{"id":35070,"date":"2022-08-23T03:00:39","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T03:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=35070"},"modified":"2022-08-23T03:00:39","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T03:00:39","slug":"fairfax-county-school-counselor-kept-job-after-solicitation-conviction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/23\/fairfax-county-school-counselor-kept-job-after-solicitation-conviction\/","title":{"rendered":"Fairfax County school counselor kept job after solicitation conviction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"wpds-c-grBDNq hide-for-print mb-sm undefined\">\n<div class=\"PJLV PJLV-iAjpuP-css flex items-center\" config=\"[object Object]\" data-qa=\"article-actions\">\n<div class=\"wpds-c-fLphcs\"><button class=\"wpds-c-gNHrZC wpds-c-gNHrZC-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-gNHrZC-biynoz-density-compact wpds-c-gNHrZC-hZSyid-isOutline-true wpds-c-gNHrZC-ejCoEP-icon-left wpds-c-gNHrZC-futxca-cv wpds-c-gNHrZC-ihhnWqF-css\"><button class=\"PJLV PJLV-igcOMTV-css\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"img\" class=\"wpds-c-coakfw wpds-c-efqEZa focus-highlight flex items-center justify-center brad-lg pointer transition-400 ease-in-out transition-colors\" aria-label=\"Comment on this story\" iconstyle=\"[object Object]\"><title>Comment on this story<\/title><path d=\"M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p>Comment<\/p>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"teaser-content grid-center\">\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">With the beginning of the school year on Monday, Fairfax County Public Schools is facing questions from parents, education advocates and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) after it was discovered recently that a middle school counselor in the system was convicted of soliciting a minor outside the district and kept his job at a school.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Darren Thornton, who began working at Glasgow in 2020, was arrested in November 2020 in an online chatting operation on charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor in Chesterfield County, according to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/ewsocis1.courts.state.va.us\/CJISWeb\/CaseDetail.do\" rel=\"noopener\">court records<\/a>, while working in Fairfax County. He was convicted March 2022 and was eventually given a five-year suspended sentence. Thornton also had to<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov\/sor\/offenderDetails.html?isPrintPage=true&amp;regId=107781\" rel=\"noopener\"> register as a sex offender<\/a>, with the initial registration on June 21 of this year, the database shows.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Thornton was arrested again in June 2022 in another online chatting operation on charges of solicitation of prostitution and frequenting a bawdy place, according to the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/richmond.com\/news\/local\/36-arrested-in-multi-jurisdictional-online-sex-solicitation-stings\/article_fc8ad77a-f08b-545d-b612-36abbf2d739f.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Richmond Times-Dispatch<\/a>, which reported on the police operation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">A Chesterfield police spokeswoman said Fairfax school system was notified about both of Thornton\u2019s arrests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\"><a target=\"_blank\" data-qa=\"interstitial-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/education\/2022\/08\/22\/back-to-school-fairax-alexandria-first-day\/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_9\" rel=\"noopener\">Metro area back to school begins with Fairfax, Alexandria City opening<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">In a letter to the school community late last week, Fairfax Superintendent Michelle Reid said she and the board fired the Glasgow Middle School counselor when they were made aware of the conviction. School officials are also trying to get his license revoked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201c \u2026 I want to make this very clear: this entire situation is unacceptable from any perspective. We are deeply concerned about how this happened in one of our schools,\u201d Reid said in the letter. An investigation into the matter is being conducted, she said. The school system declined further comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">The Virginia Department of Corrections is investigating the incident, a spokesman from the agency said Monday, but declined to answer further questions. The spokesman said the investigation will \u201cexamine the full scope of the incident.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">A person answered the phone at a number listed for Thornton on Monday, but replied \u201cNo you don\u2019t\u201d when asked by a Washington Post reporter if it was the correct number for Darren Thornton.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">Shatter the Silence Fairfax County Public Schools \u2014 a group of parents, alumni and current students \u2014 said Thornton being retained as a district employee despite his charge and conviction was \u201cdisappointing but not surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cSchool bureaucrats, at FCPS, cannot be trusted to police themselves. That\u2019s why <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/www.change.org\/p\/stop-fairfax-county-public-schools-from-messing-with-title-ix-at-the-supreme-court-schools-should-not-get-one-free-rape__;!!M9LbjjnYNg9jBDflsQ!Gzl8oAO5gkKHpEzYbvw79FUeQRgVlaiasrEFLcmewUA9dpeHtWfvkCKdGLkRexGKinffnFM38oxbivv7YGJWdOuizA$\" rel=\"noopener\">25,000 citizens have signed a petition<\/a> asking the Department of Justice and VA Attorney General to investigate FCPS for systemically covering up child sex abuse,\u201d the group said in a statement Monday. \u201cWe also ask our lawmakers in Richmond and Washington to pass new laws to keep children safe and hold school bureaucrats responsible when they fail.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">The Fairfax County Parents Association called on the school system to immediately enforce a new policy that would require every system employee with one-on-one contact with children to be subject to annual criminal background checks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\">\u201cThe circumstances that finally led to this week\u2019s decision by FCPS to fire this counselor underscore the deep concerns parents have about FCPS\u2019s apparent bureaucratic inability to stay focused on executing not only its key mission of excellence in academics but also its key role as partners with parents in the safety of children while in the custody of the school system,\u201d read the statement from the parent group.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"font-copy font--article-body gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\"><i>The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"b bt bc-offblack dn-ns hide-for-print\" data-testid=\"mostRead\" subscriptions-section=\"content\"\/><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/education\/2022\/08\/22\/fairfax-county-counselor-solicitation-minor\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Comment on this story Comment With the beginning of the school year on Monday,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35070"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35072,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35070\/revisions\/35072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}