By KIM BREEN / The Dallas Morning
News
Broderick Standberry had a desire
to work with "behavior kids," according to a job application in his
Plano school district personnel file.
He got that chance at Plano's
Christie Elementary School, where for five years the
paraprofessional worked in a room designated for disruptive
students, school district officials said Friday.
Mr. Standberry, who also worked as
a teacher at a Plano day care, is on paid leave from the Plano
school district pending a police investigation. He has been charged
with four counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of
indecency with a child by contact. The charges involve five boys and
allegations of fondling and sex acts.
Mr. Standberrry, 34, is in jail in
lieu of $350,000 bail. He has declined to be interviewed.
Personnel records show he has been
working with children since he got his first job in a day care
center at about age 19.
At least three of the children told
police they met Mr. Standberry at Christie or at Tutor Time, the
Plano day care where he worked part time from 2002 until he was
fired in April.
The Christie campus and school
district have received several calls from concerned parents since
news of Mr. Standberry's arrest, Plano schools spokeswoman Nancy
Long said.
"This is obviously a difficult
situation which has caused concern in this school community," she
said in a written statement. "The Christie Elementary School staff
is committed to ensuring that students are safe and are focused on
learning."
Mr. Standberry was hired to work at
Christie as a physical education assistant in 1997. From 2001 to
2006, he was a "resiliency coordinator" at the school. The school's
Resiliency Room is for students who have been pulled from their
classrooms for disruptive behavior.
The district did not say whether
Mr. Standberry was typically the only adult in the Resiliency Room.
He most recently was a Title 1
assistant. Details about the duties of that position were not
available, but Title 1 programs typically benefit low-income
students.
Parent Melanie Schmidt said that
when her son attended Christie as a first-grader, he was often sent
to Mr. Standberry's room for misbehavior. They were often alone
together, she said.
"This whole thing makes me sick and
livid," said Ms. Schmidt, who said she called Plano police Friday.
She said her son, now a
fifth-grader in a different district, grew more aggressive
throughout the school year and never liked Mr. Standberry.
Mother's fears
"It seemed like Mr. Standberry was
very desperately trying to befriend him," she said.
"Just the thought that something
happened. ... I'm terrified that I'm going to find something out
that I'm fearing," she said. "You trust these people."
Mr. Standberry had positive reviews
at Christie and Tutor Time, according to his personnel records and
day care officials.
Parent expresses trust
Genevieve McKay, a parent of three
daughters who has been active at Christie for several years, said
Mr. Standberry was a role model and an effective, patient advocate
for kids with disciplinary problems. She wonders whether his
background as a black male educator made him an easy target for
accusations.
"I seriously question the
allegations," she said. "I would trust my kids with him. He's a
professional educator. He's there for the kids. He's not there to
hurt the kids."
Two boys who told police they met
Mr. Standberry while attending Christie said he would take them and
friends out to dinner, movies and other activities, according to
court records. Afterward, he would take them to Tutor Time
after-hours for sexual contact, they said.
Another boy said Mr. Standberry
took him into a closet at Tutor Time. Mr. Standberry had the child
fondle him, according to court records.
Robert J. Shoop, a professor of
education law at Kansas State University and expert on sexual abuse
in schools, said that while he can't comment specifically on Mr.
Standberry's case, it's not uncommon for educators who abuse
children to have good reputations because they are conscious about
their image in an effort to rise above suspicion. But behaviors that
seem positive on the surface can signal problems, he said.
Educators who spend an inordinate
amount of time or attention on certain children, give them gifts or
communicate with them about topics unrelated to school should be met
with suspicion, he said.
Many great educators choose to work
with children with behavior problems, he said. But abusers often
pick those children because of their vulnerability. They typically
have low self-esteem and are susceptible to developing relationships
with adults who make them feel special.
Plano East grad
Mr. Standberry graduated from Plano
East Senior High in 1990, before earning an associate's degree from
Collin County Community College and, in 2004, a bachelor's degree in
psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas, according to
personnel records.
He was certified by the state as a
paraprofessional educational aide. Mr. Standberry had been working
toward certification to teach fourth- through eighth-graders.
His first job with children appears
to have started in 1991 at Canterbury Christian School, a day care
in Plano, according to his employment history.
He began as a teacher at Tutor Time
in 2002, where he worked after his shift at Christie Elementary was
over. The day care center fired him in April for being in the
business after-hours without permission. The center has installed
advanced security technology, a spokeswoman said Friday.
E-mail
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