Rant: L.A. Teacher Charged with Lewd Acts on 23 Children

Warning: This story is sickening.

Excerpt from the latimes:

A teacher who taught for three decades at Miramonte Elementary School in South L.A. has been arrested and charged with lewd acts on 23 children for allegedly tying them up, placing giant cockroaches on their faces and possibly feeding them his semen from a spoon.

Mark Berndt, 61, was taken into custody Monday after a nearly yearlong investigation by the L.A. County sheriff’s special victims unit that began when a photo processor turned over pictures of some of the alleged acts to authorities.

Capt. Mike Parker of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said the victims identified so far are 23 boys and girls aged 7 to 10 who had contact with Berndt between 2008 and 2010.

Are you kidding me? Feeding them his own semen? I’ve heard so many sick stories that it’s hard to be shocked by anything anymore, but this is truly shocking. How did no one know what was going on? It just amazes me that things like this can take place and no one seems to notice. According to the story, this was going on between 2008 and 2010. For two years this sick, evil person was torturing children and no one knew. And, it probably was going on longer than that, considering he taught for three decades.

It seems like we are hearing stories similar to this one more and more now. A person that kids are supposed to be able to trust. Heck, a person that parents are supposed to be able to trust. He was a teacher! If you can’t trust your teacher, who can you trust? First it started with not taking your kids trick-or-treating anymore because you couldn’t trust the people handing out the candy. Are parents now supposed to home school their children and only let them play in the backyard?

How bad does it have to get before people start noticing and taking action before it’s too late. It’s just so bizarre to me that people like, Berndt and Sandusky can be abusing children for years and no one notices. Or they do notice but they don’t do anything to stop it! How on earth could you not stop it? Just think of how these poor children must feel; just think about how much this has messed up their life.

Something needs to be done about this. I don’t know what the answer is, but I do know there is a solution out there. Sadly, whatever the solution is, it will not stop it completely. However, it can be greatly reduced; we can protect children in the future from sick individuals like Berndt.

No child should have to go through such abuse.

We pray for the victims.