School begins healing after teacher's arrest

Karen McGough, a teacher with eight years of service at St. Helen's, was charged by police with unlawfully dealing with a child and criminal sale of marijuana at her home. She has been suspended from her position with pay.

The diocesan Catholic School Office has plans to work with school staff, parents and students as they come to terms with what has happened, said Sister Mary Jane Herb, IHM, superintendent.

Follow-through

There are challenges for Catholic schools when an employee faces criminal charges, challenges that don't necessarily exist in public schools, said Sister Jane.

"It's definitely more challenging," she said, "but it is an opportunity to talk about forgiveness, tie in values and discuss consequences."

Dialogue

While it's unfortunate that this happened, Ms. Murray-Fleck said, it provides a teachable moment for parents.

"It can lead to a great discussion [about how] adults make bad choices and there are consequences," she said. "Kids give adults a lot of power. We need to let kids know that adults make mistakes."

Parental role

"Children should know that what happened doesn't mean we can't like her," said Ms. Murray-Fleck.

Parents should ask their children open-ended questions that allow them to express their feelings, she said. In addition, parents can use this as an opportunity to talk about trust, mistakes, consequences and forgiveness.

Reflection on school

"In the ideal world, it would be the parent having this discussion," she said. "But we also have classroom communities where this discussion is appropriate."

When accusations like the ones against Mrs. McGough surface, the school's reputation is at stake, said Ms. Murray-Fleck. She added that the school can rely on its strengths to help maintain its reputation and to heal.

"It's a great school," she said. "They have so many strengths -- like community and loyalty."

Parent's reaction

Mrs. Carroll has encouraged her children not to make up their minds about the situation until all of the facts have been uncovered. She has also discouraged gossip by telling her children that if they talk about the situation with friends, they should share only the information that they know to be true.

"They have always loved her," Mrs. Carroll said. "It's up to them how they feel now. I'm encouraging them to remember the past as well as the present."

Christian response

"If she did do this, when it's time for her to heal, we will be there to help her," Mrs. Carroll said.

She also believes that something must be done for the whole school community to facilitate healing. "Parents may be scared about what may be happening," she said. "I've had parents say to me, 'How do I know that all of the teachers aren't this way?' We need to pull together and reassure parents first."

This is also an opportunity to rely on faith. "There are so many different emotions," she said. "We're praying for good resolution."

(08-31-00) [[In-content Ad]]