Don't know why the Vindicator continues to perpetuate intrigue in their reporting of this case. For a better account....check out http://www.wkbn.com/2013/04/24/lawsui...
Not surprised by the "Who me?" stance of the Canfield police. Just another representation of the total lack of accountability and responsibility by both elected and appointed officials in Canfield. It is all about covering your rear end and protecting your own friends and family, no matter at whose expense, no matter what the truth. If you have the right buddies, go to the right church and contribute enough money to Canfield causes, the sky is the limit as far as what you can do, and get away with.
Sadly, an 11 year old was caught up in a web of lies by three other 11 year olds, who targeted her to be their bullied victim. No proof. No physical evidence. Just statements by 11 year olds, who had just enough knowledge about sex and rape to spin their lies and whip their parents into a frenzy. Common sense would dictate that a single 11 year old girl could not wrangle enough strength to forcibly rape 3 other girls, on the same night. But there lies the problem....there is no common sense in this case. And what parent seeks out a retired police chief to conversationally relay the possibility that this incident occurred, and then ask the retired police chief to intervene with the current police chief. What was this parent afraid of? What were his intentions? Common sense would also dictate that a parent, whose daughter had been allegedly raped, would immediately call the police, file a report, and have their daughter checked out.
The end result of all of this nonsense is tragic. An 11 year old girl was arrested and prosecuted for a sex offense. She was incarcerated and held on house arrest for months. She was deemed a "sexual predator", and as such could not live in her own house with her own siblings, and could have no contact with other juveniles. Both she and her family endured months of anguish, but held fast to the knowledge that she was innocent. Apparently both a magistrate and the juvenile judge agreed. Thank goodness that someone had some common sense. It is just tragic that it took so long, and that the personal and financial costs were so high. All of this because three mean little Canfield girls decided to target and bully another girl in their class.
Where does the madness end? It should end with charges against the three girls who made the false accusations. The defendants in this case should be held accountable for their negligence and dereliction of duty. The family of the accused child have every right to seek vindication and to clear her name. I hope they are successful.
@Walter...You said it all....It is the best judicial system that money can buy. You don't know the facts, and I certainly don't need a parenting lesson from you. You seem to have some very misguided trust in our judicial system and in the juvenile court. There are "pillars of society" there too. Nice flippant reference to OJ Simpson...you may think it is cute, but its not even relevant or appropriate in this situation.
@Walter...no physical evidence of crime. Just accusations of the girls. Which were later recanted. The father of one of the girls related an accusation of his daughter about the purported incident to the retired police chief, who then contacted the current police chief. If there were a crime and this person was so outraged by the crime against his daughter, then why did he not immediately contact the police? Why act through third parties?
hearsay evidence noun
: evidence based not on a witness's personal knowledge but on another's statement not made under oath
This article does not even begin to touch upon the mental anguish, grief, and corruption of justice that this family and young girl have endured. This child was placed under house arrest, was not allowed to live with her family, and was not allowed to enjoy the freedoms that other children enjoy...for months. She was incarcerated and prosecuted as a sex offender, without anything other than hearsay evidence. Even today, the whispers behind the back, finger pointing and bullying continues, both in the community and in the school. The school continually and repeatedly turns its head as this child is victimized in school. This child, totally acquitted of any wrongdoing, will forever be known in Canfield as "that girl who raped girls x, y & z. This is wrong and she and her family deserve their day in court to publically clear her name. The parents of the girls, equally complicit in the false accusations of their juvenile daughters, deserve to be held accountable legally and financially. Supposed "community leaders", "pillars of the church", "influential people" have long enjoyed special consideration in Canfield...this is no surprise, except for the fact that an 11 year old and her family are now the victims of this common Canfield practice. It is disgusting, and it is despicable. The Canfield police and the Mah. Co. Juvenile prosecutor should be trusted to uphold the law and to investigate the facts. They have both been negligent in their duties and also deserve punishment. I wish this family good luck. I hope they are somehow able to get some peace, happiness, and comfort as they pursue vindication for their daughter through our legal system.
@Miss piggy... You obviously have some vested interest in this blog...but seriously...contribute something meaningful. No one cares about your life history or philosophy on child-rearing. You miss the point entirely. Stop blathering and opining....open your eyes and your mind to the truth and the facts.
I have children currently attending schools in this district. All of them participate in sports. I promise you that this district stoops at nothing to protect itself at the expense of kids. I have fought the district on numerous issues that have involved violations of the OHSAA, state and federal laws. The laws and rules are made to protect kids and their rights. All the district has to do is follow the law....not skirt it or be above it. Then no one would need a lawyer and taxpayer money would not need to be spent to defend district wrongdoing. Parents just don't wake up and just decide to sue the district....you are driven to it out of frustration, anger, and outrage over the abuse of your chidren and their LEGAL rights. It is extremely stressful and upsetting to try to reason with a school district which chooses to ignore, ridicule, and deride you for telling them they have a legal and moral obligation to change their practices.
This is not about demanding things that are outrageous....it is not about parents being unreasonable.....it is not about getting one's way. Those are excuses you use to justify the actions of this school district. Times have changed....its about time the distict stops living in the past and gets current and legally compliant!
Please retire before June. Just go away and stop making public statements. You continue to hurt Canfield and the students in the school district you administrate so poorly. Your executive decisions and judgement in this issue are just a very small example of your inability to be an effective, accountable, responsible, honest, fair, open-minded, intelligent Superintedent.
Unless they are forced into compliance by a higher authority, there are quite a few state and federal laws that mean nothing to the Administration and school board in Canfield.
@Walter...in Canfield, I have seen plenty of coaches screw up a kid's game. Far more coaches than parents. Yes, a coach must be afforded a certain amount of leeway to make decisions for the benefit of the entire team. But when a coach discriminates against a player because of dislike for that player's parent or discriminates against a player because of a disability, or decides to bully/harass/belittle a player....That coach cannot be given carte blanche for their behavior. Gotta love someone who will punish a kid because of a parent's behavior! Someone like that does not deserve to be a coach!
The Canfield district will never admit any wrongdoing publically....that is why they keep insisting that the parents are wrong and the coach has been unfairly maligned. And yes....there is a large amount of self-protection among the Administration and the Board going on here....the former coach is the sister of the District Treasurer and the former sister-in-law of the current Board President. To make a lawsuit go away, the Administration and AD have supplied 1600 pages of token, worthless docs. The real complaints, the real issues, the real problems were never really addressed and no records really exist because Mr. Zambrini strives to maintain the appearance that all is fine and good in the Canfield schools. If you don't document it...it did not happen. It cannot be made public. It does not have to be reported. No one needs to know about it and no one will ever know how the issue was resolved. This is the way Canfield has operated since Mr. Zambrini assumed leadership of this district. Does not matter if it is a parent complaining about a teacher's classroom conduct, a discipline issue within the schools, or a violation of a student's civil or educational rights. If you don't document it, it did not happen. That is why the same nonsense continues, year after year after year. The same coaches and teachers become notorius...everyone knows about it, but no one can do anything to change it because of the Administration and Board. And if it is documented, you are not allowed to see it because of school Privacy laws. More crap has gone unaddressed in this District under the guise of privacy or ommission.
Renee Gessner never stood a chance on the school board. She never had anyone to back her up in her decisions. Let's hope the new school board members can swing the Board votes towards decisions that reflect the best interests of the students and towards good common sense.
Don't have a dog in the fight over the coaching issue. Don't much care, except for the fact that the BOE did not provide records that it is required to provide by law.
Many U.S. Citizens are unhappy with the leadership and administration of this country. Should we leave because it is not utopia? True..Canfield is clean. Canfield is safe. Canfield is convenient. I am not leaving Canfield, even though I am very dissatisfied with the schools. I am not alone, obviously. I will stay and continue to fight to make things better, with or without your cooperation. Parents, teachers, and administrators need to work together to solve the issues in Canfield. A token effort by the administration to encourage parental involvement will not accomplish anything. That has been going on for far too long in Canfield, and people are sick of it.
Trust me, it would have been much easier and cheaper to vote for the levy after pay to participate fees were instituted and busing was cut. I continue to vote "no" to a levy on principle.
Parents appreciate teachers who are creative, professional, and dedicated to their jobs. There are many of those in Canfield. Parents do not appreciate entitlement, laziness, arrogance, and a total disregard for parental input. Despite three levy failures, the teachers in Canfield are still very, very well-compensated for their education, experience, creativity and classroom dedication. Probably better than most districts in this county. The administration still also managed to collect their bonuses. Again...the only people suffering from levy failure seem to be the students and their parents.
As for the real facts of the need for a levy...the District administration and BOE have failed to engage in effective two-way communication with parents. If parents had faith, trust and confidence in the BOE and the Superintendent, the levy would have passed the first time.
Canfield Police Department responds to federal lawsuit
Don't know why the Vindicator continues to perpetuate intrigue in their reporting of this case. For a better account....check out http://www.wkbn.com/2013/04/24/lawsui...
Not surprised by the "Who me?" stance of the Canfield police. Just another representation of the total lack of accountability and responsibility by both elected and appointed officials in Canfield. It is all about covering your rear end and protecting your own friends and family, no matter at whose expense, no matter what the truth. If you have the right buddies, go to the right church and contribute enough money to Canfield causes, the sky is the limit as far as what you can do, and get away with.
Sadly, an 11 year old was caught up in a web of lies by three other 11 year olds, who targeted her to be their bullied victim. No proof. No physical evidence. Just statements by 11 year olds, who had just enough knowledge about sex and rape to spin their lies and whip their parents into a frenzy. Common sense would dictate that a single 11 year old girl could not wrangle enough strength to forcibly rape 3 other girls, on the same night. But there lies the problem....there is no common sense in this case. And what parent seeks out a retired police chief to conversationally relay the possibility that this incident occurred, and then ask the retired police chief to intervene with the current police chief. What was this parent afraid of? What were his intentions? Common sense would also dictate that a parent, whose daughter had been allegedly raped, would immediately call the police, file a report, and have their daughter checked out.
The end result of all of this nonsense is tragic. An 11 year old girl was arrested and prosecuted for a sex offense. She was incarcerated and held on house arrest for months. She was deemed a "sexual predator", and as such could not live in her own house with her own siblings, and could have no contact with other juveniles. Both she and her family endured months of anguish, but held fast to the knowledge that she was innocent. Apparently both a magistrate and the juvenile judge agreed. Thank goodness that someone had some common sense. It is just tragic that it took so long, and that the personal and financial costs were so high. All of this because three mean little Canfield girls decided to target and bully another girl in their class.
Where does the madness end? It should end with charges against the three girls who made the false accusations. The defendants in this case should be held accountable for their negligence and dereliction of duty. The family of the accused child have every right to seek vindication and to clear her name. I hope they are successful.
April 26, 2013 at 8:16 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Canfield girl, 11, falsely accused of rape, suit says
@Walter...You said it all....It is the best judicial system that money can buy. You don't know the facts, and I certainly don't need a parenting lesson from you. You seem to have some very misguided trust in our judicial system and in the juvenile court. There are "pillars of society" there too. Nice flippant reference to OJ Simpson...you may think it is cute, but its not even relevant or appropriate in this situation.
April 25, 2013 at 8:58 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Canfield girl, 11, falsely accused of rape, suit says
@Walter...no physical evidence of crime. Just accusations of the girls. Which were later recanted. The father of one of the girls related an accusation of his daughter about the purported incident to the retired police chief, who then contacted the current police chief. If there were a crime and this person was so outraged by the crime against his daughter, then why did he not immediately contact the police? Why act through third parties?
hearsay evidence
noun
: evidence based not on a witness's personal knowledge but on another's statement not made under oath
April 24, 2013 at 7:52 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Canfield girl, 11, falsely accused of rape, suit says
This article does not even begin to touch upon the mental anguish, grief, and corruption of justice that this family and young girl have endured. This child was placed under house arrest, was not allowed to live with her family, and was not allowed to enjoy the freedoms that other children enjoy...for months. She was incarcerated and prosecuted as a sex offender, without anything other than hearsay evidence. Even today, the whispers behind the back, finger pointing and bullying continues, both in the community and in the school. The school continually and repeatedly turns its head as this child is victimized in school. This child, totally acquitted of any wrongdoing, will forever be known in Canfield as "that girl who raped girls x, y & z. This is wrong and she and her family deserve their day in court to publically clear her name. The parents of the girls, equally complicit in the false accusations of their juvenile daughters, deserve to be held accountable legally and financially. Supposed "community leaders", "pillars of the church", "influential people" have long enjoyed special consideration in Canfield...this is no surprise, except for the fact that an 11 year old and her family are now the victims of this common Canfield practice. It is disgusting, and it is despicable. The Canfield police and the Mah. Co. Juvenile prosecutor should be trusted to uphold the law and to investigate the facts. They have both been negligent in their duties and also deserve punishment.
I wish this family good luck. I hope they are somehow able to get some peace, happiness, and comfort as they pursue vindication for their daughter through our legal system.
April 24, 2013 at 1:14 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Canfield replaces girls softball coach
@Miss piggy...
You obviously have some vested interest in this blog...but seriously...contribute something meaningful. No one cares about your life history or philosophy on child-rearing. You miss the point entirely. Stop blathering and opining....open your eyes and your mind to the truth and the facts.
I have children currently attending schools in this district. All of them participate in sports. I promise you that this district stoops at nothing to protect itself at the expense of kids. I have fought the district on numerous issues that have involved violations of the OHSAA, state and federal laws. The laws and rules are made to protect kids and their rights. All the district has to do is follow the law....not skirt it or be above it. Then no one would need a lawyer and taxpayer money would not need to be spent to defend district wrongdoing. Parents just don't wake up and just decide to sue the district....you are driven to it out of frustration, anger, and outrage over the abuse of your chidren and their LEGAL rights. It is extremely stressful and upsetting to try to reason with a school district which chooses to ignore, ridicule, and deride you for telling them they have a legal and moral obligation to change their practices.
This is not about demanding things that are outrageous....it is not about parents being unreasonable.....it is not about getting one's way. Those are excuses you use to justify the actions of this school district. Times have changed....its about time the distict stops living in the past and gets current and legally compliant!
January 28, 2012 at 11:17 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Canfield replaces girls softball coach
Wolf06:
Please retire before June. Just go away and stop making public statements.
You continue to hurt Canfield and the students in the school district you administrate so poorly. Your executive decisions and judgement in this issue are just a very small example of your inability to be an effective, accountable, responsible, honest, fair, open-minded, intelligent Superintedent.
January 24, 2012 at 6 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Canfield replaces girls softball coach
Unless they are forced into compliance by a higher authority, there are quite a few state and federal laws that mean nothing to the Administration and school board in Canfield.
January 16, 2012 at 3:02 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Canfield replaces girls softball coach
@Walter...in Canfield, I have seen plenty of coaches screw up a kid's game. Far more coaches than parents. Yes, a coach must be afforded a certain amount of leeway to make decisions for the benefit of the entire team. But when a coach discriminates against a player because of dislike for that player's parent or discriminates against a player because of a disability, or decides to bully/harass/belittle a player....That coach cannot be given carte blanche for their behavior. Gotta love someone who will punish a kid because of a parent's behavior! Someone like that does not deserve to be a coach!
January 16, 2012 at 2:25 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Canfield replaces girls softball coach
The Canfield district will never admit any wrongdoing publically....that is why they keep insisting that the parents are wrong and the coach has been unfairly maligned. And yes....there is a large amount of self-protection among the Administration and the Board going on here....the former coach is the sister of the District Treasurer and the former sister-in-law of the current Board President. To make a lawsuit go away, the Administration and AD have supplied 1600 pages of token, worthless docs. The real complaints, the real issues, the real problems were never really addressed and no records really exist because Mr. Zambrini strives to maintain the appearance that all is fine and good in the Canfield schools. If you don't document it...it did not happen. It cannot be made public. It does not have to be reported. No one needs to know about it and no one will ever know how the issue was resolved. This is the way Canfield has operated since Mr. Zambrini assumed leadership of this district. Does not matter if it is a parent complaining about a teacher's classroom conduct, a discipline issue within the schools, or a violation of a student's civil or educational rights. If you don't document it, it did not happen. That is why the same nonsense continues, year after year after year. The same coaches and teachers become notorius...everyone knows about it, but no one can do anything to change it because of the Administration and Board. And if it is documented, you are not allowed to see it because of school Privacy laws. More crap has gone unaddressed in this District under the guise of privacy or ommission.
Renee Gessner never stood a chance on the school board. She never had anyone to back her up in her decisions. Let's hope the new school board members can swing the Board votes towards decisions that reflect the best interests of the students and towards good common sense.
January 16, 2012 at 2:15 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Canfield parent files lawsuit against school board
@Canfieldpride
Don't have a dog in the fight over the coaching issue. Don't much care, except for the fact that the BOE did not provide records that it is required to provide by law.
Many U.S. Citizens are unhappy with the leadership and administration of this country. Should we leave because it is not utopia? True..Canfield is clean. Canfield is safe. Canfield is convenient. I am not leaving Canfield, even though I am very dissatisfied with the schools. I am not alone, obviously. I will stay and continue to fight to make things better, with or without your cooperation. Parents, teachers, and administrators need to work together to solve the issues in Canfield. A token effort by the administration to encourage parental involvement will not accomplish anything. That has been going on for far too long in Canfield, and people are sick of it.
Trust me, it would have been much easier and cheaper to vote for the levy after pay to participate fees were instituted and busing was cut. I continue to vote "no" to a levy on principle.
Parents appreciate teachers who are creative, professional, and dedicated to their jobs. There are many of those in Canfield. Parents do not appreciate entitlement, laziness, arrogance, and a total disregard for parental input. Despite three levy failures, the teachers in Canfield are still very, very well-compensated for their education, experience, creativity and classroom dedication. Probably better than most districts in this county. The administration still also managed to collect their bonuses. Again...the only people suffering from levy failure seem to be the students and their parents.
As for the real facts of the need for a levy...the District administration and BOE have failed to engage in effective two-way communication with parents. If parents had faith, trust and confidence in the BOE and the Superintendent, the levy would have passed the first time.
November 11, 2011 at 6:27 p.m. permalink suggest removal