Instructor charged with child endangerment

[turtle]

I read this article this morning and it left me feeling really conflicted. I'm curious what others think, both instructors and parents and students. Having taught kids, I can think of a few things that happened in the classroom that when taken out of context would seem really bad, but in the context of training make sense. Like sparring with junior students or teaching kids to use weapons.

There seems to be a lot missing from the article. What rank was the kid? Kicking a white belt 200 times is different then kicking a black belt 200 times. Or is it? Was the kid wearing a chest protector? I would hope so, since they were preparing for competition, but the article doesn't say. Was the kid injured? How badly? Did the kid ask the instructor to stop and the instructor refused? Does that matter? Is this kind of training just totally out of bounds, no matter what? It looks like the instructor has a spotless record and a lot of community support. No word of why the charges were filed.

Thoughts?

 

[bluekey88]

It's true, that article is missing a lot of info that would make it easier to come to some sort of conclusion.

That being....200 kicks? The kid was 11. How did this hget reported to authorities unless the child did not want to be kicked 200 times or was somehow injured as a result of said training.

I don;t know, but I can't help but think that a line was crossed here. I'm all for hard training, but one has to be really careful...kids, while resilient, are still kids.

Peace,
Erik

 

[CoryKS]

You can find more discussion on this topic here.

 

[turtle]

Ah, thanks for the link Cory. That thread expresses a lot of the thoughts that ran through my mind. Looks like this newer story doesn't shed much new light on the issue.

 

[Phoenix44]

Well, the story is kind of thin, but, seriously, an adult issuing a challenge to children on "how many kicks they can take"? Does that not sound a little...well...idiotic to you?

 

[turtle]

From that article it was hard to get a sense of what had happened but this month's MASuccess has a lot more details and yeah, now it seems not just idiotic but definitely criminal.

 

[Christina05]

Well, the story is kind of thin, but, seriously, an adult issuing a challenge to children on "how many kicks they can take"? Does that not sound a little...well...idiotic to you?

I totally agree its a little idiotic

 

[bluekey88]

I'll go one step further and say that if any of the parents were educators, social workers or otherwise soehow considered to be mandated reporters, then they would also risk being pulled in for charges of abuse through failure to act.

I know if I'd been there my status as a mandated reporter wpuld require me to at least call the department of child welfare (if not actually intervene).

Peace,
Erik

 

[jks9199]

I'll go one step further and say that if any of the parents were educators, social workers or otherwise soehow considered to be mandated reporters, then they would also risk being pulled in for charges of abuse through failure to act.

I know if I'd been there my status as a mandated reporter wpuld require me to at least call the department of child welfare (if not actually intervene).

Peace,
Erik

Mandated reporter gets kind of weird. Some, like cops, are clearly required to respond to and report concerns developed off the clock. Others, like teachers, aren't so clear. Is a teacher required to report possible abuse they learn about in a clearly off-the-clock situation, like when they watch a martial arts class? I don't know.

 

[turtle]

Based on the MASuccess article, it doesn't seem like there were any adults other than the instructor present (red flag? I've rarely taught a kid's class when there wasn't at least one parent observing). It says that the kid's parents didn't know what had taken place until he required medical attention and then told them what had happened.

 

[bluekey88]

Mandated reporter gets kind of weird. Some, like cops, are clearly required to respond to and report concerns developed off the clock. Others, like teachers, aren't so clear. Is a teacher required to report possible abuse they learn about in a clearly off-the-clock situation, like when they watch a martial arts class? I don't know.

It probably varies rom state to state. In my neck of the woods, you have to. Not sure about other areas.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Brandon Fisher]

Mandated reporter gets kind of weird. Some, like cops, are clearly required to respond to and report concerns developed off the clock. Others, like teachers, aren't so clear. Is a teacher required to report possible abuse they learn about in a clearly off-the-clock situation, like when they watch a martial arts class? I don't know.

My wife is a school teacher and yes she is required to report abuse at all times if she sees it or suspects it.

 

[nekmor]

I am familiar with the Bateman family and their school. When this article first appeared I spoke with Jeff who stated that circumstances were nothing like what was being represented. I know Susan and she is an excellent martial artist, no one (certainly no child) could withstand 200+ kicks from a professional martial artist (as reported). Upon speaking with Jeff I sent out the email below to the local martial artists with whom I am associated.

<<<Over the past several days we have been asked numerous questions about the news reports regarding alleged activates at the Jeff Bateman School of Karate. I have one recommendation; withhold judgment until all the facts are in!
Although I was not in attendance when the activities we have seen reported occurred and have no first hand knowledge, I do know Susan and Jeff Bateman. In the years that I have known this couple I have never seen or heard of any incident that would indicate that either one is anything other than a genuine, caring person who strives to develop good students and treat the children in their school as if they were their own.
I, and many of you, have attended seminars and functions with this couple, they have visited our school and and we have all shared events and meals with them, their staff and their students. During every encounter, Susan has always been a lady and she has supervised, chaperoned, herded, helped and healed the children around her like a caring mother; not like a competitor in the most recent incarnation of "America's Toughest Women!"
I don't pretend to know all the facts in this case, but I am confident they will surface, until they do please don't rush to condemn a person who has never represented herself as capable of the deeds reported.

Ken Morgan
Virginia Beach VA

 

[Brandon Fisher]

I am familiar with the Bateman family and their school. When this article first appeared I spoke with Jeff who stated that circumstances were nothing like what was being represented. I know Susan and she is an excellent martial artist, no one (certainly no child) could withstand 200+ kicks from a professional martial artist (as reported). Upon speaking with Jeff I sent out the email below to the local martial artists with whom I am associated.

<<<Over the past several days we have been asked numerous questions about the news reports regarding alleged activates at the Jeff Bateman School of Karate. I have one recommendation; withhold judgment until all the facts are in!
Although I was not in attendance when the activities we have seen reported occurred and have no first hand knowledge, I do know Susan and Jeff Bateman. In the years that I have known this couple I have never seen or heard of any incident that would indicate that either one is anything other than a genuine, caring person who strives to develop good students and treat the children in their school as if they were their own.
I, and many of you, have attended seminars and functions with this couple, they have visited our school and and we have all shared events and meals with them, their staff and their students. During every encounter, Susan has always been a lady and she has supervised, chaperoned, herded, helped and healed the children around her like a caring mother; not like a competitor in the most recent incarnation of "America's Toughest Women!"
I don't pretend to know all the facts in this case, but I am confident they will surface, until they do please don't rush to condemn a person who has never represented herself as capable of the deeds reported.

Ken Morgan
Virginia Beach VA

Ken,
Thank you for posting this I was hoping you would.

 

[Brian Johns]

Whether this story is true or not, this does point out the need for school owners to engage in "reputational risk management." A reputation takes a long time to build up and can be destroyed overnight, either due to a school's negligent/abusive practice or due to a vicious false story/rumor. In the case of a children's class, one way to manage reputation is to ensure that there are a fair number of adults/parents present. There are other ways to engage in reputational risk management.....many of you can figure out myriad ways to avoid this situation.

With regard to the facts of this situation, specifically the reported 200 kicks. That figure seems a bit fantastic. There are two ways of looking at it. Either the instructor was truly idiotic for directing 200 kicks at the student. Or the student made up a fantastic number of kicks.

Ironically, one of the worst ways to manage your reputation is to employ a really aggressive legal team who would take a "scorched earth" policy toward the child in terms of questioning his/her story in the press or a destructive cross examination on the stand. Any victory would be short term because any prospective out student out there would realize that there is a risk of facing the same scorched earth approach should they have differences with the instructor(s) of the school. So they would probably look at another school.