Nearly 350 educators in the U.S. were arrested for some form of child sex crimes in 2022, Fox News reported.
Their crimes range from possessing child pornography to rape and were compiled based on arrests between January 1 and December 31, 2022.
A total of 349 educators ranging from grades Kindergarten to 12th grade were arrested for sex crimes, including five principals, three assistant principals, 290 teachers, 26 substitute teachers, and 25 teachers’ aides.
Of the 262 arrests made, 75% of alleged offenses were committed against students. Most of the alleged perpetrators were men — approximately 82%.
The data is based on reporting by Fox News Digital, which points out that the number may actually be higher since arrests not publicized were not counted in its report.
“This isn’t surprising or new though it is hard to accept,” Erika Sanzi, director of outreach at Parents Defending Education, told Fox News Digital.
“Since the dawn of time, sexual predators have found a way to embed themselves in child-rich environments and schools are no exception.
“Smartphones and encrypted apps have increased access to young children and adolescents and while it is a tiny fraction of educators who engage in this predatory behavior, we must do a much better job protecting children while also respecting due process.
“It’s an icky topic but hiding from it can’t be an option.”
In Texas, a middle school teacher in the Allen Independent School District was charged in August with two counts of indecency with a child by sexual conduct.
Anthony Mattei, 59, was put on administrative leave when Texas Score Card reported that he was involved in a separate investigation involving misconduct.
More recently, though outside the scope of Fox’s investigation, a teacher at a Farmers Branch private school was arrested last week for alleged possession of child pornography, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Brandon Froning, 31, was promptly suspended by the Parish Episcopal School and banned from the school grounds pending an investigation.
“We are cooperating fully in this investigation and will continue to share news of developments in this case as necessary as we are updated by the authorities,” Interim Head of School Michelle Lyon wrote to parents of the school.
A report from the Education Department nearly 20 years ago said that close to 10% of students will face sexual misconduct by educators at some point in their life.
Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Federation for Children, said he would like to see another updated report from the Education Department.
“These findings are likely lower bound estimates of the actual amount of sexual abuse occurring in public schools because the analysis only includes publicized arrests and cannot count undetected or unreported forms of abuse,” DeAngelis said to Fox News Digital.
“In fact, a 2004 report from the U.S. Department of Education estimated that around one in 10 public school students will experience educator sexual misconduct by the time they graduate from high school.
“The Department of Education should update the report as soon as possible to shine a light on this abuse.”
Meanwhile, in Dallas, crime continues to rise, as 2022 saw a 1.5% increase in crime compared to the previous year. Follow The Dallas Express for continuing coverage of crime in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
