not gleaned OR considered from HOffman's fingerprints)-- we should DEFINITELY be getting fingerprints of prospective volunteers. RSD: IT IS TIME!

Pedophiles: Pedophilia, a psychological disorder, is a distinct sexual preference for pre-pubescent children. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 111-R), published by the American Psychological Association, defines pedophilia: “recurrent, intense, sexual urges and sexual arousing fantasies of at least six months duration involving sexual activity with a pre-pubescent child” (DSM, V.3, 1987). Generally, this means the target of the fantasy will typically be less than 12 years old. Notice the definition does not require the person to actually engage in a sexual act. Pedophilia is a psychological disorder that does not require, and usually does not involve, a criminal act. The pedophile might keep his desires a secret. He may never go public or share his fantasies with anyone. Pedophiles can be very determined and single-minded in their efforts to stay close to children. Maintaining access to children at all costs is one of the defining trademarks of pedophilia.

Child molesters: Child molesters can have many different motivations for their crimes, often not of a sexual origin. This offender is called a situational child molester, who does not possess a genuine sexual preference for children. Rather, the motivational factors are criminal in nature… a natural outgrowth of other forms of abuse in his/her life, continuing a process by which he has mistreated his friends, colleagues, spouse and family members.

He/she will have low self-esteem, maintain poor moral standards and view sex with children as an opportunity to prolong the violence that is already an active component of his/her existence. Other situational offenders see children as a substitute for an adult partner. Although these types of offenders do not harbor a singular sexual desire for children, they may react to a built up sexual impulse or anger, that to them, is irresistible. However, the victim is incidental.

Confirmedpassword why don't you pull your head out of your a@@ and address the real problem.

I second that.

You DEMONcrats are laughable!!! You condemn Bush all the time for EVERYTHING! You conveniently forget Clinton's actions, Jimmy Carter is known as the worst president in history, John Kennedy had the Bay of Pigs and almost lost an entire army of cuban freedom fighters, Johnson escalated the Viet Nam war higher than any other president, and last but not least, Richard Nixon ENDED the Viet Nam war and brought the troops home. NOW, lets all get up and cheer for the dems.

ConfirmedPassword is posting on the Platina fire story, claiming that George Bush is the reason for the fire damage in the county. Koo-koo!

GoCowboys-I agree! This is not a party affiliated problem; I call flawed logic..again.
I had a bad fastfood breakfast, I guess I should blame Bush.

Yah the police should have just left him be, I am sure the kids and the parents would not mind...

citizenactivist said: "I still don't see the molestation, from reading the article. Touching the student? Hugging the student? I guess I was molested in school and did not realize.

citiact, The article states: "The girls told investigators Hoffman often was "flirty" with girls in the class, and had touched or hugged them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable."

The difference between appropriate touching and inappropriate is noted here. The article also makes mention that the touching occurred on more than one occasion, and by more than one student. In other words, the incidents were unrelated.

If my homeowner's insurance company can put me on a "peek" report and deny me or sell me inflated coverage for calling to ask a simple question... then why can't the school districts nationwide create a "peek" report for situations like this? This school district should have at least been made aware of this, and given the option to either hire him or not hire him - PERIOD. We have a right to know.

And, on another note to the poster a bit above me - the fact that the school district hired an accused child molester has absolutely NOTHING to do with George Bush... nice try!

Okay, I know this is off subject, but I'll bite shastonian.

shastonian said: "Jimmy Carter is known as the worst president in history..."

Not anymore.

Sally...yes he is. by dems and republicans. Bush is only ACTUALLY hated by and condemned by a few. I don't idolize any of them

Sally... my point was there are a lot of idiots out there ready to condemn Bush in a heartbeat. EVERY president has had his failures. Dems have become the party of doom and gloom and hate speech that they were the first to condemn. Dems condemn just about everything this country does...good or bad. I was a lifelong dem til Billy Clinton. Now I have NO affiliation.

Some of the comments have been well thought out. If the girls were molested then I hope they get help and Hoffman fries. I will wait and see if the accusations actually pan out. It seems like every time some girl claims being molested or attempted kidnapped, it was a lie to get out of trouble for being late or revenge. It will be interesting to see if the families bring law suits against the school to get some bucks.

Dear confirmedpassword:
I have a suggestion for you. Change your name and deny that you are the same person. That was about the most idiotic comment that I have read here. You really need to wake up and smell the coffee.

I couldnt of said it better, levelheaded.

So, they remove comments for political commentary (however stupid) now? Nice.

Manzanita is a great school.My family has had nothing but good experiences there.The kids excel at everything they do.The staff and the faculty are professional.I just hope that you folks drag this out until school starts back and 25% of the parents decide to put their children in a different school.That way there will not be 34 kids in a class with one teacher;then Manzanita will be even better.

Mustang- in the future save your time and everyone elses by refrain yourself from posting liberal insults that underhandedly bad mouth our current political administration. Have you forgotten about Bill and his "antics?"

Manzanita is an absolutely wonderful school with an impecable reputation and some of the finest teachers in the district. I am still in shock at reading what has happened, and I'd really like to believe, as others have suggested, that the incident(s), including the 2001 incident, are possibly a result of misunderstaning or ill-intent on the parts of the students/families. If the allegations turn out to be true, then I hope that the community will not hold this incident against the school or the district, where many fine teachers, administrators, students, and parents work together to create the best possible educational climate for our children.

lol i think PASSWORD is suffering from a mild case of retardation....just throwing that out there...

I went to Manzanita it's a great school. I went to Magnolia and other local school...I was a little bit of a rabba-rouser and was paddled hard at a few of them. Was I punished or abused?

If I touch 3 students, or 30, through-out my school year. Am I a child molestor or just a loving, caring teacher?

I too will wait for more evidence to surface, please anyone that hears of a court date, hearing please let me know.

Olshastaone..Thank you. Whatagrl36...No fingerprints...I cannot believe it..You mean, I have to have to have a background check by the justice department and fingerprint check by the feds to sell you a house or get you a home loan, but I can teach your children without one. Unbelievable..and I believe that can be demanded locallly. How about a city, or country ordinance? I'd support it, no, if I was on staff, I'd demand it.

MustangSally...I quote: "the girls told invesigators, Hoffmam was "often flirty"...this
equals a $500,000 arrest warrent?

We all must be missing something here. RS investigative reporter, HELP!!!

Of course there is information missing. That is why it is called an "ongoing investigation". RPD and RS are not going to release details about the case to the general public. People do not get arrested for molesting unless there is a reason. Read the penal code for the definition of molest and you will see what it means. The information gleaned from interviewing the victims is not going to be printed in the RS verbatim. GET A CLUE. People are not arrested based on suspicions alone. They are arrested on FACTS. FACTS that the general public HAVE NO BUSINESS KNOWING!!!

Sure, trust the gov't. They never lead us astray. If I just do what they say, even if there is no basis, then I will suffer no harm.

Welcome to 1939 Germany, 1919 Russia, 1949 China and 2008 America. Control of the press controlls information that the public needs to keep an eye on the gov't.

Well, I'm hoping (and assuming) the Redding School District administration is reading the comments posted here-- perhaps that will spur the board into some action to implement some kind of volunteer-fingerprint system.

I totally agree with you - and the fingerprints should include ANYTHING that would warrant an arrest - whether or not they were convicted - what about the rights of our children ????

A little off subject - I am a foster parent and work with kids - along the lines of children's rights - which they do not have any - why are we allowing drug/alcohol, and mental cases the right to keep having babies???? Why don't we sterilize them??? - Oh, thats because THEY have rights, but not the babies !!!!!!

And then what happens to our gene pool - those babies grow up and have more babies, etc. etc. and has anyone done statistics on the criminal tendencies of foster kids??? The chance that they even graduate from high school is maybe around 10%-25% - I am not talking about Juvi or GEDs. And how are they going to live on fast food salary???

You know, we have to have a license to drive a car, but nothing is required to have children - Go Figure !?!?!?!?!

Oh yea, it figures. I bet it was George Bush himself who emailed the Record Searchlight and got my earlier comment deleted.

I'm sure I'm bringing hellfire down on myself for the following post, but...

Does it seem to anyone else that this is just a little bit fishy? I commented on the other related thread, that I work with youth, and it's not uncommon for a leader to give one of the kids a hug, or put a hand on their shoulder to let them know that they need to stop doing something. Is that inappropriate touching?

I'm not going to make any judgment about these girls in question, however, I will say that in my experience working with younger kids, younger girls specifically are learning how to manipulate situations at younger and younger ages. They're aware of the news going around, and they're aware of the incredibly volatile nature of a molestation situation. Now, again, I'm not saying that these girls are fabricating truth, but I wouldn't say it's out of the question either.

At the same time, the teacher has been accused of being 'flirty'? What is 'flirty' to a 5th grader? If I remember right, flirting in elementary school includes light hitting, avoiding each other and lots and lots of giggling...so unless the teacher was an abusive giggler who was never in the room, I find it difficult to believe he was 'flirting' with his students...

It may just be me, but this whole situation wreaks of paranoia, manipulation, and a LOT of misinformation.

My hope is that all of this turns out to be not true and that ultimately all is resolved without charges and counter charges. Of course, other posters have reminded us that it is not beyond reason to consider that some of these young people can manipulate and massage truths when it fits their need. Fortunately those are rare and unfortunately more often accusations turn out to be founded on facts. Lives are damaged on both sides. While serving on a school board and faced with similar accusations, was reminded of a movie made in the early '60s starring Audrey Hepburn, titled "The Children's Hour". It dramatized effectively some of the pain and consequences suffered at the hands of a young lady. Let's hope there are no more incidents such as these and let's find ways to keep our kids safe and secure.

Yesterday's article stated that the Redding PD arrested this young man after they phoned him to pick up a computer they had siezed a month before(with a warrant).They had the computer for a month,called the guy ,told him to come pick it up and when he got there they took him into custody. Maybe RPD found something that should not be on a fifth grade teacher's computer. I would like to hear more from the law enforcement officials on this matter.

ConfirmedPassword - I'm truly confident at this point if you were to research the definition of the words "paranoid Democrat" there'd surely be a photo of you in lieu of the definition. Seriously - and at the risk of repeating myself -this has NOTHING to do with George Bush. Save your political comments for a politic related article please :o}

Defintion of a Teacher:
"a person who teaches...as a profession...an instructor".
I have gone around and around in my mind about my Mom calling me this morning.
She told me to turn on the news because something was going on with a Manzanita teacher.
I have been a parent and volunteer for the last six years at Manzanita . I have also worked as an employee for Manzanita the last school year.
my oldest daughter has completed 5th grade and now my 2nd daughter is going into second grade at Manzanita. My son will be in Kindergarten in about three years. I will continue to support and advocate for the school and the children as I always have.
However, my view on people who are with my children or around them has changed,
Unfortunately. Thay have always felt safe and secure at school. I am not sure they know any different.
Manzanita has proved to be one of the best schools in Shasta County. I live in the District and feel blessed my children attend there.
They have excelled in many ways through art...music...academics,etc... and especially through mentors such as their principals, teachers, tutors, office ladies, and other parent volunteers.
I don't want to dismiss the fact of what has happened. I think it is a unfortuante opportunity to have yet another discussion with my children about their space and what is right and wrong...especially if it makes them uncomfortable .
I applaud the children and especially their families for teaching them that it is ok to tell an adult about such an incident that has sadly happened in our wonderful Manzanita community.
I hope we can all rally together as we always do and support each other to heal and jump these hurdles.
Challenges often create opportunities to become stronger people!
I pray for the families dealing with this occurance and look forward to becoming stronger as a whole!
As said by Lee Ann Womack,
"You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger.
Hunger is the wanting:
too see more
to feel more
to touch more
to crave, desire, search out,find and hold more.
And sometimes hunger hurts more.
But go on, go west, young man, young woman.
Plow the land,
plant the seeds,
grow the food for the whole wide world."

Im glad to see there are still good hearted people in this world...well spoken.

You are RIGHT ON with your feelings/comments re: Manzanita. I too vounteer/work at Manzanita and have had a positive experience. Our kids are lucky to have such a fine school at their disposal. We must move forward and stay positive for our kids and the remainder of the staff at Manzanita.

The unfortunate thing is that any teacher, but especially male teachers, are susceptible to allegations with little founding. This case may or may not have its own merit, but what is scary is how easy it is for students to make allegations.

What about the male teacher who is alleged to have 'touched' or looked at female students? And when the stories don't line up, the charges are dropped. However, in the meantime, the "commission" has pulled the credential. Even though it's reinstated, the thought is on everyone's mind and nobody will hire the teacher. They're ruined.

Unfortunately with industries like this, because of the heinous nature of the alleged crime, teachers are guilty until proven innocent. The comment boards here are evidence that many, if not most, are willing to rush to judgment because the allegation is awful. I agree that the allegation is awful if true, but as someone said on here yesterday -- what if he didn't do it?

citizenactivist said: MustangSally...I quote: "the girls told invesigators, Hoffmam was "often flirty"...this
equals a $500,000 arrest warrent?

...no, no, no, citact. Flirty + inappropriate touching + at least three separate claims = $500,000 warrant and possibly a special parent teachers conference with the girls fathers.

shastonian said: "I was a lifelong dem til Billy Clinton. Now I have NO affiliation."

I don't blame you there, shastonian.

TommyJeffs said: "Mustang- in the future save your time and everyone elses by refrain yourself from posting liberal insults that underhandedly bad mouth our current political administration. Have you forgotten about Bill and his "antics?"

TJ, I don't believe I was the one who posted a political comment. I merely commented on someone else’s post. As far as badmouthing... I do not believe I directly badmouthed anyone! In fact, you badmouth "Bill and his 'antics?'" which makes you appear a bit hypocritical, TJ. Sure, wouldn't it be convenient if no one had opinions that differ from yours, especially on an OPINION blog? Further… It’s not very fun your way.