Hella Winston’s article about the arrest of a New Jersey day school teacher (“After Arrest Of Teacher, Questions About Vetting,” May 11) argued that schools should conduct criminal background checks on all prospective employees. I agree.
She also demonstrated that a problematic video posted by the teacher, though not directly linked to his real name, has been on the Web for some time. Winston, sensibly, did not urge that employers hire investigative journalists to vet all prospective employees for problematic online postings tied to screen names that are different than their real names.
What troubled me was that Winston wrote up her findings in a way that provided a roadmap to any middle school student who might be tempted to seek the video. In a case where an accused has worked with children who will naturally be following the story in the media, responsible Jewish journalism should balance the interests in favor of protecting the children. At the very least, the editing should obscure how to find offensive videos.
As a parent at Yeshivat Noam, I am grateful for the school’s handling of the unfortunate situation with students and parents since the teacher’s arrest. I hope that any future media attention will put the students’ interests first.
Teaneck, N.J.
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