We are saddened and disheartened to hear news of yet another situation of a failure of a school to protect its children. The news today that John Wangberg, a longtime teacher and coach at Central Elementary School in Bemidji, is being investigated by police for sexual abuse of children, and that the abuse was reported to police two years ago but that Central Elementary School continued to employ Wangberg, is a sadly familiar tragedy. School districts and their employees need to be better trained in child protection and prevention of abuse to ensure the safety of our kids at school.
We urge Central Elementary and the District to conduct outreach to families of other children who may have suffered at the hands of Wangberg. While Wangberg has not yet been arrested, as police are waiting for more survivors to come forward, we do hope and expect that Wangberg is no longer working with children in any capacity.