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L.A. teacher suspected of lewd conduct keeps benefits

j-mac

j-mac

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A teacher charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct in his classroom successfully thwarted attempts by the Los Angeles Unified School District to fire him. In the process, the teacher, who is accused of spoon-feeding his semen to blindfolded children, managed to retain lifetime health-benefits provided by the nation’s second-largest school system.Former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt also automatically receives nearly $4,000 a month in pension from the California State Teachers' Retirement System.Investigators were a year away from filing charges against Berndt, 61, when they brought copies of disturbing photos to the school principal on Jan. 3, 2011, according to investigators. Sheriff's investigators had pictures of boys and girls gagged with tape, blindfolded and some were being fed a milky substance from a spoon.snipHis retirement benefits were never at issue.“A teacher will receive their pension regardless of the reason for their termination because it is a benefit the teacher earned through their contributions and length of service,” said Michelle Mussuto, a spokeswoman for CalSTRS. “Once earned, that benefit cannot be taken away unless it is determined the teacher obtained that benefit by fraudulent means.”Berndt has been receiving $3,891.17 per month since last July.L.A. teacher suspected of lewd conduct keeps benefits - latimes.com
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First off, why this isn't hard news is beyond me. Secondly, How is the Piece of **** even allowed to remain free in the world, and not in prison? Lastly, this is what happens when union control are out of control, a pervert allowed to teach our children, blindfolds them and feeds them his sperm....Good God. j-mac
 
j-mac said:
First off, why this isn't hard news is beyond me. Secondly, How is the Piece of **** even allowed to remain free in the world, and not in prison? Lastly, this is what happens when union control are out of control, a pervert allowed to teach our children, blindfolds them and feeds them his sperm....Good God. j-mac
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The guy is a pervert because of a union? I know when I read that article I surely didn't think "Those damn unions!!" I just wanted the pervert in jail.
 
The union didn't hire the law firm he hired them privately.
 
School's right. The pension was earned through his years of service and should continue until his death.

Which, with photographic evidence of his lewd conduct with children, should be pro-rated for the three days that have gone by this month.
 
You need to get your facts straight. The man was fired a year ago. There was no "union" protecting him to allow him to molest children. Nice attempt at spin though OP!
 
What kind of God, especially a supposedly good one, allows such perverts to exist? Mysterious ways, indeed.
 
j-mac said:
[...] Secondly, How is the Piece of **** even allowed to remain free in the world, and not in prison? [...]
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The U.S. Constitution, I guess. Might want to read up on it some time . . . .

According to a report yesterday, he is being held on $23 million bail. Too much effort spent on being offended rather than being spent on research, it seems . . . .
 
If a school system wants to take away a teacher's pension for any reason, they need to negotiate it into the union's contract. Receiving Social Security benefits is not contingent on being a good citizen. It is, however, contingent on someone not being in jail. Which is where this guy belongs. Why should a private pension be any different? Blame the union? What? They held guns to people's heads for the contracts they negotiated? Nah. Blame the school districts that acquiesed to their sometimes-ridiculous demands.
 
Manc Skipper said:
What kind of God, especially a supposedly good one, allows such perverts to exist? Mysterious ways, indeed.
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Funny how people want to bring up God but leave out satan.
 
MaggieD said:
If a school system wants to take away a teacher's pension for any reason, they need to negotiate it into the union's contract. Receiving Social Security benefits is not contingent on being a good citizen. It is, however, contingent on someone not being in jail. Which is where this guy belongs. Why should a private pension be any different? Blame the union? What? They held guns to people's heads for the contracts they negotiated? Nah. Blame the school districts that acquiesed to their sometimes-ridiculous demands.
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Ok, I can see what you are saying Maggie, however, I wonder how much it will cost taxpayers, especially the ones that had the children in this story, to support the pension of the guy that fed their children his sperm.


j-mac
 
j-mac said:
Ok, I can see what you are saying Maggie, however, I wonder how much it will cost taxpayers, especially the ones that had the children in this story, to support the pension of the guy that fed their children his sperm.


j-mac
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If he's in jail, the cost of housing and feeding him and watching him. Likely about as much as his pension. But as noted, if you don't like giving teachers a pension, or allowing due process, moving from suspect and accused to convincted before you act, negotiate into the contract that you lose benefits once accused. Not sure I would support that. But, that is how the process works.
 
What I find distressing about this situation is that there were other complaints about this person going back 22 years. I view the entire education system as participants in this sick man's schemes. As such, I hope the victims go after the school system and as well as this man for both the current victims, past victims and a revamp of supervisory mandates to thwart any untoward acts against future victims. Also, it may be a nice payday attaching the school system's errors and omissions policy to pay for college for these kids.


Former teacher Mark Berndt was once investigated in 1994 for allegedly attempting to fondle a young girl near her genital area, reports the Los Angeles Times. A detective from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department investigated the claim and presented it to the district attorney's office, but the case was rejected.

Nadine Martinez Rodriguez, a former student of Berndt's, spoke to CBS2 about how school officials didn't listen when she complained about him. Rodriguez remembers that he often kept his hands in his lap and and a jar of vaseline in his desk. "When I first saw the news about Mr. Berndt getting arrested, I thought 'Wow,' " she said to CBS2. "It just took 22 years for him to get caught.
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Mark Berndt Bondage Photos: More Victims Come Forward After Teacher's Arrest Made Public
 
Connery said:
What I find distressing about this situation is that there were other complaints about this person going back 22 years. I view the entire education system as participants in this sick man's schemes. As such, I hope the victims go after the school system and as well as this man for both the current victims, past victims and a revamp of supervisory mandates to thwart any untoward acts against future victims. Also, it may be a nice payday attaching the school system's errors and omissions policy to pay for college for these kids.
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The real problem is the failing was not only the school but the whole justice system. Per the quote in the article:

A detective from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department investigated the claim and presented it to the district attorney's office, but the case was rejected.
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Why didn't the parents continue to persue this? Why didn't the investigators? Why didn't the school? Why didn't the school district look into it?

These are questions that would show the failing on multiple levels and not just the school system. I'm not saying the school system doesn't bare some responsibility. It just took a whole lot of failing to make this happen.
 
j-mac said:
First off, why this isn't hard news is beyond me. Secondly, How is the Piece of **** even allowed to remain free in the world, and not in prison? Lastly, this is what happens when union control are out of control, a pervert allowed to teach our children, blindfolds them and feeds them his sperm....Good God. j-mac
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Perverts exist because of unions? Haha. Go to Wisconsin and you will find an indictment against a Walker crony for child enticement and exposing his genitals. What union was HE in? LOL.
 
TheNextEra said:
The real problem is the failing was not only the school but the whole justice system. Per the quote in the article:
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I saw that and the presumption is that there was not enough to prosecute. If there were and they did not the liability on the prosecutor's office would have been too much for anyone to ignore.



Why didn't the parents continue to persue this? Why didn't the investigators? Why didn't the school? Why didn't the school district look into it?

These are questions that would show the failing on multiple levels and not just the school system. I'm not saying the school system doesn't bare some responsibility. It just took a whole lot of failing to make this happen.
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Of course no one is denying that. Are these victims supposed seek redress from their parents?
 
j-mac said:
First off, why this isn't hard news is beyond me. Secondly, How is the Piece of **** even allowed to remain free in the world, and not in prison? Lastly, this is what happens when union control are out of control, a pervert allowed to teach our children, blindfolds them and feeds them his sperm....Good God. j-mac
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The key part of this is "suspected". Besides that, he earned his benefits, therefore he should be allowed to keep them. Also, this is not about unions.
 
Yes, being suspected of something totally means contracts I've signed should be null and void. That's totally the precedent I'd like to set.
 
ThePlayDrive said:
The key part of this is "suspected". Besides that, he earned his benefits, therefore he should be allowed to keep them. Also, this is not about unions.
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Felons earned there right to vote, but we take that away. I say his benefits should be taken once he is convicted.
 
MarineTpartier said:
Felons earned there right to vote, but we take that away. I say his benefits should be taken once he is convicted.
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I'd be interested to 'learn' how felons (or anyone else) "earn" their right to vote.

However, if this 'learning' process involves a frontal lobotomy (as I suspect it might), then I'll pass.
 
Karl said:
I'd be interested to 'learn' how felons (or anyone else) "earn" their right to vote.

However, if this 'learning' process involves a frontal lobotomy (as I suspect it might), then I'll pass.
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They earned it by being born here. Look up the definition, it fits lol. A better word would have been they deserve their right to vote. My bad.
 
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