BHS Teacher Fired Over Text Messages
[Updated] A male teacher at the Bermuda High School for Girls [BHS], has been fired for allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to a young female student.
BHS Principal Linda Parker sent an email to parents saying that the teacher was was no longer employed at the school effective April 5, 2011, as he was “terminated due to an exchange of inappropriate text messages with a BHS student over the past week.” The Police have been informed and are believed to be investigating the incident. The teacher, who was employed as in the Foreign Language department, is a guest worker from the United Kingdom.
It is believed the alleged text messages may have been sent while the teacher, another faculty member, along with over a dozen students were on a school trip overseas. Bernews understands the student receiving the alleged messages told a 14-year-old school friend, who told their parents, who in turn informed the school.
Update 6:20pm: The Police released a statement in relation to this incident, it follows in full below:
The Bermuda Police Service received a report of inappropriate communication between a teacher and a student at one of the island’s private schools and inquires into this matter are underway.
Even though the individual’s name and likeness has been promulgated in the local media, the BPS has not released his name or any information surrounding this inquiry as we believe it is critical that due process in this matter is followed.
Update April 8: The Police have issued another statement saying they are investigating the report, and asked that anyone with any information please contact the Vulnerable Persons Unit on 299-2048.
Contrary to comments reported in some news outlets that the Bermuda Police Service is not investigating a report of inappropriate communication of a teacher with a student at one of the island private schools; We wish to reassure the public that the BPS takes this matter very seriously and a full investigation will be conducted to determine what offence if any have been committed.
The investigation is being headed up by officers from Vulnerable Persons Unit (VPU) of the Bermuda Police Service. We are appealing for anyone with any information on this matter to contact VPU on 2992048.
Give him a rap on the old knuckles,that’ll slow them fast fingers down…
You are disgusting. There is no evidence AT ALL that this was sexual or physical IN ANY WAY. You have no right to jump to conclusions, knowing nothing about the man or the situation. Learn the facts and grow up.
Did it ever occur to you that just maybe I’m refering to his texting skills .You are the one jumping to conclusions ,Whippersnappers Anonymous ! !
Who says it was sexual. How can almost everybody who has commented just assumed that “inappropriate” means sexual harrasment and the like. Maybe it was a crass joke!
I have know this teacher for years. Do not make uneducated comments that you know NOTHING about. It hurts us students as well. Especially the ones that have been inspired and motivated to do our best by said teacher. He was is and will always be cherished by those he taught. Honestly these things seem to get out of hand. I cant stand to see how many people have labeled him as a paedophile. How would you know? The answer is YOU DONT! Stop just assuming. Yes it was a horrible mistake on his part but honestly it has been blown WAY out of proportion. He has a family you know! This must be ruining them! Its ruining me! Has ruined my whole break, and when school returns i assure you things will no be the same.
I am ASHAMED to call Bermuda my home when people can just assume the worst and ruin things for everyone.
And if you are reading this Mr(blank) Your students will miss you and we wont ever forget the good things you have done for BHS and US.
Wait until you hear the whole story too. You might have to eat your words as they say.
thank you very much skeptical…whether it was sexual or not, he shouldnt be texting students – 14 year old students – at all, point blank.
I completely agree with you @BHS STUDENT, I also go to BHS and this has ruined my entire break, better yet my entire year. Mr (Blank) was a really good teacher, I don’t care what anybody says, he was one of the best. He cared about his students, made sure they succeeded, got involved in ALL the extra circulars even when he didn’t have to. He has his own family and life and he strived to make us more intelligent and more aware of the world. Whether Mr (Blank) did this or not he was a great a teacher and unfortunately this is what he will be remembered for.
No one knows the extent of this situation and are just jumping the worst conclusions, and even if they are as bad as everybody is thinking, I will still say that he is one of the best teachers I had within BHS education.
The problem is we are just ‘kids’ and we apparently don’t have an opinion on anything, even though we should be the ones who are saying what we know. The parents are sitting next to us at school everyday, they don’t know how teachers act around us. They meet once every 3 months and thats it. We should be the ones saying what Mr (Blank) is like, not parents who leaked the story and don’t have a clue.
Mr (Blank) has to take all the blame even though the student was just as responsible, just because they were 14 doesn’t mean they didn’t know what they were doing. They’re 14 not totally incompetent, just because they’re 14 doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re texting. Obviously it can’t be legal, but it seems unfair for THEIR actions to be put solely in Mr (Blank’s) hands.
This entire situation has become way too public before the police have really started the investigation. Now, not only is affecting his career and his life, but imagine what this is doing to his family and friends.
He was one of my favourite teachers (and still is) and with everybody bashing him for something that may or may not have been as bad as everybody is making it out to be, it irritates me.
Everybody who is not immediately affected needs to get out of the situation and making it worse, because its ruining this poor mans (and family’s) life EVEN MORE than its already been ruined.
Sorry in paragraph 4 – line 2, it should read “The parent ARE’NT sitting next to us everyday at school”
I apologize.
I agree to everything you said, it is sad that all of this went so public and that now this is what poor Mr.(blank) will always be remembered by.
It annoys me that people are saying he should be sent to Westgate and things like that when they don’t know the full truth! If this girl is 14 she should know better!
To Mr.(blank), you are great and always made learning fun, you will be uncontrollably missed and BHS will never, ever, be the same without you.
I just wanted to say that although he was a great teacher this is completely and totally wrong whether it was sexual or not. This should be a public matter because parents have the right to know what is going on in the children’s lives. It doesn’t matter how good or nice of a teacher he was, it is just plain wrong and I am disgusted that this has happened at BHS. I commend the Head Mistress for taking action quickly and firing him. It is his fault that he is in the trouble he is in and yes I feel horrible for is wife and kids but he must live with the consequences. It is stupid for us to pitty him and feel sorry for him.
What a shame this guy let his guard down over a 14 yr old girl…..not worth it…..they always talk about it later with the ace girl
Would you have preferred 15?! :S
Hope that’s not experience talkin…
I’m not stupid enough to respond to adolescent stares and suggestive behavior. Too bad some guys are caught in a moment of weekness. Either way, as the older, more rational person, he’s messed himself up getting caught up with an adolescent that’s protected under law because (to the contrary) she’s not mature enough to know what she was doing.
This is getting out of hand. You all just ASSUME it was SEXUAl when it could have been ANYTHING i am so sick and tired of reading these comments. They HURT ME and other STUDENTS. STOP! PLEASE we don’t need this.
“weakness”
if it was sexual dont you guys think he will be in hps by now. its blown way out. looked like they wanted a reason to get rid of him and they found the reason. guess ppl do not have the gift of reading between the lines.
He needs HELP!!!! Good that this time it is not some one from Bermuda.
why would it matter if he was Bermudian or not?
WHO ARE YOU TO SAY HE NEEDS HELP. YOU NEITHER NO HIM OR THE FULL STORY!!!
*know
The full story is that he was fired not suspended. What does that tell you? What did the directors of the school find? What did the child tell her parents? If it goes to court the text messages will be made public.
They’re so busy asking parents at that school if they promise to be good parents…looks like they better concentrate on asking teachers if they promise to be good teachers!
I am a parent at BHS and I haven’t heard of anything like what you are talking about. Maybe those parents that need to be reminded to be good parents are made to promise that they will be good parents.
Skeptical, just because you haven’t heard about it doesen’t mean that it’s not true…so stay out of this one. There are many matters that occur at that school that don’t make it to the newsletter or press. Parents who invest in their child’s life by sacrificing to send their daughter to a private school, and participate in her daily activities, don’t need any reminders to be good parents…they already are. The fact that they raise issues of concern must speak to that.
My daughter goes to BHS so I do know what goes on there. Again, I have never been told that I need to be a good parent so, again, I guess those that need to be reminded are reminded.
What exactly is a good parent anyway? The same goes for teachers, they are the ones who should be displaying good conduct at ALL times, for they are the examples that the girls are emulating. If you don’t know those parents then you certainly are NOT in a position to judge those parents. As I said, you shouldn’t speak or write about things that you are not familiar with. Case CLOSED!
So by sending your child to a private school automatically qualifies you as a good parent?? There’s obviously a reason why the school had to make you promise to be a good parent. You assumed you were just by paying their fee!!! sad
I wish I could tell you more about the experience of the parents I mention. If this teacher’s matter was investigated in the same manner and the matter of the parents, then I truly feel sorry for this teacher. If the head teacher knew they were handing the matter over to the Police, they should have withheld his identity. I hope they don’t receive a writ as a result of the action they took.
Send him up westgate n let guys buss em up! Perverts don’t gets no love
Grow up… YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ANY DETAILS!
You don’t know what you’re saying! This man, this great teacher-Mr.(blank) is NOT A PERVERT and this 14 year old should have known better!
I think our BHS life will be deeply impacted by his dismissal.
[edited]
cultural differences, up bringing, social structures. may reasons why this fella allowed himself into this position.
its sad and scary that this happened. we have a 10 yr old @ BHS- an really hope that this is the only one that is doing this- and not the only one who has been caught! maybe if you have an ALL girls school- that you should only have female teachers…. just a thought! I say if you do the crime…you must do the time!
women are more than capable of being perverts as well, just not statistically as likely for this sort of thing, so that would be silly. statistics aren’t enough to keep your kids safe, so we have to rely on the judgement of the people who hire the teachers and on the kids themselves to come forward like the one girl bravely did.
VERY scary times!
Having attended BHS I think it is dangerous to think that having all female teachers will take away the risk. If anything just continue to reinforce what is inappropriate and how to get help should something happen (hopefully nothing will!). I have two kids in Private school and I am trying hard to make sure they don’t live in a “bubble” and that they aren’t oblivious to the existing dangers that happen EVERYWHERE!
its not that simple, there are female predators as well.
And where are they??
well one was working and flashed my husband when he was a student there while supposedly showing him a tattoo she had gotten on her navel. she is still a teacher and is probably still getting her rocks off titillating young men. of course they will never get her fired for it.
I vehemently resist your suggestion that BHS should only hire female teachers. Just as ethnic diversity is healthy, gender diversity is equally as healthy. Having a foundation of being taught in an all girls’ school by all female teachers may lead to socialization inadequacies in their future. Women should have a respect for men especially if men are expected to have an appreciation and respect for women. These are the values that should be instilled in BHS girls. The reality is that we live in a world of both males and females; both genders should have mutual respect. Wasn’t the former headmaster a male?
What’s wrong with you? This man is innocent until proven guilty!
i just want to say that i went to bhs (graduated a few years ago) when he was teaching there. he would have honestly been the last teacher i would have suspected to do this. at the time (i don’t know what hes like now)he was a respectable man who in no way crossed the line with students.
i find it a shame that hes lowered himself to these standards, but i’m also curious to know what provoked him. having gone to that school i know that the girls can be precocious and often set their sights on the yougest and best looking male teachers present. i think he needs to be repremanded for his behavior, but i hope this is also a wakeup call for the parents, they need to ask how he got her phone number in the first place.
Best post on this subject matter. Like I said earlier, the guy messed up and should be held responsible. But its very possible he didn’t initiate the interaction. I’ve seen it all to often. Parents have to ensure their daugters are not up to mischief as well.
I agree that parents should keep an eye on their kids, but as the adult in the situation, he should have STOPPED as soon as he saw where the conversation was headed. She’s young so hot in the you know what, he should be the one with more control, ESPECIALLY with a career at stake.
this is entirely true… but to think this was all his doing is just stickin one’s head in the sand… he should take more of the brunt for it, for sure, but parents need to open their eyes to their children’s activities.
very true. If this was a case of promising good grades or something, i’d say this is disgusting…and hang him high, but human biology happens faster then our society set “age appropriate time line”.. punish him, but dont ignore the other side of it all.
while you may think your children are just children, who couldn’t possibly be thinking these thoughts without someone sick influencing them, in reality their minds and bodies are kicking into adulthood more then you’d like to admit.
If they were on a school trip, he and the other chaperones might have had it for safety reasons.
He used to teach me four years ago and its so shocking that this has happened. He was by far one of the best teachers at that school. Such a shame.
I agree with this. If you read this TEACHER please know that we acknowledge you as one of the best teachers and that will never change. Your enthusiasm and encouragement was always the best.
Absolutely no justification for his actions!
I totally agree….
I go BHS now. He has been my teacher for a few years now. And trust me in saying that these assumptions must be false. I know he is not a sexual predator, maybe it was simply a misunderstanding of the word “inappropriate” but please please realise that it may not be sexual. It could be racist it could have been a stupid joke…
they were on a school trip and they all had his number in case of emergency.
This is disgusting. She was only 14!!! I feel so sorry for her peers and family
her friend was 14… we dont know how old she was..
I know her…. she is in grade 10.
year 10 you mean? grade 10/ yr 11 would put her at 15
Didn’t this happen once before recently, or within the past few years?
This happened a few years ago at MSA, if anyone remembers, and the teacher got caught in a physical act, yet still works here… Double standard or just easier to send a permit worker home? We need tougher penalties for these guys and more than just their name and picture in the paper. Westgate for a few weeks at the least and then on a stop list and ban them from going near any schools or events for children. Every time I see that teacher from MSA on the same block as the school it makes me sick.
Send him where he was Bermudain and no longer works in the schools. Do you know what your daughters are like people. I not saying that he was not wrong he was the adult after all.
LOL
This is in no way condoning what happened, but I believe the incident at MSA was with a student of legal age. Still inappropriate, but that’s why no legal action was taken; he still should have been let go though!
He was let go I was real just stating that he is Bermudain you know some time people don’t know if white guys are Bermudain and all..
LOL
should have cut his genatalia off
I believe the only time when that would be justified is if he raped the girl. If she iniciated it or went along with it then jail would do. But when someone rapes another person, castration is great justice.
No need to jump to conclusions. You do not know what happened.
Furthermore if they were on a school trip then they have the teachers number so that they can call in an emergency or something so it even possible that she texted him first. Now I’m not saying that if she started it its her fault but we just do not know the story especially if there was anything sexual at all.
even if she texted him first, he shouldnt have responded.
You make me sick!
are you serious? GROW UP
Alright, fine. How about the next time you screw up in life, we cut your genitalia off. JUST BECAUSE YOU MESSED UP.
Grow up you immature person.
Know your facts before you start ruining peoples lives and tracking their names through the mud.
The man from MSA no longer works in the school system. And I agree with you about feeling sick when he’s around kids. It makes me sick whenever I even see him. He was one of my teachers when I went to MSA. Regardless of what the text message said with the guy from BHS. As a teacher you have to be careful of all your actions. Especially as a male. Anything you do, whether as a joke or not, can be misinterpreted. Just don’t put yourself in that position.
just to throw this in…not so much as defence of this, but more of a sad reality of life…. basically, i wouldnt necessarily see this as a “predatory” action.
i guess there is not enough info on this. did he text her? did she text him back? was this a “mutual” thing? He made a dumb choice, no doubt about it at all, especially in his position of trust.. but we have this mentality when these issues come up that the youth are some sort of angels that were corrupted by whoever the male in question is, as if they were good girls and then the one man changed that.
like i said.. it was a dumb and immoral choice yes he should be dealt with severely, but if we think dealing with these men and then just coddling the girls will make it go away, we are all very wrong.
I think it happened at Whitney a few years back too – another expat? He appeared in court I believe. Such a stupid act. You take a lifetime to gain your reputation and you can lose it in a second. From what I hear this guy at BHS was a well liked and respected teacher. I’m not defending him – just saying that there are no winners here. Very sad. He just ruined his life over some stupid text to a kid.
BHS did the right thing – they have to be seen to protect their students.
Teachers have been attracted to you girls as long as priest have being attracted to young boys.
I’m certainly do not condoning this behavior
However some of you need to remove your heads form your margaritas, get up from in front your 100″ TV, go and spend more time with your children.
My daughter goes to BHS and is very upset since it seems that everyone liked this person. Not making excuses mind you.
I’ve heard his wife teaches there too. Guess she’ll be leaving as well. Sad for all.
If his wife is not Bermudian and is also on a work permit then this should affect her employment as well, especially if he is the primary work permit holder. The question is, will she support her husband or the action taken by the school?
lol…whats worse a perve or a priest..
opps one and the same
“Inappropriate” does not necessarily mean the exchange was sexual.
I think it’s wrong to assume pedophilia. If it is, a police investigation would surely ensue and the story would come out in time.
I too went to BHS, and he was well-respected and a great teacher. If what some of you assume is true, then it’s unfortunate.
lol So true but this is Bermuda lol we just run with what comes to mind lol good point Hmmmm. lol I was one of them to saying nasty bugger.
You are absolutely right, we all jump to conclusions when we read “inappropriate”, however he may not have sent her anything sexual at all. Your convicting this man without any evidence of any sexual act.
Learn the facts first Bermuda!
He was fired! Isn’t that a measuring stick of the communication that was? He was fired by the directors of the school, also he never defended himself, instead he fled.
Wow…the public has proven him guilty already. This is all alledged at this point..that’s why you have lawyers to sort through it all and get down to the facts. I never come to a conclusion based on hear-say. Because he was fired doesn’t mean he is guilty. The school has every right to remove him/her until the case is proven otherwise…
Wow yourself….the school principal saw the text exchange and confirmed that they were at the very least inappropriate, what other evidence do you need? C’mon man dig your head out of the sand and call it as you see it
and yes if it was sexual then he whould have been up hps by the time this article was written. he not he is just out of a job.
Based on some of the comments posted on this site, the action taken by Linda Parker (the headteacher) was very justified. Though he was fired does not necessarily mean that Mrs. Parker found him ‘guilty’ of anything. However, if she had let him remain at the school and let the information slowly seep through the parental community, she would have a lynching on her hands; ‘concerned’ parents (and that is not to say they aren’t really concerned, but who can be rational when their child’s safety is at risk)would be withdrawing they children from the school, more scrutiny would come against other teachers, and the Black Mark would be placed on the whole school as opposed to just one person.
Do not for one moment think that his termination equals guilt. Mrs. Parker made a decision that would benefit the school more than the feelings of a friend.
He was one of the best teachers I had in my time at BHS, and this is an unfortunate circumstance for him and his family. Instead of jumping to absurd conclusions and quenching our bloodlust, all we can do is hope that he learns from this, let’s be honest, silly mistake.
all to easy to fire an ex pat/permit worker init?
you wouldnt be able to that with a local teacher!
Typical of the DOUBLE STANDARDS in Bermuda!
He’s getting off easy just loosing his job. Local teachers have been locked up for this and other similar incidences.
Locked up for what exactly?
No they have not.
yes they have…..if a complaint was made, those guys ended up in court and in prison.
A complaint of what? Texting?
No they have not. Name one case where someone accused of sending an inappropriate text message had anything like that happen.
too easy? i think its too hard to fire a Bermudian teacher/worker..
drinking on the job while driving,…keep your job..the recent bus fiasco, keep your job, apprently at msa innapropriate physical conduct w/ student.. keep your job…
prime examples amongst many others…
ummmmm, I thought we were talkin ’bout teachers??????
meh its more in regard to any position. teacher, civil servant, accountant… whatever.. the point is i feel its both too easy to let go of expats and too hard to let go of bermudians.
The MSA teacher did not keep his job.
LOL
good to know
its easy to fire anyone for what can be deemed as “serious misconduct”. any breach of any type of employee handbook can fall into that category. not just the expats. There is MUCH pending litigation (that many times gets settled) in bermuda of Bermudians who feel they were wrongfully dismissed.
This is by far the most stupid comment on here. Are you trying to say that if he was Bermudian he wouldn’t have been fired. You are an IDIOT!
SORRY MY RESPONSE WAS FOR W.T.F.
Shoulda been 1 of my family members he was textin! U all on here will be talkin bout something else
you’re not addressing the other half of the ‘problem’. I don’t care if the law says that at 14 or 15 she is not capable of adult behavior. Why don’t you all wake the hell up and realize that your children are exposed to sex on TV, Radio, Print and amongst their peers far sooner than you think.
When i first worked in a local middle school, I was warned which girls were ‘fast’ and to be cautious around them. Bermudian kids like and expect affection from their teachers through hugs and sweet talk. Then there are the teachers who take the affection bit too far. I don’t know who initiated the questionable text messages but either way this teacher should have known better and should lose his license. Fortunately Bermuda has not seen the level of teacher/student interaction (sexually) that is going on in the U.S. but as a teacher, I avoid any interaction with a student other than for academic purposes. I’ve been hit on by female students (hey i’m attractive) but I know not to go there and I report it immediately.
Having something with a student – is the one thing a teacher absolutely cannot do. He should have known better. I mean come on – you only gotta remember one rule and you screw it up?
Its like working in a bank and trying to remember not to steal money – its the one rule you can’t break.
Sheesh!!
Really people.
The underage person is ALWAYS the victim. period. Stop spreading blame. It does not matter who initiated contact. Those details are tertiary.
THANK YOU! It doesn’t matter who initiated it, he’s an adult and in a position of authority.
It is a huge problem but when the age of consent is 16…well things happen, people don’t report it and some people condone it even younger than 16.
but remember, the term “underage” is a society set limit that biologically means nothing.
whether they be 14, 16, 17 and 11 mths, how they react and feel about situations is not dictated by law, it is dictated by nature.
say this girl was 17 and 11 months.. technically a minor.. would you still find offence? and if she was 18 and one month.. legal.. would you call him a pedophile for that?
what if the legal age had always been 15? then would 16 not be considered pedophelia?
if you think that the youth, goin through puberty and with modern media, arent thinking all these “dirty” tihngs anway, and aren’t doing these things until coaxed by a “pedophile”, then you have got a very rosy colored view of the world.
“My Two Cents”, the age is set in law so that minors are protected. In other words, even if the minor initiates it, sex with a minor (not that that appears to have happened in this case) is illegal. And should be. It’s the minor that should be protected, not the adult.
And yes, if the minor is one month under age, I would ‘find offence’ as you put it, to say the least.
And in addition, the situation is much worse if the adult happens to be in a position of trust and authority, like a teacher, member of clergy, or similar.
no i fully agree with what what you say.. the laws are there to protect minors.. no doubt.. and def gives a clear direction that one person is in control to stop anything happening…
but i think it also is there to protect them from themselves, similar to alcohol laws. these young girls still want to do these deeds a lot of the time… it is not something brought to htem by elder men.
it is definitely in the hands of hte adult to stop things happening, but a lot of comments make the guy out to be some sort of predator that actually goes looking for the young and manipulative, just to take advantage of them.. and i think there is a huge difference between the adult that tries to take advantage of young minds, vs one who just cant stop getting carried away into it with a young person.
not defending him, just saying its not always so simple as victim/pedophile.
Captain Obvious I appreciate you!
Thank you Captain Obvious! I appreciate you!
i have to disagree with you using absolutes. I ask you this, and please answer..
for a 30-35yr old male is:
a) 16yr old girl a victim
b) 17 yr 364 day old girl a victim (18th bday is tmrw)
c) 18 yr old on her bday a victim?
d) 19, 20, 25 yr olds victims?
do you literally make the cut of victim/consenting on the day of legality? can you really say that one day a girl is a victim and just a few hours later she’s a consenting adult?
i agree with the laws and their intention, but to use them literally to determine if someone is a pedophile vs normal is far too cut and paste for life.
There has to be a cut off point. Stop making excuses. I guess you are a kiddie lover. Men who like teens aren’t pedophiles either, whether it’s wrong or not. I believe they are called ebophiles. Pedophiles like prepubescent children most teens have been through puberty.
lol you’re assumption that im a kiddie lover is funny. trust me i am no kiddie love, and i also know where to draw the line..
the question posted is for those that look at this situation as a black/white/yes/no issue.
my question is hypothetical. What is the cut off point. the law says 18 generally. does that mean almost 18 is a victim and just 18 is, perhaps a month later, not a victim?
the technical speed limit is 35. people are gernally allowed to 50. 52 is not really any worse then 50, yet it is illegal. different situations apply to different cases, but the number is still the same. is it ok for a drunk to go 55kmh? what if a nascar driver was driving 55kmh? they are two vastly different circumstances with vastly different risk values, yet the legality of hte matter is dictated by a single number.
with regards to these issues, there are girls that are 16-18 that are far more mature then some 20+ girls.
im not saying its right at all.. he should definitely not have crossed any line, but for someone to say one day a girl is a victim, and possibly a week later is consenting, based solely on a legal number (age) is viewing the world very short sightedly. yes 14 (as has been mentioned) to me is wrong, but that is not to say that the girl in question did not in some way participate. i entirely blame the teacher for not cutting it off, but to assume the student had no part, simply because she is legally considered a minor is stupid.
Amazing how a headline can lead the lemmings off the cliff not even knowing why except someone said…..
Sadly this occurs all to often in our schools. We must ensure that students are protected from the perverts that have access to our kids. There is no reason why a teacher should text a student, NONE and if a teacher emails a student it should be manditory that a cc. should go a the parent. The Private schools are the worst offenders, as all the do is send the teacher back home, what this does is spare the school reputation. The teacher is then free to do their madness to another child in another juristiction. This is a real issue in Bermuda with our students and teacher and it has been going on for years. There are reports of teachers marrying former students and dating students opening after they graduate, however the relationship started whilst the the individuals were students. Hats off to BHS for a: not sweeping this under the rug, b: the courage for the parents and students to come forward, this could not have been an easy thing to do. Let’s hope this gives other private schools the strength to put justice in front of school’s reputation and in the end, the students will be better off as a result. Also, teachers and faculity that sweep this mess under the rug, you are just as guilty as the men/or women who do the vile acts against our students. Again Hats off to BHS for standing in the face of adversity, and putting our students first.
What happened to all you posters who always cry about how the accused are simply that…the accused?
What happened about the innocent until proven guilty spiel that so many want to spew when it comes to the so called gang-bangers and thugs that are shooting up this island with no regard for the innocent? Oh its not your family members and he is an ex-pat so he must be guilty! Forgot sorry…
You don’t even know what the text message said and yet you are calling him a paedophile, but then you have the nerve to bitch about one of your family members and/or brethrens being called “wanksters, losers, thugs” when they make front page for comitting violent crimes that are tearing our community apart?
I agree the man should be dismissed from the school, because no teacher should be texting any of their students under any circumstances. There really is no reason to be texting your students in any manner.
But some of you are calling for him to be “hung up” and “locked up” for sending an “inappropriate text message?” I believe his life (and rightly so) has been severely damaged due to these revelations. I imagine his wife won’t be so happy and his children will be embarassed about his actions.
Come on people be for real. The man f’ed up big time and thank goodness that it was revealed before anything else might have occurred.
Fairness and fair judgements are reserved for everybody…
That only applies when you know the person or support them politically…
this is bermuda
the detailed texted messages will soon be on the net
It must be a lot of males posters on Bernews. I don’t understand why men are soooooo attracted to girls under 18 or 16. You can tell how old they are especially when in BERMUDA they are wearing school uniforms. I’ve seen it with my own eyes and experienced it when I was in high school. You can say women do it too but compared to men, in Bermuda and the world it HARDLY compares. Could you imagine a grown woman 25+ hollering out to a boy in Cedarbridge uniform while he’s walking in Town? This is a big problem in Bermuda with much older men and young girls. I don’t know what the text message said but just speaking in general.
Probably because the younger girls don’t nag and bitch like the older women do. Lol, but contrary to what you may see or hear, there are just as many women seeking out younger guys for sex. I have seen it in Bermuda. But no one tells those stories.
Incest, underage sex, homosexuality/buggery, infidelity and pedophilia do occur in Bermuda and more often than one knows.
Here’s the problem with your post…
two of the things on the list aren’t illegal and one of them isn’t even a bad thing.
To lump homosexuality with incest, underage sex (and for some reason, paedophilia as well) is irresponsible, as those things are illegal.
And to put infidelity in there?
Come on.
There is no problem with my post, maybe a problem with the reader.
It’s a combination of that that can either be illegal and/or immoral. The point is not the legality of it but the fact that it goes on and we turn a blind eye to it.
Seriously?
You put homosexuality in the same category as paedophilia?
as i’ve said before, we as a society seem to think that because we set an age, that nature will follow that rule.
biologically, the mid teens/mid 20′s are the prime breeding ages. We can set the legal age all we want, but pheromones, hormones, and millions of years of evolution wont just wipe away subconscious urges.
in the states they say the drinking age should be 21. anything younger and you are not old enough to physically/mentally handle it. here it is 18… who’s right and who’s wrong? in France i believe its 14 w/ family members.. yet here there is outrage at “underage drinking”, but again, who is right and who is wrong? an age is just something society sets.
I know people like to think that we can set a law and our evolutionary instincts just shut off, but they dont. its nature. We can try to control it with our actions, but the attraction is not something that can be controlled.
People may think its sad and pathetic, but at the end of the day the only thing we can control is the action, not the attraction.
We get it your a kiddie lover. No need to keep saying it. So biologically if a 10 year old starts puberty it’s okay to start having sex. Let’s ignore the mental and emotional puberty as well. Only men have that mentality and very few women. It’s quite sick actually, what does a 15 year old have that a 25 year old woman doesn’t? So again what’s so attractive about a teen? That persons stupid reply of “they don’t nag as much” is quite disgusting to say the least. 15 and 16 year old are immature about 90%, their brains aren’t fully developed etc and can’t consent because of it, which is why we have laws such as age of consent to have sex. If we didn’t what do you think would happen? What should be the cut off point? Did you know back when you were 15 what you know now? No you don’t.
Your alcohol comparison is irrelevant to this discussion. It’s 21 in the States because the driving age is 16 and they don’t want young people to drink and drive, no matter how stupid it seems. Not because they can’t handle it.
I don’t care about whatever you are spewing, there is nothing sexy or attractive about a grubby young teenager. I guess you’ll be in the paper next. So if it’s nature why aren’t women, as equally as men attracted to and having sex with boys under 16? Like I said its a male excuse and most men are uncivilized and thinks sleeping with children is okay and “nature”. Tell it to a judge.
There’s a whole lot of opinions expressed as facts in this post, as well as assumptions, personal attacks and an outright refusal to be objective.
To accuse someone of paedophilia because they tried to show a different viewpoint is quite disgusting, frankly… especially when you don’t address a single one of their points!
Why else would they defend such behavior? They didn’t address my points and if you would re-read my post I addressed theirs.
nicole, first off you mention that the drinking age is 21 because they get their license at 16 and they dont want them to drive…. well compare that to bermuda where you get your car license and your “liqour license” at the same age…. does that mean our laws are flawed? Are you saying they are old enough to drive safely but not old enough to metnally think about sex? seriously?
my example is entirely correct that different societies place different values on certain issues.
personally, and im trying not to make personal judgements, but you sound like an elder lady that cant get men or was left by one. it is called biology… as much as you want to fight it, you cannot. what women place as values for a mate is different then what men have as values. generally, males value youth that will provide good offspring… women value security to raise that offspring… the general notion that women are interested in women younger then themselves has gone back for millennium, just as the view that women want secure men older than them has gone back just as long.
i am in no way defending his action as you assert, nor am i interested in his actions myself…. i am simply pointing out the facts about human attraction.. just becasue the law says 18 is an adult does not negate millions of years of evolution that say any girl of child bearing age is attractive…the only thing the law does is affect our judgement on how we act on those impulses.
What behaviour? All that was said was “Inappropriate text messages”.
EVERYTHING else you’re railing against is assumption and supposition based on nothing.
I read your post several times. You made a WHOLE lot of statements without a whole lot of facts.
And I didn’t see ANYTHING in the guys post that was worthy of accusing him of being “a kiddie lover”…
That’s a serious accusation to make, even between two anonymous people.
At the end of the day Nicole says a lot of inflammatory things. I think on another thread so got upset with someone generalizing/stereo typing and here she is making assumptions. I do not think anyone is defending said actions if they occurred what I am reading is that both parties might if said action did occur contributed. I totally agree that the adult in the situation should have known better and walked away. All other statements and question seem to by philosophical question based on societies’ norms. Remember it was really not that long ago that people were married and had children at 12-18 back in the day so norms have changed and are in constant flux.
LOL ps Nicole don’t assume I’m a kiddie lover in case you wnat to drop that on me as well cause I’m not. That fact that you even went there due to a question is a bit far reaching.
@Nicole, now not only are you accusing the teacher of being a ‘kiddie lover’, but your accusing people who are merely stating facts?
That’s just making YOU seem more and more ignorant to this entire situation.
But now telling INNOCENT people that they will be in the paper next when you DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO THEY ARE. It’s easy to say things over the internet, but try meeting these people and saying things to their face.
All by stereo-typing all men as being sex crazed perverts that automatically want to have sex with anyone underage girl that walks by in a school uniform is sexist. Just because we don’t hear about female teacher AS OFTEN, doesn’t mean it doesn’t it happen.
Please become aware of all angles of this situation, better yet, all angles of society. It isn’t fair that now not only are you hurting the teachers and students of BHS, but also innocent people whom are just trying to state their opinions in a safe forum and are getting PERSONALLY attacked by you.
To tired of nonsense, I hear you. The only thing missing is the Vigil. Even the gang-bangers, oops, I mean outstanding family men get one. After all, by all accounts he was a Great Teacher. Fair is fair…just saying.
Can I assume that some of you posting in this forum are teenagers or younger??
I cannot believe some of what I am reading here!
Under NO circumstance is a minor to blame when having a sexual relationship with an adult.
It is ALWAY the adult’s fault.
And yes, there was a teacher in the school system some years ago who “interfered” with several of his young students and went to prison. The man was a music teacher.
you are misinterpreting people’s phrasing.
i dont think anyone says it the students fault.. everyone admits he used bad judgment and should never have crossed the line..
what people are saying is that these young girls (and boys) are not as innocent as parents want to believe. Yes the adult should stop anything progressing, but that does not mean that it is soley the actions of the adult that develop a situation.
The teens may not be at fault for the matter, but i wouldnt always say they are the “victim”.
Yes it seems that a lot of people can’t read. Everyone agrees that the adult is at fualt all that was said in addition to that is that some of these girls put them selves out there intentionally. Nothing more. That is why you see messages that state know your children and what they are doing.
LOL
let me say it another way.
you hear a story about a guy… he meets a girl at a park.. she’s looks attractive.. carries herself well. etc… they chat.. they decide to go to dinner.. end of they night they go home and have sex.. or send sexy texts.. or start a relationship.. whatever…
you may think its all find and dandy.. great storry.. without a second thought about it…. hell you may even call her easy if they did sleep together.
anyway, then you find out all of a sudden that he was 30 and she was 16.. and all of a sudden she’s a victim and he’s a pedophile. everything was great.. until you threw in the numbers?
the point is, we didn’t evolve to follow set numbers. yes we make conscious decisions based on them, but other then that, our bodies/minds to not process info based on ages on a subconscious level.
since he knew the age in this instance, he definitely should not have carried on as such, but to say he’s a predator, and that she’s just a victim is a bit black/white sited.
That’s why you ask for I.D. stop making excuses. Men know and do not care. They’d sleep with 10 year olds is allowed, and some even do it now when it’s illegal. “Oops I didn’t know she was 15″. Please!
As a man, I’m offended by this prejudiced statement.
Sorry then. Maybe I should use words like “some”.
nicole you seem to be oblivious to the real world. do you really think that a girl suddenly becomes sexually attractive the moment she turns “legal”, whatever age that is?
i have been in many bars where underage girls show up. You would expect the door security to have dealt with the “ID” issue, but that doesnt always happen.
to assume a guy has to ask for ID before hooking up iwth a girl is stupid. How far into regulation has our society gone that you have to card a girl to sleep with her?
the fact of the matter is, some girls look/act older then they are… just as some girls/guys act/look younger then they are.
what i find interesting though is that without the age being listed, many interactions seem harmless..or even romantic to outsiders, yet as soon as legal numbers are places, the whole situation changes.
no it should not have happened. no i’m not defending him. the difference betwenn what i’m saying, and defending him, is that im giving the view that these issues are not always cause by some scary predator lurking around…. what do you think of 18 yr old and 40? is it the age difference that offends you? or that they are literally under 18? what if a country had 17 as legal limit? would you call that a barbaric country? the teenage years and their affect on these girls varies so much between individuals, to blanketly say someone is a perv based on a simple number is ludicrous.
Not really. The prejudice, based, again, on no facts whatsoever, is still there.
Yes the same could be said of some ladies where the boy intentionally lies about his age guess that does not happen the other way around then Nicole..
LOL
@bernews , any picticular reason that you havent named teacher ?? rg has and photo , just wondering .
Have you ever heard of “Innocent until proven Guilty?”
The School and Police refused to name the teacher or comment any further….In my humble opinion the RG should not have named him or put his picture on the front page.
Sure a teacher should under no circumstances be texting a student and BHS was right to dismiss him, but you all need to remember that “inappropriate” can mean several things. Perhaps he was talking to her about personal issues or perhaps SHE was asking for his advice…we do not know what the text message said and we wont know for a while if it was sexualy explicit.
I am not in any way defending him. What he did was wrong and he should be JUSTLY punished. It does not mean that she should become a “marked man”. Im sure life in his house is a nightmare at the moment, but having his face in the papers will cause problems for his wife and children as well.
so that being said, I would encourage this forum to stop using words like “pedophile” and “predator” and terms like “hang him up”. Until the investigation has been completed and charges have been filed (or not) no one should talk.
Let the Police, the school and lawyers deal with this. Wait for evidence before you pass judgement on a person you do not know.
Bernews has a good forum, true that we should wait for evidence, he is innocent before being found guilty; =we will just have to wait and see
Anything that could be considered a grey area, such as naming someone who is under Police investigation for conduct involving a minor, we avoid. We never show photos of witnesses in gang cases, majority of the time will not name crime victims or witnesses in Court, while others generally do. Each company has their own policies for various reasons. Although its very complimentary to be considered in the same vein as the large media outlets, our policies wouldn’t be the same as a multi-million dollar company with 25x the staff, simply as our resources are significantly smaller.
Patricia
Thank you Bernews….You have managed to maintain a level of decorum that other Media Outlets have not, this is why I read you first!
You got that right “Think”…..Doze lutt owah dear at Bermyooda Son ann dee Daily Paper…..they don’t even let me post anymore. Not because I am an a%$#ole but it’s because I disagree at times and they don’t likeus calling them on it………
I have to buy a dairy or sell coke or chicken nuggets or hand out money……..Hell…why should I do that. I’m gonna “SAY NO” and just import and sell drugs……………..the proof is in the ice cream…..
Well done Bernews. If this was an actual court story, they wouldn’t print his name. If this situation progresses to that level, the damage is definitely already done.
I’m surprised that they’ve reacted in this way for this matter. It must be some prominent or wealthy person’s child as happened at Saltus recently. When I attempted to take my concerns to the school, they were spun in such a way by certain teachers that if I did not know better I would have thought I was the villian. Hearing other stories, I know I’m not alone. Teachers should set a proper example. A single sex school is not intended to alienate the young girls from positive male influences. I agree that the teacher’s alleged conduct was inappropriate, but I disagree that they shouldn’t have male teachers at this school as a result. There needs to be a healthy balance.
As someone who knows what is going on, you are way off base with your first two sentences. They are so far from the truth you would be surprised. Can’t say anymore, but just wanted to stop those thoughts from grabbing hold.
Why on earth would anyone but the other chaperones have the teacher’s private telephone number??? I am in no way trying to shift the blame away from the adult here, but the first alarm bell would be the teacher giving his number out. Even if on a school trip- or maybe especially on one!!! I thought the idea was to have the students well enough supervised that there wouldn’t BE a situation in which the teacher would have to be contacted BY A STUDENT!!! Maybe I went to school in the Dark Ages, but we never EVER had access to our teachers’ personal information, nor would they have offered it. If they ever did, they KNEW someone would find them out!
Agreed about minors not being the responsible party, but think on this for just a moment- I am a Bermy woman, so maybe it’s easier for me to say- but honestly- what’s a male teacher supposed to do- say to their principal that ‘Student Smith was coming on to me today and I am uncomfortable’ just so the student- who may already be sexually active and very much aware of the Power of the Pretty Girl- can deny and twist the teacher’s alert to her own allegation of being hit on by a pervy male teacher??? Who would be believed in this situation- the teacher or the girl? You know the adult would be the one castigated here, even if completely innocent. There’s just no way for a man to be safe in the profession of teaching today, a profession that so sorely needs more men. And, though I am in TOTAL agreement in this case, that the teacher should be dealt with, let us not let our girls off the hook, either. Provoking sexually-related behaviours is not ladylike, not age-appropriate, and WE are the PARENTS who have raised these girls. If the young girl was boasting to her 14-year-old friend, then that’s wrong and warrants some action as well. We’re ALL part of this problem, parents and teachers alike.
We must raise our girls to be GIRLS first, THEN women. Or- I stand corrected- raise them as LADIES. Still, it’s not their fault if they aren’t taught better, so I’m still not blaming the child.
I feel you….oops no pun intended!
A male teacher being hit on by a student should definitely inform the principal, who should then inform the student’s parents. That type of behaviour is unacceptable. I disagree that the teacher will always be assumed to be the guilty party.
I agree fully with your comment “Fed Up Bermudian” and I’m so glad SOME people actually have common sense and can see both sides. He wasn’t texting himself.
I believe it said in the article that the texting started on a trip overseas making it so that the teacher could not inform the principle of the school. This, however i still no excuse for the teachers actions.
However, having attended a school trip myself the teachers numbers are given out on an emergency contact sheet for parents. The student could have EASILY taken it from there and started texting the teacher. Don’t make the teacher out for worse that he has already be made to be.
This student was not unaware of her actions, any person who is willing to joke around an be funny and think about the consequences later is not a lady. She’s an immature child. Yes, the teacher was immature also.
But lets not forget that she was also involved. Its not 100% the teacher.
Probabley because Bernews has not retained the Saul Froomkin. Those cigars cost 300,000 dollars a peece………
I AMAZED THAT THIS MADE THE NEWS!!…Normally the picket fenced schools would have swept this under the carpet and went along with normal business….but in this electronic age, NOTHING can be swept under the rug.
It’s good that the Bermuda public has been made aware of this teacher.
And that why your a “GPS”. Rely on technoligy, it fails. Basics have been relied upon for ……since the begining of time.
Your last sentence reminds me of the verdict….”yeah, it was a white and black man”……………………………………
Screw it. Guess I’ll have to tear down my picket fence. Sad………………
Quite frankly i am offended by this statement. That is completley uncalled for. Bermuda High School is an astounding school who does not simp-ly “sweep this under the carpet”. Do not judge before you expirience. I can tell you that Students and Parents were informed immediatly and then the gossip started.
And the Bermudian public did not NEED to be made aware of this teacher becuase he is not a sexual predator as the newspapers have all ASSUMED. “inappropriate” is a lax word. Your comment is “inappropriate” but that dosent mean it was sexual. It could have been offensive for heaven sakes, it was most likely a crass joke at the most. So stop with your uneducated barbaric ridiculous comments becuase it does hurt!
The Bermuda public may not have needed to be made aware of this matter but the fact is that WE HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE. The story is front page news, so of course people are going to comment and have opinions. If you can’t handle that then I suggest you avoid reading the comments section.
Also, from what I’ve gathered from your own comment, you don’t have all the facts either. So perhaps you should also refrain from making assumptions about the situation until all the facts are known. It goes both ways.
BHS STUDENT, it’s obvious that you typed your comment while your emotions ran high, but I do hope that you do know the correct spelling for EXPERIENCE and IMMEDIATELY.
I’ll have to agree with Cayden on this one.
MSA, W.A, WHITNEY and numerous schools have similar and worse issues so GROW UP YOU PATHETIC PERSON
um dont yuou think you could be a biut nicer?
KAY BYE.
i think you should try it.
its funnn.
In Bermuda it’s called but denied as the “Young and the Restless syndrome”.
It’s a reflection of a small town ( Bermuda) and the status of some.
Years ago, I did watch it as I could relate to everyday occurrences that surrounded me.
I imagine Victor is still alive and in control. There you have it in a nut shell. Control.
Anyway, since I don’t watch television except the NBC news which I know reports what I read in the paper at 4.30am….damn forgot what I was trying to make a point of. Oh yeah!!!..Young and the restless, haven’t watched it in 15 years but see it everyday.
Then again, it gives all the office workers and aliens an excuse to vent here and there.
Wonder what ‘Scoobles’ will call his/her child when they present them with their ‘House Talk’ EyePoD next summer…………………………
Sure as hell won’t be “Accountabilty”. No such word………………………
You really know how to kill a good discussion.
So now the guy is a pedophile?? Really listen to all of you, he’s been hung drawn and quartered before anyone knows all the facts. Ask yourself what you know about the case and what you don’t know before passing judgement!
Why is this anyone’s business beside the school, the teacher, the student and her parents at this stage and possibly the police? Some how by sending ‘an inappropriate text’ (that’s the only fact related to the relationship between the two people in question that we are certain of at this stage) he is guilty of having had unlawful carnal knowledge, inappropriate physical and emotional relations with the girl and is no longer fit to live on this earth according to many commentators on this site!
Here in lies one of the biggest problems with this so called civil society we live in the middle of Atlantic Island – too quick to judge, make assumptions and denigrate people before you know the facts – especially ex-pats.
This type of incident has happened many times before on this Island and people’s lives and their families have been severely negatively affected in the long term because of it! Time to stop this madness – if he is guilty of anything then the Police and the courts should determine it not the lynch mob that appears to have formed on this site!
Bernews I would have thought you would have been a little more prudent in allowing libelous posts on this site. I would encourage you to review the posts a little more closely. Posters describing the individual as a pedophile, as guilty worthy of hanging, of cutting his genitalia off etc. is libelous at worst and very distasteful at best!
Actually, if you use the page search function in your browser for the term ‘Pedo’ you will see no one has actually called him a pedophile. It appears around a dozen times [two of them yours] however all the usages of the word are in relation to determination and conversational, and are not accusations.
mmmmm….They all appear to be well liked and respectable. I went to whitney when rumors spread between 1992-1994 about a teacher. He was never caught……..I was also there when the other teacher at Whitney was charged and this was revealed years after I graduated. It’s been happening for decades. Parents talk to your girls otherwise Hi-Tech moments WILL. Heavy Price to pay eh?
typo in regards to the above….……..The other teacher that was charged at Whitney was revealed years after I graduated when rumors circulated during the time I attended.
Do you know why??..there was no concrete evidence as cell phones, pagers, laptops, etc. where not as materialistic as they are in these times.
FIRST – I’m sure none of you pathetic excuses of human beings commenting know the man personally or even know a thing about BHS. You are all disgusting with the filth that is coming out of your mouth. NONE OF YOU KNOW WHAT ANY OF THE MESSAGES SAY OR WHAT EVEN HAPPENED NOR DO YOU KNOW THE TWO INVOLVED, so why are you commenting? Are you bored?
Anyone knows that Mr.[edited] is an amazing teacher and an amazing individual who contributed and I know will continue to contribute to society in a helpful way. He has helped and lead many charity events and takes alot of pride in his running. HE HAS 2 SMALL BOYS who he loves to death… he is not a pedophile or anything close.
Inappropriate text messages are wrong, however we do not know the extent of it and it is unfair to hound someone when his life is now changed forever. It is enough to talk about him but NONE of you realise how much this affects his CHILDREN and his WIFE and FAMILY so GET A LIFE AND GET OFF THIS PAGE and get on with your lives.
ALSO start blaming the girl AS WELL as it’s said that her grade planned this all. IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO. Age doesn’t matter – I know that she is old enough to know what she was doing.
Don’t bother replying to this because I won’t answer. I have a life but I will always like Mr.Lewis as a teacher and person. No one deserves to have their life on blast like this. SHE IS JUST AS MUCH IN THE WRONG AND IF SOME OF YOU DISGUSTING PEOPLE MAKE COMMENTS LIKE HIS GENITALS SHOULD BE REMOVED, WELL HERS SHOULD BE TOO THEN. She will have no consequences – he will and that is the saddest part.
GROW UP and leave him alone. He deserves privacy like everyone else so he can deal with this on his own.
Your principal saw the text messages after the students friend informed her parent, who informed the victims parents. Your principal then determined that he should be fired and informed the police. I’m sure your principal inform your school board of what happened before he was fired. What would your parents have done?
Thank goodness for people like you. Seriously. You made the students of BHS really happy with this post, thank you ^^
@ Me. Well said.
Futhermore, his name and photo should not have been on the front page of the news today either. If he is proven innocent, nobody will remember that bit; the damage is already done. I think I know the group of girls involved and they may have planned this in part, without understanding the consequences. Of course, it goes without saying that he should never have replied to any text … but who is to say that they did not get hold of his phone, while on a school trip and typed the texts themselves … teenage girls are cruel.
How many black males have been wrongfully accused and served time in prison for something they never did? He should have known better because he is the adult. It’s just unfortunate that he is a married man with children and didn’t use his better judgment. He is not the first man who has made a mistake and I’m certain he won’t be the last.
Oh really? Do you know exactly what the facts of the case are then? Because none of the rest of us do.
INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY!
@ ME……..Computer before ‘punch out’. This is nothing. I feel sorry for the children in arms and those that are older and need support.
Everyone has a birth certificate right ( except the President of The United States of America) .
Like they say…QFF….no relation too KFC but it will still lead you to the place where you will and must be releived…………………Damn…must have missed April Fools Day……..
IF YOU ARE COMMENTING AND BEING RUDE OR ONE-SIDED THEN YOU CLEARLY DO NOT KNOW THE MAN AND SHOULD NOT EVEN BE ON THIS PAGE… INSTEAD YOU SHOULD BE OUT FINDING A JOB OR PAYING YOUR CHILD SUPPORT… WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO AND MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
Teacher – If you read this, you’re still an amazing teacher and just because a mistake was made, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. Ignore everyone and deal with this yourself.
Your school should arrange councilling for students that are struggling with this matter. Please talk to the guidance councillor or your parents.
Students are struggling with the fact that people are coming to very nasty judgements about this man’s character without knowing the full truth.
i do know the man personally… he is not as good/sane as you would like to think.
SAHUT UP YOU HATER.
yeahh? thanks so shushh. 
HES NICE TO HIS STUDENTS. AND HE IS A GOOD TERACHER.
SO CLEARLY YOU *DONT* KNOW HIM.
Yet not a soul will pen their names. Reality is what it is. Sad really. The individual has been hung, drawn and quartered. Once again, assumption….
Opinions are like work places and homes………………………..home alone.
i went to bhs for nine years and in year 11 the person in question was my home room teacher.
he was always very nice and friendly. i can’t even believe that something like this would happen. but then again we’re only getting half the story. we don’t know his side. just because she was 14 or 15 doesn’t really mean anything. girls these days are growing up way too fast anyway. the question is why would they even exchange numbers in the first place? clearly something isn’t adding up here…
Some of the comments have sickened me.
The teacher is not a sexual predator. Please understand that the messages were deemded “inappropriate” but there is a variety of things this could touch on. Some have jumped to hasty conclusions that this was sexual when there is no confirmation of this. The teacher is phenemonal and a great motivator for students.
The comments here are absolutely disgusting, nowhere does it say what “innapropriate” meant in this context. You are all jumping to COMPLETELY unfounded conclusions and it is extremely out of order. Anyone calling this man a paedophile or anything along those lines is an idiot, seeking out drama with no proof at all. As a student at the school, while not justifying the sending of text messages between staff and students am certain that it was nothing sexual or was completely taken out of context.
“So now the guy is a pedophile?? Really listen to all of you, he’s been hung drawn and quartered before anyone knows all the facts. Ask yourself what you know about the case and what you don’t know before passing judgement!
Why is this anyone’s business beside the school, the teacher, the student and her parents at this stage and possibly the police? Some how by sending ‘an inappropriate text’ (that’s the only fact related to the relationship between the two people in question that we are certain of at this stage) he is guilty of having had unlawful carnal knowledge, inappropriate physical and emotional relations with the girl and is no longer fit to live on this earth according to many commentators on this site!
Here in lies one of the biggest problems with this so called civil society we live in the middle of Atlantic Island – too quick to judge, make assumptions and denigrate people before you know the facts – especially ex-pats.
This type of incident has happened many times before on this Island and people’s lives and their families have been severely negatively affected in the long term because of it! Time to stop this madness – if he is guilty of anything then the Police and the courts should determine it not the lynch mob that appears to have formed on this site!
Bernews I would have thought you would have been a little more prudent in allowing libelous posts on this site. I would encourage you to review the posts a little more closely. Posters describing the individual as a pedophile, as guilty worthy of hanging, of cutting his genitalia off etc. is libelous at worst and very distasteful at best!”
THIS IS THE BEST COMMENT IVE SEEN HERE
I have to agree with “Me” and the substance of that post. Without knowing EXACTLY what was said and the context in which it arose all we have to go on is someone else’s interpretation of what is or is not “inappropriate”. What does that mean? Does it necessarily equate with something “sexual”? Everyone seems to have assumed that it does.
Thank you Smoking Saul…….
Stop condemning him like this! You don’t even know him, and you’re throwing cruel statements around, making it seem like he’s some kind of sick predator. Honestly, there aren’t enough facts available to the public for these kinds of judgements to be made.
This teacher is one of the most caring people I know, and he has affected almost all the students’ lives’ at BHS positively and right now all these hurtful comments about this man are hurting the students, and simply put, pissing us all off.
Knowing him, he is probably in a very difficult place right now, and I hope he never has to see any of this. He is a good man, and will always be to the students.
So just…stop. Let this case be properly investigated, and keep your unnescessary, poisonous opinions to yourself. Once it’s all been published, and both sides have been thouroughly stated and properly justified, make your judgements..don’t be ignoranuses.
we all know that BHS likes to put things out of perspective with the “inappropriate” things that go on within the school especially the student body.
for example: boys were def not “ejaculating on the dancefloor” at the semiformal years ago, young preteens were only dancing and the grinding was seen as “too dirty”; .. THAT was blown waaaayyyy out of proportion by the BHS faculty… NOW look at what PROBBBBBABLY has been blown out of proportion i.e front page of the newspaper with picture & life story.
So don’t come to assume that it was as bad as it could have been & starting rumors. He was a great teacher loved by ALL of the students at BHS… he was one of the most popular teachers at BHS throughout the 13 years that i attended BHS.and considering most of you dont even know him I suggest you learn your facts first about the situation before you voice a rude & obnoxious opinion. Thanks.
You should be ashamed of yourself saying that you are a former BHS student. Obviously you have no pride in your school because you just denigrated it and spread malicious stories for the public to see. Nobody needs to know those things. If they were dealt with inappropriately by the school administration, there are ways to complain about that. If they weren’t told to the school administration, you should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up for what is right. You have voiced “rude and obnoxious” things yourself so you are just like everyone else that you complained about. I am ashamed to think that you are an “Old Girl” like me and others.
Old Girl you are doing a wonderful job defending your old school, but please allow people who don’t think like you to share their honest opinions. Just because you have reason to think highly of the school, does not mean that every other student who attended or attends that school has to share the same sentiment. I agree with former BHS student’s comment that those responsible for handling complaints at that school sometimes put things out of perspective. The former student should feel no shame for sharing her opinion. I am interested in knowing what the former BHS student had to say, so your statement that “Nobody needs to know those things” is incorrect. Sometimes complaints to the school administration are NOT handled appropriately.
…ask yourself, why was he such a popular teacher?
why was he popular? Maybe because he was a good teacher
Maybe it was because he would take some students out to coffee instead of teaching them in class.,
It is very disturbing that most are jumping to assumptions weather it was sexual etc as for as the contact. I really could care less of what actions may have taken place and who initiated what. All we need to no is that the principal has reviewed the text messages which were deem unappropiate and an invesigation has been launched. It that not clear enough.?????? I assume a principal would not fire someone merely over heresay or allegations without some type of evidence. End of story. he was wrong and if you all dont see that then you belong with him. POINT BLANK PERIOD.
First let me start by saying I am amazed by all the “mind readers” that we have on the island..wow! without it even being announced the majority seem to think that “inappropriate” means that the contact or texting was that of a sexual nature..I think that it is grossly unfair that another news source chose to post his face and blast it all over the front page (irresponsible reporting at it’s best)…he has not even been arrested as it is cleary stated that inquiries are underway as a report had been received by Police no where does it state that he has been arrested, we have no facts but yet he is already being “tried” by the jury (public) and about to be “hung!”..I have never worked with him but I have had the pleasure of meeting him and his family and have cared for his children after school and during school breaks.. he has an awesome personality and is a real family man…I look at all the people posting and SMH..we have ALL sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God and let he who is without sin cast the first stone…..
LOL original @ Can you handle this. I respect that you and clearly many others have a personal relationship with this man. I also respect that he was a great teacher, likeable person etc. None of this am i disputing as i do not know him. Neither of us no what took place. What i am merely saying is that i highly doubt a principal will fire a teacher over nothing or something petty as what most post are attempting to elude too. Are you calling the principal a liar then???? Reading the article says texts message(s) – (more then 1) was exchanged between the parties. the principal clearly felt that type of exchange between a student and teacher is wrong regardless of (these assumptions posted on bernews). I am not saying he should be jailed etc as the investigation into what transpired continues but it was obviously something deemed inappropiate by BHS standards that got him Fired correct?
@ SMDH I Never said whatever contact made was not inappropriate what I did say was that people were assuming that it was of a “sexual nature” and we don’t know this……
That would be a good point… if you knew everything about BHS. Not only do you not know this man, but you do not know the school either. BHS is known for their high prestige and to take small things and make them bigger than what is necessary. BHS standards are so high that these messages may have been something which could have been on the fence, but because they hold on to their reputation so tightly, they fired him no matter what even without a full investigation – parents influence the school a great deal – so don’t be so quick to judge. not only do you not know the man, you do not know BHS, or the principal herself. I do not know this man personally, but I do know the school very well. They will take something so small and make it into an unnecessary problem so the answer to your question is NO… the messages might not have been ‘fire him’ material. I have no idea what the messages said, but neither do you. They may have been inappropriate but maybe not to this extent, where to publicly ruin his life. I’m just clarifying that your argument is not so great because you’re making assumptions about the school itself, so seeing as you don’t know him and clearly you know nothing about BHS, take your troubles somewhere else.
@ unknown not sure if your comment was directed at me..because for one I do know the gentleman and his family personally and two I went to BHS as did my sisters and my two nieces are currently enrolled there. I also have a nephew and a Godson at MSA so I do know how Private institutions operate..Nowhere in my post did I make an assumption about the school..Clearly you can see from other posted comments that people are saying that inappropriate texting does not necessarily equate to sexual misconduct…However irresponsible news reporting has elluded to that fact..There are ALWAYS more than two sides to a story……
How did I get into you comment above SMDH I never said I know this guy.
LOL
as if finding out his picture and lifestory was published on the net for the public to identify him as an immediate sexual predator…wasn’t enough…i have been exposed to disgusting posts which were completely irrelevant one and assumptions that prove to be lacking any evidence is very emotionally disturbing to me and the rest of the many students who have been taught by him…some u people seem to be oblivious to what the family of the teacher and his friends may be feeling right now…having known for a couple of years now…he is the last person i would suspect…but i must say he does like to kid around but never (for as much as i know) have intentionally wanted to hurt anyone…it may be otherwise but until we find the evidence and both sides of the story it is disappointing to me that the public is jumping to conclusions about this individual and rumors (easily spread) are going to affect his reputation…he is a hard-worker and takes pride in teaching…all of us bhs students love him…
sincerely,
former student of said teacher..
How is it emotionally disturbing to you? WTF? I never give this much of a damn about a teacher. What’s really going on at BHS?
I have no idea what you are trying to say about BHS. The reason as to why we give a damn because teachers at BHS are passionate and care about their students. This man was a dedicated teacher and I respected him very much. Just because we care about our teachers doesnt mean anything is happening at BHS, so don’t disrespect my school. And the last I have seen, most BHS students go on to universities after they graduate and that is because we have a great teaching staff behind us students.
Must suck to be you, that you didn’t have great role models in your teachers.
I had several when I was in school, some of whom I’m still very good friends with.
If, when I was a child (unformed and all the other stuff you said about kids that age) of 15-16 and I had to listen to people like you accuse one of them of the horrible things that you have, calling someone that (in your eyes) defended “such behaviour” (even though they didn’t) “a kiddie lover”, I’d find it pretty emotionally disturbing.
Just checking something:
Just because you didn’t connect with your teachers when you were in school, does that make it ok with you to spread REALLY vile innuendo like, “What’s really going on at BHS?”
Seriously?
Yup there she goes again jumping the gun and reading into what is being said with her spin on it. This is not poetry class this is a discussion hold your thought to what is being said and not what you think is being said granted this is a chat/typing form and things can be misinterpreted based on not seeing the expressions and body language of the person responding.
LOL
yeah like elvis and othres, i find it a bit sad that you ddnt have a strong favorite teacher at your school.. either from lack of caring, not paying attention, or whatever..
i had a couple ones i stil remember. some were harsh as hell on us, and some treated you almost as a peer within academic boundaries… theyve each had their own positive influences on me and i would be shocked and defensive if i heard things about them too.
150 comments for a teacher sending an “inappropriate” text when we do not know what this means. Surely Bermuda has enough issues that should provoke this level of outrage/comment; the young men killing each other, the loss of jobs, the prevalence of sexual abuse, the drunk driving…. need I go on? We should be complaining and commenting on the real issues in Bermuda
Quite rightly he was sacked for professional misconduct, but as far as we know, he has done nothing illegel
wow one of a few ppl with a brain. it was very plesent to read this comment.
The comments about violence and someone being shot are just as long.
Nicole, I know, but just wanted to get a bit of perspective here.
Given the publicity and condemnation this teacher has really only got one thing that be can do at his stage to save the remnants of his reputation. That is to make a public statement about the circumstances surrounding his dismissal and disclose exactly what was in these so-called text messages. If he does it now, then people will still be paying attention.
Has anyone considered the fact that these girls may have framed him?
Unfortunately the current BHS administration has a tendency to over-react (to say the least). And when they do act they don’t necessarily target the right person. Since we don’t know what the messages in question were there’s no way the public can draw any sort of conclusions about what really happened.
Given that the current administration has a tendency to over react and then sort out the facts later (and they’ve been known to punish the wrong person as well) we’ll never know what happened here. Absent the actual texts all people can do is guess as to what they contained, who started things, and so forth.
I still can’t believe other media posted his name and picture. That’s so irresponsible.
I have to say not all teachers at BHS are passionate like concerned has said. If you are not top of the class they offer very little help. BHS need to focus on helping those that need help. It sad that they have lost one of the top teachers they had!
The best teachers are the ones who are not afraid to go outside the institutional walls and enter the lives of their students on a level that can have a meaningful impact on the life of the student. We’ve all had teachers like that, and they are likely the ones we remember fondly.
The most impactful teachers in my life treated me as though I had a level of maturity beyond my years. Were there “inappropriate” discussions? Most certainly there were discussions of a mature nature I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable having with my parents. They were adult-to-adult conversations and an important developmental milestone. Were they sexual in nature? Not really. Could they potentially put the teacher at risk? Likely. For example, one teacher, with whom I was close, would make comments and have discussions about my relationship with my then-girlfriend. These exchanges were often rather frank, but his interest was not sexual; his interest was in making sure I understood the consequences of unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. Back then, there was no text messaging, but if there had been, I’m sure any record of the exchanges would be deemed “inappropriate” by some standard.
I, for one, am prepared to give this teacher the benefit of the doubt before jumping to conclusions about the nature of his “inappropriate” conduct. I hope the school is not over-reacting, but without seeing the texts, I can’t make a reasonable judgement.
…just throwing this out there…
remember when that bermudian sailboat got caught in winter by US coast guard from dominican republic, loaded iwth drugs??
remember when another bermudian sailboat left dominican around the same day, but then went missing for multiple months, turning down assistance on multiple occasions?
remember a lot of people saying (the obvious) that that boat probably had drugs on it, and hten another part of the community heckling t hem that they “dont know the truth, innocent till proven guilty, etc”?
and then, as many expected, they rolled in and got busted iwth drugs??
sometimes these things are as simple as reported.
I guess you didn’t get the whole story..because the gentleman that where missing at sea when they “rolled” in they did not have any drugs on THEIR boat..they have just been charged with Conspitacy….so sometimes things are NOT as simple as reported….more than two sides to a story..HIS HERS and the TRUTH…There’s more to this story than meets the eye…as reported her family are not willing to press charges nor are they willing to give the phone to the police so that they can see the text messages…
Students are struggling with the fact that people are coming to very nasty judgements about this man’s character without knowing the full truth.
I am yet another former BHS student having graduated a few years ago.
I find it extremely difficult to read all these horrific statements about the teacher. He’s an inherently kind-hearted man who always went out of his way to treat his students as adults. I know that makes it seem as if he wasn’t treating these girls in an inappropriate fashion but he was no more inappropriate than any other teacher. I worked with him at City Hall on some of the shows that he performed in and even in an out of school setting, he was cognisant of the fact that the people he was interacting with were people who had to respect him as a teacher the next day. Admittedly, sometimes he tread the line finer than one would expect but his interaction and ability to know his students beyond the classroom are what makes him the loved and inspiring teacher he is.
Due to the fact that he enjoyed being involved in our lives, jokes often transpired and, admittedly, occasionally they were mildly inappropriate – on both sides. Some of the jokes which I made during this out of school time to teachers were things which, if said during class, would have surely ended me up in detention or worse but because they were said in a familiar environment were indeed humorous. Clearly this time, he just tread on the wrong side of the line. A mistake, yes, but one which I feel should not have caused this storm of bile directed at him.
I’m not going to go ahead and blame the girl who text him, but I am going to say that, having been in this environment, there are girls at BHS who are devotees of anything that is male and in a position of authority.
In addition, I don’t think it’s entirely inappropriate for students and teachers to text. I, for one, had several of my teachers’ phone numbers in the last few years of high school and when necessary would text them. The fact that these teachers have a willingness to be available to their students even outside work hours is a testament to how much they care. Clearly, this is just an example of it being taken too far. In this informative age of social networking sites like Facebook which places students and teachers within a simple “message” or “poke” from each other, the lines between student and friend get blurred far too easily for both the students and the teachers. This can often lead to positive experiences and moments for both parties but sometimes leads to unfortunate incidents like this one.
Mr.(blank) is a great teacher and teaches through fun. All of you who think he should go to jail – I disapprove. Who ever said this was sexual and if the girl was 14, she should have known better!
Mr.(blank), if by the odd chance you read this comment, please remember all of your BHS students and the that the feeling of you gone will impact most-if not all- of us dearly.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
*THANKK YOUUUUU.*
YOU MADE MY NIGHTTT.
For this individual to be fired without notice, he must have been way out of line. I am sure a thorough investigation was made by the school from the text and from the Childs testimony.
For people saying that this is the girls fault… You are wrong.
As a young teenager, we are all naive and we all feel flattered just knowing that someone likes us or thinks highly of us. For her, she did not know of the consequences that would arise from such a situation, but for him, consequences would and SHOULD have been his main focus. He was the adult in this predicament and should have known better than to send ‘inappropriate’ messages (no matter how extreme they may have been) to such a young student. Almost 20 years younger.
It is normal for us to react and say that this is her fault, but maturity wise, it was his. I am aware that this teacher did have his ‘special’ group of students out of a bunch and that often he made comments/jokes that were not always appropriate. It’s just too bad he went this far.
He was a teacher and should not have had such interest in his student. He also should not have any reason to obtain her number because at BHS we do not give our cell phone numbers out on school trip forms.
I feel for this girl and also for all the pain she will endure from students who attend school with her and who do not have the maturity level to understAnd such a situation. Her year is quite a rowdy bunch themselves.
Okay listen,
like really. you people need to stop blaming it all on him. because its not just his fault.
i understand that most people would be like oh yeah hes a pedo and what not, but umm.. JUST BECAUSE he’s the adult doesn’t mean it was all his fault. It takes TWO to have a conversation like this. So maybe before everybody starts jumping to conclusions they should know the whole story and know what these messages said. because im PRETTY sure this is ruining a relationship with him and his wife, and kids.. and i understand that teachers shouldn’t even be texting a student in the first place, but once again it’s not just his fault. The “student” he was messaging was replying, she could have chose not to reply and tell someone. MAYBE an adult. :\ and.. how would he have gotten her number? because im pretty sure the toothfairy didn’t give it to him.
everyone makes mistakes. GROW UP AND GET OVER IT.
Mr.(blank) we will miss you a lot and we know it’s not all your fault.
This is a young innocent young lady falling prey to a guilty middle aged man whom was in a position of authority. He knew exactly what he was doing, whereas the young child had no idea.
To rob, ur words “falling prey” just sum up whats wrong with people like you, gossip, slander and all the other bs that happens in bda… You have NO idea what you are talking about so keep your bigoted opinions to yourself. And she was 15, not that it makes much differnce i admit. That poor guy has been through the mixer and his life is screwed and what really do you know or care? You make me sick with ur assumptions, u r probably a sad lonely man who could only dream of the incredible support that mr lewis is getting
mr (blank) was a great teacher and i feel so dreadful for everything that happened
obviously he was under a lot of stress or some sort of problems that made him text the student, however no one actually knows what the texts say
mr (blank) is a great man and i’m so sorry for everything he is going through.
dear rob, she wasn’t a “young child” she is 14
if you do not know the teacher do not jump to conclusions, he was a very good man.
This is totally and utterly ridiculous. I agree with all the BHS students. I am a BHS student, and i just so happen to have had Mr. (Blank) as a teacher. You don’t know him, or ANYTHING about him, so how dare you be able to comment on something that you obviously know NOTHING about? I don’t think you realize.. he has a family. How do you think this makes them feel? For you to totally and utterly humilate him you’re humilating THEM too. I’m prouder than ever to say that I have had the oppourtunity to have him as a teacher, and unless you know him.. why don’t you spend your time doing something else rather than rambling on about someone/something that you don’t know anything about. I have total respect for him. This makes me so mad, and I am extremely embarrassed to call myself a “Bermudian”.. you know.. those people who take things totally out of propotion and ruin peoples lives?!
I am going to be pulling my daughter out of BHS as soon as the year ends. I will not have my children around unproffessional teaching staff in which BHS has represented.
You’re an idiot. To pull someone out of a first class education because of rumoured inappropriateness? Where the accused is no longer working at the institution? Way to ruin your daughter’s education.