The recent charges of a brutal rape allegedly by two illegal aliens, one of which is an adult, in Rockville, Maryland has ignited a national and local debate on many issues we face in our society. The issues surrounding this case bring forth a myriad of questions and concerns by many in our community; regardless of any assumed ideological intent, they are nonetheless valid and deserve attention. It is constitutionally unseemly, and indeed a violation of a sacred trust, that others among our elected body of government have determined the concerns of their constituents are not worthy to be heard.
Tuesday night’s vote to not have the issues heard and discussed by Loudoun County School Board is an incredible disappointment and stain on this elected body and indeed for Loudoun County. Our constituents deserve better – and for those who will listen, they are demanding better. It was suggested to me that this should be run through committee but by doing so, it will take months for a public conversation to occur; if it survives the committee process. I will continue to deliver on my promise and maintain my oath to be their voice, their fighter, and their humble servant until such a time The People deem appropriate. As a U.S. Marine, I know no other alternative.
As mentioned before, the savage rape inflicted upon a 14-year-old child in our neighboring county has raised many sensitive topics. Soon after this information came to light, the media, pressed by their audience, most of which are our constituents, were seeking answers to questions. Not one local or state official in our region stepped forward. When The People had questions and concerns, predicated by fear, anger, and disbelief, their elected officials remained silent. In my judgment, political paralysis interfered with the duty and responsibility they owed their communities. I have no reservation and will make no apology for standing up and being the lone voice on a matter that no one else decided to speak on, despite the potential political retribution. At the end of the day, principles are anchors, not chess pieces.
Allow me to clarify and highlight those issues here because some of my critics on social media maintain an alternative ideological agenda. They have tried to troll and distort the facts and challenges relevant to this situation, a tragedy in itself. Like other criminal cases we’ve seen, this case in Rockville has very unique circumstances. These circumstances have collided into a near perfect storm of issues and include:
• Adult illegal aliens co-mingled with children in public schools
• The issue of sexual assaults of school students in general (particularly during school hours)
• School security and protocol
• Background checks and vetting of adult students with whom we have NO information
• Resource allocation to undocumented students
• How schools determine and grant acceptance of undocumented students
• Current school board policies pertaining undocumented students
• Current laws covering undocumented students in relation to public schools
• Local government sanctuary policies
• Requirements placed on local government and schools in relation to illegal aliens
• Developmental assimilation programs for undocumented students
• Recent MS-13 gang activity in our schools and their correlation to illegal aliens
Since I began to research and communicate the topic, I have shared the information with the public and found that there are only two groups of students who are 18+ years old and permitted in 9th grade, these are our English Language Learners (ELL) and Special Education students. LCPS currently has 46 students in 9th grade who are 18 years old and 5 students in 9th grade who are 19-20 years old. Of the 51 students, 48 of them are ELL (English Language Learners), 2 Special Education and 1 who qualified for both classifications.
As a result of communicating this and other information and ideas, I’ve been called a bigot, racist, sexist, uneducated, an asshole, xenophobic, a pedophile and received numerous threats.
We’re facing a severe problem in this country and specifically in our communities, yet this is how it is handled; political witch hunts, smearing, and perverse comments by an organized political party to exploit tragedies such as this. I fear it will only harm the students that we all seek to assist. The partisan discourse that has been taking place on this matter of public importance has reached a disgusting and deplorable low. Is this the new standard of debate? Do we preach tolerance then practice none of it? When did we replace constructive dialogue, respectable debate, and overall decency with hateful rhetoric maligning of personal character, and propaganda laced language? We constantly demand, and rightly so, better from our students, better from our teachers, we need to set an example and demand better from ourselves. To even consider this issue to be about race, gender, or discrimination is disingenuous and remarkably inappropriate.
One of the most important and vulnerable segments of our population are the immigrants who have come to contribute to the great American enterprise. The most important lessons we teach our students, particularly the legally immigrated and newly naturalized citizens, is that this is a nation built on the rule of law. It truly is one of the hallmarks of this great nation. However, we, as a society, face a dilemma regarding illegal aliens whose entire presence in the United States undermines that imperative trait. This issue has led to heated debate and underpins the challenge in explaining double standards of a system of law that nobody is above. However, that very same rule of law demands that we educate and assimilate illegal alien children into our public schools. The 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution which reads:
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Decades of jurisprudence, as set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court, in a case called Plyler v. Doe (1982), which in a 5-4 decision, determined that illegal alien children have the right to due process as set forth by the 14th amendment, insofar as the term “persons” is applicable in their case, and may attend public school. To that end, we will ensure all children will receive an education in our public schools.
As society evolves so do the threats we face. Very dangerous elements of the criminal underworld, such as MS-13, have ravaged their countries of origin. Under the guise of other illegal aliens trying to flee those countries, many come to the United States, abuse the compassionate resources that we offer, and commit horrible atrocities in the U.S., all the while fueling our drug and violent crime epidemic which only serves their ability to fund their empire’s growth. These atrocities range from war, drug trafficking, murder, torture, rape, sex trafficking of children, and the list goes on. This is a ruthless and evil organization that unfortunately live and thrive among other illegal aliens. However, without proper vetting, testing, and identification (as it is through the legal naturalization process) we cannot fully, or even partially determine who is here and in what capacity. Let me be clear; there is no evidence, which I am aware of, that link the two illegal aliens accused of this brutal rape in Rockville to MS-13. However, their status as illegal aliens and given their country of origin being abundantly plagued by this violence provide enough reasonable latitude to ask more probing and legitimate questions. Should they have been deported more expeditiously? Should these grown men have been allowed to attend classes with children? Do they have a record of previous criminal behavior in the U.S.? How can we best provide a successful educational opportunity, especially if they are deemed high risk? How can we better assist with assimilation but also ensure safety and improper influence does not play a factor in our schools? Does current Federal and state law hinder our ability to address these issues? Do Federal laws like FERPA need to be re-debated or amended? These are just a sample of questions that have been asked and brought to my attention by constituents.
Meanwhile, MS-13 gang members of similar age groups are trolling through our community, brutally slaying and raping our children, such as is the case in Springfield when the remains of a 15 year-old-girl had been found in February; held prisoner, tortured, then executed. Nine of the ten perpetrators were teenagers, 6 of the 10 were illegal aliens. Alternatively, the case out of Fairfax where the remains of two bodies were discovered, and authorities believe there is strong evidence of an MS-13 connection there as well. Or the raid conducted by law enforcement in Leesburg back in June as it was suspected to be an MS-13 safe house or MS-13 ‘tags’ spray painted at Dominion High School, or the scores of children who go missing across our region either through kidnapping and sold into slavery, or assimilated into a gang culture. According to the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, they are monitoring an increase of high school and middle school student gang recruitment at an alarming rate. According to the FBI, many of our unaccompanied and undocumented students are at a high risk for recruitment into gangs. The political correctness culture is hindering us from discussing these problems, and therefore negatively impacting our ability to keep children safe.
Many of the immigrant students placed in the LCPS system come with zero documentation, which is MUCH different from the regular student who comes from outside of the county or state. We do not require any discipline records or mental health screenings upon registering ANY student, but once records have been requested from their previous school, this information is included if applicable. We should never deny anyone seeking an education from doing so, but we must deny potential threats to our students through responsible and sensible mitigation.
Moving forward, I will continue to make sure that ALL of our students have the resources that they need to be successful. LCPS could benefit from alternative programs, which to date we have one. The Douglass School. However, we should explore the idea and possibility of expanding Douglass and I also think we could greatly benefit from additional alternative education programs for our more challenging students whether they are immigrants or not. Programs and policy, such as alternative schooling, need to be consistently reviewed to safeguard against failure and to ensure they are meeting the needs of our children – and this is exactly what I intend to do.
46 comments
Rushing to Judgment Part II:
http://wapo.st/2qLworT
Charges dropped against immigrant teen accused of rape, likely consensual ….
Your fellow Marine who posts articles here will soon weigh in to call you a xenophobe asshole.
Rush to judgment much? Can’t wait to hear all sides in this matter? Why not await the facts?
The counter-claims are now rolling in: Previously had sex, texted one another about doing so again on the day of the allegations. If these claims are true — and they will either be established as facts or not as there is plenty of evidence where messaging is involved — the matter is cast in an entirely different light. Not necessarily legal, but something other than what was presented at first glance.
I have no idea what is true in this matter, but then neither does Dekenipp and I’m not trying to characterize the matter as a “savage rape” and using it to advance my political aims. I will await and evaluate evidence admitted by a judge in a court of law.
Dekenipp is reacting to news, not engaging in pro-active planning. Not a good leadership quality, where sober reflection is a more important value.
18 and 17… with a 14 year old. That is statutory rape under the law… not consensual.
It is not statutory rape for them to attend the same school, which is the point, nor is it wrong for them to attend the same classes.
As regards carnal knowledge, which ought have nothing to do with school, the rules are more complex, but we should not be surprised to have 18 and 17 yr olds attending the same school and classes as a 14 yr old.
Every school district in the nation has problems like this. The schools don’t really know what to do with adults in children classes, so they tend to ignore the obvious problems created. The most obvious answer lies outside of the public schools and involves vouchers to allow for parental control of these out of control institutional situations. Short of vouchers, homeschooling makes the most sense.
What I don’t understand is how any parent can let these horrific acts of rape and murder go unpunished personally. The courts are a mess and are not dependable when it comes to illegal aliens. I am betting the Rockville case will disappear after things calm down – the young girl will be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. The children who raped her will probably get some watered down sentence and then be released into the population once again.
I am continually stunned by the silence of the parents who say nothing when the safety of their own children is at stake. It is incomprehensible.
Why can’t adults be educated with adults in adult ed classes that LCPS provides?
Probably comes down to economics. In my area, the average cost per student is about $11k, but the average cost for a handicapped or otherwise disadvantaged student is over $60k.
Why do these 18 to 20 year old immigrants get to ‘choose’ if they are in adult education or in 9th grade classes with a bunch of 14 year olds? Why aren’t they with their peers in adult ed with the other adult immigrants? Why do they get to choose to be with children in 9th grade?
because the law says they can be in high school. Do you remember what a law is? Do you care?
I have a saying, “Laws are what Democrats hit Republicans over the head with.” Whenever I hear someone say we need a law for this and that, I retort “why bother?” Democrats ignore what they don’t want to do and then protect the criminals who disobey the law. But, when Democrats want to keep Republicans (who are far more law respecting than Democrats) at bay, Democrats suddenly find their legal Jesus. Your statement just demonstrated that.
so, LCPS should ignore the law. Nice, David. What other laws should we ignore? I imagine you are one of the self absorbed drivers that ignore red lights – they just don’t apply to you. Jesus is on your side and others be damned . We already know you don’t think you should pay your fair share of taxes – another law that does not apply to the all powerful DD – what else?
The law says they must be provided an education it does not say they must be enrolled with children. Adult education would work just fine for adults.
The two males were 18 and 17, the female 14. Our high schools will always mix students in these age groups. It is inevitable and silly to think they need special separation.
Let’s take into account (and await proof of) the claims to the contrary: That they were friends, communicated in text and picture, and had previous relations. We do not yet know the truth, but the matter at hand may not prove to be so simple as mixing kids with adults in an inappropriate manner — and 18, 17, 14 are high school ages.
“Democrats ignore what they don’t want to do and then protect the criminals who disobey the law.”
Justice is blind, non-partisan. None of us wishes to see the guilty go free or the innocent wrongly convicted. I am certainly no Democrat, nor do I seek to protect criminals, but it is clear we don’t yet have a clear picture of what happened. And importantly, whatever we do with our high schools there will be 14yos mixing with 17yo and 18yo students.
“Justice is blind, non-partisan.” No, it isn’t . A slew of Democrat AG’s has showed us that the legal system has a very distinct, almost criminal, bias. Political allies get a blind eye. Political opponents get castigated (just ask Gov. McDonnell).
As stated, its either rape or statutory rape. Guilty either way.
David: You are apparently confusing Virginia law with that in Maryland, where these allegations occurred. In Maryland, there is an exception when the parties involved are within four years of age. As a result, An 18-year-old and a 17-year-old could avail themselves of this defense as regards a 14-year-old depending upon their precise ages. The more important point: It is normal to mix 18-year-old, 17-year-old and 14-year-old students and you will not change this unless we break-up four-year high schools.
Maryland gets more depraved by the day. That aside, your desire to defend these actions is even more disturbing. If not illegal, it is still immoral. Is this the state of the public school system today where liberals have to defend public sex acts performed in school?
You lie: I do not defend these actions. I oppose a rush to judgment until we know all the facts, after which we can examine them appropriately and take action accordingly.
Govt is not to enforce morality — we leave this to the church. Govt is for enforcing the law. The key point: So long as we have four-year high schools we will have 14yos mixing with 17, 18yos — and it is not coincidence this is the age spread — four years — that can constitute an exception under Maryland law.
To be very clear, no one defends rape, regardless of politics. The question is whether or not this is statutory rape which is established without regards to other facts, like consent (in this case it is alleged they were previously, similarly intimate, and that texts establish consent).
Finally, you misrepresent: I am neither a Democrat nor am I liberal. The broad brush with which you paint doesn’t work here. Neither am I defending what happened, which we cannot know until the impartial, non-partisan investigation is complete. None of us would want our sons or daughters subject to judgment any sooner.
Also, allow me to add that under Virginia law the 17yo would not be charged with statutory rape for reasons similar to the Maryland statute. Your notion that for want of a one year difference Maryland is “depraved” is odd. For me, in this circumstance, the primary issue is consent, not age (neither do I favor sexual relations on school premises, but I doubt this is particularly rare, age aside). Finally, many states share the exceptions you consider “immoral.”
Mies, I threw the “immoral” in there because it is red meat to a liberal. Liberals hate the idea of morality and must, without exception, comment on it. I have yet to see a comment from you that is un-liberal. You can claim otherwise, but I’ve read no indication to the contrary.
But, that plays into my previous comment. Liberals are like moths to the flame of sexual immorality. Whenever sexual immorality appears, liberals pop up to defend it. It is bizarre.
Consensual or not, it is depraved. If rape, it is horrific. In not, then this is the depths of that the public education system has fallen to. In any case, it is really bad.
“Govt is not to enforce morality — we leave this to the church. Govt is for enforcing the law.” Really? Then why is the law forcing the acceptance of homosexuality, transgender nonsense, etc.? Why isn’t the government leaving such things to the church?
Again, clearly I am not a liberal because I embrace the idea of morality. Indeed, I find morality a fine concept regardless of political leanings. I have strong moral beliefs, as do the vast majority of people I know. I don’t know what happened at that school, but it doesn’t sound legal nor does it sound moral.
The calls for separating 17yos and 18yos from 14 yos threatens the concept of high school as we have known it for many decades. In addition, states have carefully crafted consent laws.
The one thing we can all agree upon: Government enforces the law and we do not need more govt than that. Indeed, we may need less govt than that.
I do not defend in the least whatever happened. I defend finding out what happened and reserving judgment about what we should do about it until we know what happened. A big difference! I support law enforcement’s investigation.
I repeat: No education system, public or private, condones, encourages or tolerates such behavior, yet it happens. Human nature. Blaming it on educators is folly unless they are failing to do their job, which does not include running panopticon
As regards your final question, the answer: Court rulings. When the Supreme Court rules, it becomes the law of the land. Many courts lead to the Supreme Court. Their rulings on the federal, state, local level are the law.
Those who think govt should enforce more than the law are advocates of big government, big brother government at that. That government is best that governs least.
It sounds like you side with, for example, pollution protesters who enforce “morality” against corporations that are legal. Or those who protest their notion of justice and morality in spite of legal rulings, like Citizens United? Are you a leftist, David?
I hadn’t expected it, but there you have it. You believe in using government to enforce even more than the bloated code of laws, regulations and codes that are on our books. You believe politicians should use government to go beyond the law. You, sir, are a leftist activist.
what adults are you talking about? The law says that students can be up to 22 and be in high school – again, are you talking about them or are you making up stories about 35 year old freshmen? Why are you not attacking the laws instead of attacking the schools which just follow them.
If you want a lesson in purposeful ignorance of the law, call Democrat Mark Herring. He is a master.
Did you check for wisdom teeth to determine their real age?
What? What does that even mean?
Wisdom teeth can be indicative of physical age where self-reporting is suspicious or otherwise inadequate.
When Mr. Dekenipp gave his speech to the Catoctin District of the LCRC asking for its endorsement to run for School Board, he concluded by asking, “Does anyone have any questions?” I leaned over to RPV Chair John Whitbeck who was in attendance and said, “Yeah, can we clone this guy?” I am sooooo glad Eric ran, won, and fights the good fight. Contrast that to fellow board member Ms. Maloney who got arrested on school grounds protesting Trump and the School Board did absolutely nothing.
Second, this is one of the posts that makes TBE great and the reason I tune in. Mr. Dekenipp’s legitimate concerns and the concerns of the community were squashed by the Loudoun School Board which has a reputation for hiding information, protectionism, and having a generally provincial attitude. Our left-leaning newspapers have not been very cooperative either and here we have a great example of the value of good leadership, the power of the internet, and the value of a conservative/libertarian blog. That is, elected leaders can take issues straight to The People.
For Loudoun locals, we need to focus much harder on getting good people on the school board. We’ve made big strides in the past couple of elections, but there is clearly much more work that needs to be done and several liberals that need to be removed.
Clearly, we need to do something about placing undocumented aliens in schools. I had already heard complaints about adults posing as children to immigrate illegally and who were clearly too old for their school class. The brutal rape of the girl across the county line should have been a wake-up call for all school districts. But, the schools have been so liberally indoctrinated that they sacrifice children on the alter of their liberal worldview. Sad, tragic, and maddening.
When did Loudoun school board go to work for the Loudoun county public schools?
Nobody will listen to you unless you set an example by breaking the law, I think it’s in the LCSB policies for board members.
This fight does. It belong at a school board meeting. The law says to teach all kids regardless if immigration status. Eric knows this but chose to make a scene. Then he complains about not being appreciated all while attacking immigrants. You can’t be a bully and whine about people standing up to you
Does all “kids” include 18-22 year olds who do not have a physical or mental disability?
if that is what the law says, then of coursel Unless you are suggesting that LCPS ignore the law?
I know the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) covers those with documented disabilities through age 22. I don’t know what law is for illegal immigrants over the age of 18.
I’m sure the SB agreed and are signaling virtue while feeling compassion equally for any perpetrator and victim because they/we are the same after all.
as usual, Roc – you advocate agains the rule of law
There is nothing in the law that says adults must be educated with children in our public schools. They can be educated with their peers in adult education classes and that’s exactly what should be happening.
Yeah, but how about the ones that seem ‘older beyond their years’ how cruel you are to rob them of the learning experience of pretending to be younger inside the henhouse?
Surely you can’t expect refugees from a boat lift to have documentation. If illegal aliens followed the laws, they wouldn’t be undocumented immigrants.
except that you are wrong – there is an age limit for being in high school. This is set by law, not the schools.
As usual, you’re not familiar with politics, reality, or behavior of some on the LCPS school board.
Please tell us why these adults get to be in classes with children? Why let them make that choice when we have adult ed for these students where they can be with their peers? They get the same education, they just aren’t in classes with a bunch of 14 year olds.
because, simply, that is what the law states – why criticize the schools for following the rules
As a Marine you probably encountered the daily brutal end result of an oligarchy form of government. A government that forces people to accept 3 bucks a day or less, or migrate to another reality.
Now as a school board member, you will encounter the other side of the oligarch equation. One in which all citizens are pulled down to the lowest demoninator. Where blue on green is a daily occurrence with no warning or back up, and no recourse but to accept a lower caste as your own. I wish you luck in your cultural evolution.
Semper Fi.
More on what happened with Loudoun County School Board on Tuesday night here,
http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/school_board_rejects_motion_to_look_into_enrollment_process274