TUSD Board, Pedicone need to condemn Michael Hicks’ implication middle school students might have been molested at UA

by David Safier

This is truly beneath contempt. While TUSD Board member Michael Hicks was on Garrett Lewis' Morning Ritual Interviews on KNST February 2, Hicks implied there was a possibility TUSD middle school students were molested, like children allegedly were at Penn State, while they were at University of Arizona on a day they were suspended from school.

The TUSD Board should pass a resolution condemning Hicks for making such a dangerous, completely unsubstantiated allegation. Pedicone should issue a public statement of condemnation as well. As a retired teacher who knows how seriously schools take any hint of sexual abuse of students, I believe Hicks outrageous statement is reason to call for his resignation.

I read about this on Three Sonorans and listened to Abie Morales' video excerpting the radio program. I was in a state of disbelief, so I contacted Morales to get confirmation. He directed me to the show's website so I could listen to the entire interview. It was exactly as he presented it.

The situation was this. A group of TUSD students, mainly Wakefield Middle School students who had been suspended for walking out of class earlier, were invited to UA. Reporters showed up, and they talked with the students in a kind of impromtu press conference. Then, according to Morales, the TUSD students attended Roberto Rodriguez's Mexican-American Studies class at UA. The press weren't allowed in the classroom, but Morales was allowed to set up a camera, and he videoed the class. He posted excerpts on Three Sonorans.

In his radio interview, Hicks said he walked in during the "press conference." After it was over, the TUSD students were taken "behind closed doors" by "adult, college age students . . . to be taught or to get educated or to be — I don't know."

After an interruption by Lewis, Hicks continued:

"For me, I'm like, you know what? You know, Penn State? You know, what's going on behind these closed doors with our children? Children! I mean these are, these are not adults yet, these were Wakefield [Middle School] children . . . I'm like going, this is not [confusing: indicative?] of a university, the University of Arizona statute to bring these people in, these young children in."

This quote is around the 7:30 minute mark, if you're interested, or you can hear it on the Three Sonorans post.

Hicks' Penn State reference and his repetition of the "children with adults behind closed doors" theme can be taken as nothing less than an implication there might have been some form of child molestation or child abuse going on. Few charges leveled against adults are more serious than that. Children's lives are permanently damaged when they are sexually abused. If adults are accused unfairly, their personal and professional lives can be ruined. It is wildly irresponsible for anyone, let along a school board member, to imply TUSD students who sat in on a class at UA with a prof and a number of college students in attendance could have been subjected to abuse of any kind.

I hope people on the board and/or in the TUSD administation act on this outrage. I know Mark Stegeman often reads this blog. He recently commented on one of my posts. If Mark reads this and agrees that Hicks' statement is inexcusable, he should take appropriate action. This isn't about whether someone agrees or disagrees with Hicks estimation of the Mexican-American Studies program. He made other comments during the show I thought were ridiculous, but he has a perfect right to say them. It is about Hicks hurling an implied accusation of sexual abuse at people he disagrees with to disparage their characters and dirty up the cause they believe in.