Crystal Gunns resigns from school post over scandal

Louisa C. Tuck, also known as former porn star Crystal Gunns, has decided to hang up her cafeteria apron and leave the New Jersey school district where she had worked since June 2008.  In a one-sentence resignation, she stated she was “resigning in good standing” effective December 8.

Vineland Public Schools Superintendent Charles D. Ottinger stated that the school district did not wish for nor requested the resignation from Ms. Tuck.  The resignation letter did not give any hints as to whether or not the recent publicity had played any part in her decision.  Vineland YMCA Executive Director and CEO George Steinbronn stated that Ms. Tuck is still employed as a supervisor for children’s programs.

Ms. Tuck’s resignation, however, has not been approved by the school board and she can rescind it at any time before the next meeting, scheduled for January 21.  Ottinger stated that the board would most likey allow her to keep her job if she changes her mind because they did not request the resignation.

So, once again the parents who feel they must shelter their little darlings from the non-existent evils of the world (see my previous blog) have caused someone who has done nothing wrong to leave.  Ms. Tuck has not received poor reviews, nor has her previous career caused a problem except in the eyes of these over-protective, knee-jerk parents.  I personally hope that Ms. Tuck reconsiders her decision, but I can also completely agree if she doesn’t.  It is hard to live and work in an area where the moral majority dictates who is and who isn’t acceptable in society.

Update & Opinion – School drops Crystal Gunns case

You’ve probably already read my blog entry about Louisa C. Tuck (aka Crystal Gunns) and the school district that had planned to fire her.  If you haven’t read it, go back there and get caught up on the story!!

Now the district has decided to drop the case.  The question of the day is this – who ratted her out?

Charles D. Ottinger, Superintendent of Schools at Vineland School District, states:

Neither the Vineland Board of Education nor the Vineland Public School District initiated the investigation into Louisa Tuck.  We started our investigation after a reporter for The Daily Journal contacted our board president.

In an article by AdultFYI.com, the statement by Mr. Ottinger includes concerns for the students and their families but does not denigrate Ms. Tuck for her previous employment.  He also states that he understands how many students are exposed to various items of questionable nature on a daily basis.

It is admirable how Mr. Ottinger believes the school district should help be the “moral compass” for the students.  But, this is obviously a man with his head on straight and a firm grip on reality.  He believes that if the employees conduct themselves in a professional and forthright manner at all times there shouldn’t be a problem.  Isn’t that the way it should be?

Mr. Ottinger said that only upon hearing the allegations did the school district seek legal counsel for input.  After being advised that nothing could or should be done, the district ended it’s investigation.  And that’s as it should be.  To drag something on just because other people have their feathers in a ruff is not good business and not good for the students.  If the parents and town busybodies can’t let it go, then it’s their fault when the kids have problems with it.

I do take issue with part of Mr. Ottinger’s statement, however.  He says:

I certainly understand that people make mistakes, and when given the opportunity many people learn from their mistakes and actually become better people for having gone through that type of experience.  While we want to teach our students about forgiveness, we also want them to understand that certain behavior is still considered by many to be unacceptable.  Notwithstanding that point, it has been made clear to me that most of our parents do not want their children involved in any type of negative behavior they feel might have a detrimental impact on their children’s futures.  So there really is a fine line between forgiveness and accountability, and both are important life lessons.

Make mistakes?  Who said she made a mistake?  And who is he to judge whether her previous life choices were wrong or not?

I can agree with keeping kids from “unacceptable behavior,” but let’s remember that there are many teachers and other school employees across this country who are either alleged to have had or convicted of illicit activities with their students!  Shouldn’t we be more concerned about keeping the children away from them?  Those are the people that can actually hurt them, not some static photo or video on a website an elementary child shouldn’t be viewing anyway.  That’s the parents’ responsibility to keep the kids away from porn!  It’s only the school’s responsibility during school hours.

And for the parents who “do not want their children involved in any type of negative behavior” — get a life!  If you’re going to shelter your children so much that they never, ever hear a foul word or see a questionable photo, then don’t expect the rest of society to pick up after your mess when your kids can’t deal with the real world.

There are reports all over the news about “helicopter parents” who just can’t let go and expect “Billy” and “Susie” to get top grades, the best teachers, and no responsibilities just because they whine about it (the parents, that is, not the kids).  These are the types of parents that have children who can’t function the first time someone reprimands them at their first job when they do something outrageously unsafe.  These are the parents who have children who can’t pass a class in college and the instructors are sick to death of hearing their students ask if mom or dad can call to negotiate a higher grade.

A little self-responsibility is what people need.  And if you have children too young to be responsible for themselves, remember that they are your children.  They don’t belong to the school district, church, civic group, or any other agency you want to pawn off your responsibilities to raise your kids.

“Forgiveness and accountability are both important life lessons,” to paraphrase Mr. Ottinger.  Let’s all be more forgiving after we’ve taken responsibility for our own families and lives.

Do the punishments fit the crime? Youths and bad behavior…

What the hell is up with kids these days?  Is there nothing they’ll do for attention?  And are the punishments adults mete out appropriate for the offenses?  Shouldn’t we be a little more creative?

In Stuart, FL, a student was arrested for “passing gas.”  The 13-year-old had been accused of continually disrupting classes by intentionally breaking wind and then turning off computers other students were using.  He was released to his mother after being charged with disruption of a school function. 

Arrested??  Seriously??  What ever happened to in-school suspension?  Or how about some good old-fashioned corporal punishment?  Oh…that’s right…the U.S. has been trying to ban it for years even though South Korean schools use it with effective results, though I don’t totally agree with all their methods.

I do really like this video of how a judge in Ft. Lupton, CO, deals with noise ordinance violators.  I don’t really consider myself a fuddy-duddy person, but I can’t stand it when someone drives by with their radio so loud I can feel the beat in my teeth.  How can they stand that?

Judge Paul W. Sacco has gotten tired of parents just paying the fines for their children’s violations of the noise laws.  I can agree with that.  If the parent pays and there are no repercussions directly affecting the violators, then what have they learned?  Absolutely nothing other than “money talks.”  So Judge Sacco has started sentencing them to a one-hour session of music.  Of the music he likes — Barry Manilow and Barney the Dinosaur.  They, among other artists and music genres, are usually not going to be found on the iPods of the offenders.

Now that’s creative punishment!  And is it effective?  I don’t have any statistics on it, but one of the teens said he didn’t think Manilow was all that bad after hearing it.  Hmmm….maybe a Ray Coniff jubilee or Lawrence Welk marathon would be better?

Santa shortage in Germany? What about kindness everywhere?

In these trying financial times, people are losing their jobs and life savings in the worldwide economic crisis.  Some are hoping to simply put a little food on the table or perhaps have one item for Father Christmas to leave in a stocking hung by the chimney with care.  For the Germans, they can’t find enough people to be Santa.

No, they’re not talking about “being Santa” as in showing charity and helping those less fortunate.  They’re looking for more than a few good men willing to put on a red suit and have snotty children scream in terror when placed on their lap.  A lot of people aren’t willing to go through that torture.  Maybe they’ve read this book!

Santas in Germany can make 60 euros per hour.  That’s about $75 per hour!!  In one thought, I think it’s way too much.  I would love to have a job that paid like that.  However, upon reflection, with the hazard pay you would need to provide to get some people to just consider being the jolly ol’ elf, it’s about right.  I mean…look at the working conditions!  You’ve got kids who are terrified of you.  You’ve also got overbearing parents who believe their little angels are entitled to whatever their sweetums begs for and are looking for the perfect photo to put in their Christmas letters that no one ever reads.

Then you have the parents who shyly stand on the sidelines and weep quietly to themselves because they know there’s no way they could possibly provide even one of the smallest items their kids are whispering into Santa’s ear.  Or the kids who sit on your knee and tell you they just want Mommy or Daddy to come home again, or stop drinking, or visit them from Heaven.

The Germans say that they’re actively recruiting Santas because people want to cling to their traditions to get through trying times.  I can see that.  Telling a child they can’t talk to Santa this year because no one can afford Christmas would bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

But do we really need a Santa on every street corner?  What about taking some of that salary and donating it to organizations that will ensure children can simply have a small present under the tree?  Or using it to help provide food for those who are in need and might go hungry this holiday season, regardless of whether it’s Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or even a non-religious celebration?

It’s supposed to be the happiest time of the year.  For many, even sugarplums won’t be dancing in their heads because the suffering of the real world has finally hit home.  What a shock to many it is to have gone from granting any wish their heart desired to wishing someone else had a heart large enough to help.

Former porn star employed by school. Does it really matter?

When is your past no longer private?  Well, if you’re a convicted felon, a sex offender, someone applying for a governmental position, planning to join the military, or want to work with kids you really should expect someone to poke around in your history.  Background checks are done for very valid reasons –  particularly when we’re entrusting our children to the care of adults.  I’m pretty sure we’ll all agree that no one wants a convicted pedophile or child abuser working in our schools and daycare centers.

But what if you haven’t done anything illegal?  What if you’re a mature adult (or maybe not so mature but over legal age) who chose a career path that isn’t in lockstep with the moral majority?  Should you be punished?

The newest brouhaha is over Louisa C. Tuck who works at a school and YMCA center in Vineland, NJ.  She helps in the cafeteria and on the playground at the school.  Many parents of children who have attended functions through the YMCA describe her as “an excellent role model.”  So why is everyone upset with Ms. Tuck?  It seems that she is also known as Crystal Gunns and is a former porn star.

There are tons of articles and blogs being written as we speak on the subject.  The question, however, is this:  Does it really matter?

The school district in which Ms. Tuck is employed has been advised to not take action against her employment status.  The superintendent states there are no legal grounds with which to terminate her current employment based solely on her previous employment.  It’s been five years since Ms. Tuck was active in the porn community and I’ve not been able to find any records showing where anything she did while a part of it was illegal.

I’ve worked part-time as a substitute teacher and had to undergo a thorough background check even though I wasn’t going to be with the kids every day for nine months.  Surely a cafeteria employee and playground attendant would have to do the same.  And if not, then doesn’t that mean they don’t have prolonged direct contact with the students?  Isn’t that enough?

And, sure, someone will say that she has an active website and the kids could find her videos and photos.  Really?  Someone under 18 finding pornography on the Internet?  Yes, it can happen — but then that’s the fault of the parents who refuse to police their children (under 18).  You would think most responsible parents would have installed protective filters on every computer their little ones come within 10 miles of after all the Dateline: To Catch a Predator episodes out there.  Ms. Tuck isn’t a predator but her website and videos would certainly be blocked by the filters.

Just because she worked in the adult industry in the past most certainly doesn’t mean that she’s a bad person.  It doesn’t mean that she cannot work with children or be a positive role model.  Parents tolerate their children idolizing celebrities and sports stars who have questionable morals and public activities.  They buy them the latest clothes and accessories with their photo or jersey number on them and say, “Kids will be kids.”  Anyone remember when Charles Barkley did the “I am not a role model” commercial for Nike?

Instead of focusing on a former porn star working at a school, how about focusing on the actual teachers who have been convicted in pornography cases?  Earlier this month a former middle-school teacher in Bedford County, VA, was sentenced to 56 years in prison for felony child pornography.  He was caught after exchanging explicit texts with an investigator posing as a minor.  (Everyone says they watch To Catch a Predatorbut every day more idiots get caught that way!)  In Boyertown, PA this past May, a teacher was convicted of having pornographic videos of children performing sex acts.  In 2007, a substitute teacher in Windham, CT, was convicted for exposing students to pornographic images she claims were displayed on the computer by undetected spyware.

We have all heard about the teachers, both male and female, who have had sex with their underage students.  There are even cases of teachers and administrators having sexual relations at the school after hours and being caught on tape.  Aren’t these much worse than the former career of a current employee who doesn’t seem to have violated any policies?  Don’t they speak to their morals as well?

Today’s headlines and blog feeds are crammed with information about Ms. Tuck.  Farther back from the fray is the report filed today that a Louisville, KY, teacher has been indicted on Federal child porn charges.  If we’re so sensationist that we’re more interested in something someone did in the past, it’s no wonder we sit blindly by while people really exploit children and then ask how it could have happened.  Let’s protect our kids.  But let’s be intelligent and protect them from people and actions that will actually hurt them.

Is the new administration overstepping its bounds?

Disclaimer — This blog simply includes the educated and irritated ramblings of just one person and has no way been influenced by anything other than her personal convictions.  It has not been created to cause any embarrassment to the President-Elect or his administration.  It is purely for informational and entertainment purposes only.  So there…

Holy crap!  What the hell is happening in the US now???

Okay…I live in a really economically depressed area.  When Bill Clinton was elected, many felt that the midwest would be the best area for him to pick employees from because (1) we’re all like him and (2) he “feels our pain.”  He did take some of his closest friends and advisors with him to Washington and they got high-level jobs in the government.  And, I know this time around, Barack Obama will take many of his friends and associates with him — and that’s all well and good.  If people are qualified for the job, they should have it.  How you become the most qualified for the job but never having held that position before is still a mystery to me…  But, no one is ever qualified to be President of the United States until they’ve been in that position, no matter what each side of the ticket says.

But I’m not here to rehash the recent election…  I voted the way I wanted and that’s that.  What I am shocked about is the new questionnaire that the Obama Administration is requiring all applicants to complete before they are considered.  And, the bigger question is, where is a citizen’s expectation of privacy guaranteed and where can the government shoulder their way into your diary without precondition?

Obviously I’m not going to get a job with them because I have to answer too many questions in the way they wouldn’t like.  I don’t remember every single place I’ve ever given a public speech, made a statement, or trained a group of people.  I don’t have copies of every resume I’ve ever given for a job application for the past 10 years.

Question 13 gives me pause — “Electronic communications: If you have ever sent an electronic communication, including but not limited to an email, text message or instant message, that could suggest a conflict or interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect if it were made public, please describe.”  Why would I want to tell something embarrassing about me?  Does the President-Elect really need to know if I got lost and I missed an important appointment which caused me not to get a job I wanted?  That was pretty embarrassing to me, anyway…

Okay, I understand wanting financial disclosure statements…you want to make sure they’re not going to try and bilk the taxpayers by stealing money to pay their own debts.  All government jobs ask for them, even if you’re not in the “secret circle” of the White House.  But to ask if you’ve ever received a gift of $50.00 or more from your immediate family or close, longstanding friends on your birthday or seasonal holiday?  I don’t know many people who keep 10-year receipts for every yard sale they’ve ever had…so there’s a lot of money floating around unaccounted for,  huh?

But…we’re all screwed when it comes to 58 — “Please provide the URL address of any websites that feature you in either a personal or professional capacity (e.g., Facebook, My Space, etc.)”  Well…hope you never said anything anyone might not like…  And I’m totally screwed with 59 — “Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.”  Do they want them classified by caliber or type (single-action, semi-auto, full-auto)?  And I guess all the targets I’ve qualified on could be considered damaged property and my thumb getting caught in an action once was a personal injury…

Laugh if you want and say that I’m overexaggerating, but the questions are really open-ended and the criteria to jugde your answers isn’t given.  So, that means the person who reads them can impart his/her own feelings and opinions to each one.  They might read the questions very literally and be extremely radical in their interpretations.  Or maybe not.  I don’t have that job, so I can’t say.

If you work for the government or any business that has email or Internet connections, you more than likely see a disclaimer that you have no expectations of privacy if you use their systems to conduct any business, personal or private.  I don’t remember the journal I bought at Wal-Mart having that kind of disclaimer.  If I were running for president, I could understand having to lay my life bare for all to see and examine with a fine-toothed comb.

If you’d like to read the questionnaire yourself, you can find it here.  Oh, and if you live in California, Minnesota or Oklahoma, don’t miss the last two pages!  They’ll look at you even closer!

Comment if you like.  Please just keep it civil.  We can set a good example for others, can’t we??  I’m Sacha Kinksky and I approve this blog post.

What the hell happened to Veterans’ Day???

I remember when I was a kid the schools would have us take time to remember our veterans.  If any teachers were veterans, we made posters and cards for them.  Veterans were invited to the school to have lunch with us and we’d put on a musical program for them of patriotic songs.  In junior high and high school, we’d march in the parades and attend assemblies to honor those still livng and remember those who had passed on or never came home.

What’s happening today?  I can’t find a parade or assembly anywhere.  All the stores are running ads telling me how great Veterans’ Day would be to save money on a waterbed, barbeque items, or a car I can’t possibly afford.  The kids are whining they have to go to school while the banks and post offices are closed.  And maybe, just maybe, a Girl Scout or Boy Scout group will visit the local Veterans’ Home or nursing homes to say “Thank you” to a veteran.

I put some flowers on my grandfather’s grave today.  He served in WWII.  None of the other military graves had any flowers or flags.

You would think (at least, I think that you would think) that people would be more respectful of the history of Veterans’ Day and respectful of our veterans of wars past and of today’s conflicts.  Today’s veterans deserve just as much adoration as those from the past.  Just because it’s an unpopular war doesn’t mean their service meant any less to them or the friends and family they left behind.  I thought we’d learned much more since Vietnam…  I guess not…

If you agree or disagree, feel free to comment.  Just don’t be hateful or try to get on your political soapbox.  The elections are over — you’re not going to change anything by being mean.  True, our veterans fought and died for your right to speak your mind.  But this is my blog and I’ll run it how I like.  Thanks for understanding.