How We See It: Bentonville School Officials Act Responsibly In Wake Of Assaults

Responsible people in the business of child care and child education are among the greatest advocates for protecting children from harm of any kind.

One need only look at the heroic actions of educators in some of our nation's tragic episodes of school violence to recognize many of them will even lay their lives on the line to protect "their" kids.

Indeed, when parents hand over their children to educators in schools or to before- or after-school program leaders, it requires a great deal of trust. They are comforted by their faith that the adults they're turning their youngsters over to have their best interests at heart.

Then, along comes a report that suggests someone in a position of trust has violated it, and in so doing, has done great harm to the most innocent. The damage done is cause for mourning.

In the aftermath, what can be done?

In the case of the Bentonville School District, the answer appears to be as much as possible.

The district was rocked by a 5-year-old girl's allegations that Ali Martin Matar Jr., 21, of Lowell placed his hand in her shorts when he was alone with her in the R.E. Baker Elementary School library. Matar, who was arrested May 14, was an employee of the school district's before- and after-school Adventure Club. A few days later, Matar was arrested again in connection with sexually abusing two 6-year-old girls at the school. He faces two counts of rape and a charge of first-degree sexual assault.

Last month, district officials said they had implemented policy changes to its Adventure Club program since Matar's arrest after requesting its law firm thoroughly review practices and procedures of the program.

Among the changes:

• Two staff members will be on hand each morning to open every Adventure Club site. Previously, it was permissible for only one employee to be at each site between 6 and 7:30 a.m.

• Two staff members will be involved when a child needs restroom assistance. If a second staff member is unavailable, several children will be taken at the same time.

• Additional training for staff members. The Children's Advocacy Center presented a session on "Recognizing Child Abuse and Predators" to 43 Adventure Club staff members since Matar's arrest and firing.

• A pilot program called "Speak Up, Be Safe" will be administered at two schools, providing information on abuse, bullying and other dangers to children.

As is so easy in the aftermath of an incident, it's easy to view the changes as simple common sense, but it's often difficult to recognize shortcomings until an event suddenly exposes them. We commend the school district and its legal counsel for a solid effort to remedy any identifiable gaps in safety and security measures for the precious children given over to the district's care.

One can never know how much damage is avoided by having effective policies in place. It only takes one predator succeeding one time to raise questions of whether policies are strong enough. The district has acted responsibly in attempting to shore up its safety measures. Other private and public operations involved with the care of children should apply what has been learned through Bentonville schools so that the added protections can be copied rather than realized through experience.