Again, I believe that it is essential that allegations of this nature should be fully investigated. Too often, victims of sexual abuse are ignored or even made into further victims in retaliation due to their accusations. However, I also personally know of two occasions where a student falsely accused a teacher of sexual abuse out of a way of getting attention or holding power over the teacher. Sadly, I personally know of three other occasions where the allegations ended up being true.
Unfortunately, just the allegations can completely ruin an educator's career. This is one of the main reasons that I try to leave my classroom door open if there are any students in my classroom, and definitely if there are only one or two students in there. This is why I do not invite students (other than friends of the family) over to my house. This is why I try to limit communications with students by using the school email only. However, this year, I did have to branch out to the Remind app for DDF and then Whatsapp while traveling to Italy and Greece. Even with that, I am terrified of this sort of accusation. All it takes is one allegation and, at best, a teacher's life can be put in a spiral for months.
The news reports I have now read and heard about my friend have certainly cast an early judgment on him. From their headlines to the way the alleged evidence is framed in their stories, it seems clear that they are looking for sensationalism more than fact. Clearly, there was enough evidence for him to be arrested, but I have seen that done to an innocent educator before--which I believe is the case here. The thoughts of what he and his family are going through are horrifying.
My heart and prayers go out to him and his family. Honestly, my prayers go out for his accuser as well. While my friend was not the cause, this person is clearly dealing with some sort of trauma--however misdirected their actions are.