By Cindy Kranz
and Marie McCain
The Cincinnati Enquirer

BATAVIA TWP. - A culture of silence fostered a climate that contributed to teacher sex scandals at Amelia High School, West Clermont Superintendent Michael Ward said Thursday - one day after the fourth Amelia schools employee in less than a year was indicted on a charge of sexual misconduct.

A Clermont County prosecutor said much of the pain could have been avoided if people had come forward sooner.

"We know the vast majority of teachers are doing a great job, enduring low pay to do a difficult job and it's unfortunate that they - like Catholic priests - will be tarred with a broad brush," said Assistant Prosecutor Woody Breyer.

"But had some teachers and administrators (at Amelia) been more proactive and more consistent, then the school would not have suffered this black eye."

Eric Fouss, a 27-year-old algebra teacher, was indicted Wednesday on four counts of sexual battery with a then-17-year-old girl during the 1998-99 school year. He was placed on paid leave.

Three other staffers - two teachers and an administrative assistant - have been found guilty of sexual misconduct since May and are no longer with the district. All incidents occurred between 1996-99.

Ward assured parents that the school district is safe.

"At the present time, we know of no other people in our school system who are engaged in this kind of activity," Ward said. "This has, if anything, had a chilling effect on anything that might go on."

Asked if Amelia High School was purged of suspect teachers, Breyer said Thursday: "Never say never. I think they're on top of it. Those things have been lurking in the cards for a year. If anything else crops up, it crops up. We're willing to listen to whatever calls we get. ... I just hope that more teachers out there are using good judgment."

For years, rumors about improper student-teacher relationships have circulated, but were not reported by staff, Ward said. All that has changed as Ward, who became superintendent in 1999, and the Clermont County Sheriff's Office doggedly pursue every rumor.

"This culture of silence is something we have to deal with, and we're dealing with it," Ward said. "It takes a lot of time to investigate these rumors. ... The difficulty has been in getting somebody to step up to provide evidence to prosecute."

Last year, the district had the county prosecutor's office speak to the Amelia and Glen Este High School staffs about their legal responsibility to report suspected child abuse and endangerment.

"When there's a rumor, we need to turn that rumor over," Ward said. Now, every rumor is referred to the sheriff's department or social services.

One by one, the West Clermont district is trying to purge Amelia High School of these teachers. "They don't belong in our school system," Ward said.

He also recognized the victims and called them "brave young women" for cooperating with the investigation.

Jim Rudy, an Amelia High School teacher and president of the West Clermont Education Association, said if teachers didn't report these incidents, it's because they didn't know about them.

"They heard rumors, but they didn't have any solid evidence about this. I can safely say if anybody did have solid evidence, they would be counseled to immediately go to the police."

If teachers are asked to report every rumor, Rudy said, he'd be worried about a witch hunt.

"We have to approach it the right way. Certainly, we have to do what we're legally, morally and ethically obligated to do," Rudy said.

The incidents at Amelia High School are not isolated, the county prosecutor said.

"You can't necessarily distinguish Amelia as the only school where this has happened," Breyer said. "We have probably prosecuted a teacher from every high school in the county since 1988. I don't think there is a high school out there without this problem."

He added that investigators turned their attention to Amelia High School because of allegations against former English teacher Jeffrey Sears. Sears is serving a three-year prison sentence for having sex with two students during the 1997-98 school year.

As authorities delved deeper into the accusations against Sears, additional claims surfaced against other Amelia employees. "If we used the same resources we used at Amelia on other schools, I'm sure we would find similar situations," Breyer added.

Amelia High School, which has 1,300 students, has made headlines in the past several years, but students are frustrated because it's usually bad news. In October 2000, the high school was the site of a racially charged fight between white and African-American students. Amelia Principal Sarah Beam retired in December, a mid-year resignation that caused some upheaval.

In the latest case, Laura Siegman, a 15-year-old Amelia High School freshman from Pierce Township, knew Fouss because he helped teach her eighth-grade algebra class at Amelia Middle School.

"He seemed really nice," she said. "He was a really, really good teacher." She said she could hardly believe it when he was indicted.

"It's made us look really bad," she said. "Some of the good things we do don't get to the news. They just think all of the bad things because of these teachers."

West Clermont made national news last fall when it became the first suburban school district to redesign all of its high schools into a small-school concept.

Ward doesn't think the teacher sex scandal will affect the small schools or enrollment at Amelia High School.

The district has been working with Child Focus, a social services agency in Clermont County, to develop programs to educate students, teachers and parents about appropriate teacher-student relationships.

Ward acknowledged that the district's and Amelia High School's images are damaged. "Absolutely, we're worried about a crisis of confidence," he said.

But the district's aggressive pursuit of the four staffers has won Breyer over.

"I have a higher opinion of West Clermont schools now than I did five years ago, before Mike (Ward)," Breyer said. "Five years ago, I would have thought twice about sending my child to West Clermont. I'd have said they weren't concerned with the well-being of my child. Now I know they have the best interests of the children."

West Clermont students, teachers and parents can call the "School Safety Hot Line," an anonymous toll-free number, to report anything unsafe or illegal in the schools. The number is (800) 418-6423, ext. 359.

E-mail ckranz@enquirer.com and mmccain@enquirer.com.