04/10/2025
The following is an opinion editorial by Kevin Keith. No names are mentioned to protect the innocent. Most of us have heard recently, a teacher was let go at Frankfort High School. Nobody knows for certain because the coverups continue at CSF. Many of us have heard speculation as to why the teacher was let go. We hope in time those responsible are no longer able have access to our children.
Once again the arrogance of the administration at the Community Schools of Frankfort has allowed and covered up a teacher allegedly talking inappropriately and doing who knows what else with a student. Thier actions (or lack of) have caused possibly irreparable harm to a young woman—whether anyone realizes it or whether CSF administrators and school board members even care.
People slide under the radar sometimes especially child predators as they are very good at what they do.
Students I have talked to or who have contacted me tell stories of this teacher paying obvious “extra” attention to the girls. There are many questions here. Does nobody notice? Do other teachers not notice? Or is there a fear of repercussions if they bring it to the administrators attention?
Also, how do these groomers continue to be allowed to slip through the cracks? Whatever the interview process is there isn’t working.
Yes. They can slip through the cracks. Things happen. So let’s give the administration the benefit of the doubt there. Why was this one in particular able to stick around so long and why was the one last year allowed to resign instead of being fired?
This is par for the course unfortunately with our local school system. Their track record is terrible at protecting our children. Plus overall, CSF doesn’t rank high on anything when it comes to measuring how (or what) they are actually teaching our kids.
These people work for us and we trust them with our kids eight hours a day. Education is also the number one place where our money goes when the legislature does the state budget each year.
Speaking of the legislature, how about passing a law to track pedophiles or groomers. Especially in the teaching community?
Not to mention, we elect the school board which sets policy and makes sure the superintendent is a reasonable, competent individual. They are failing.
The truth is, the reason we don’t hear about it is that it would require them to admit wrongdoing or incompetence or negligence and that certainly doesn’t fit thier narrative.
They think we are stupid. So much that if they don’t acknowledge anything well then it didn’t happen. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: CSF needs to be more transparent.
Here’s some free public relations advice: Half the time just getting out in front of things is sufficient for honesty with the people. But when we see patterns continue ESPECIALLY when we’re talking about inappropriate behavior with trusted teachers, something has to change.
We’ve already seen that people with real legitimate concerns cannot find an attorney to even call the CSF and threaten them with a lawsuit. That has went to the administrations head. Unless the administrators (and school board now) makes same changes whether in policy or upper level personnel, we will continue to get the same incompetence and neglect we’ve always got. Someday, a teacher will get further than the last few have with one of our kids. MAYBE an attorney would take that case. But it shouldn’t take that to fix this. Why wait for the worst possible thing to happen?
Up until now I believe the school board has been somewhat removed and very uninterested in what people with grief concerning the schools have. I’ve thought maybe the superintendent has threatened or scared them into not asking any questions of him but I think now is the time the school board takes some real action and responsibility in both replacing the superintendent and putting in place some more stringent guidelines to protect our most valuable asset our community has: our children.
