Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2017)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 39, NO. 4 SECTION A OCTOBER 27, 2017 $1.00 Let’s talk about Students, teachers united against reporting changes District 'clarifi es' mandatory reporting guidelines is defi ned in the statute as sex abuse, so you see our dilemma,” Perry said. “The remedy is about clarifi cation to the law. We're doing our best to interpret it the way we think it should be interpreted but what we can't do is put By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes An expansion of mandatory reporting policies in the Salem-Keizer School District isn't sitting well with teachers or students at McNary High School. Teachers were notifi ed in the second week of October that they would need to take an additional mandatory reporting training online and, by early last week, teachers, students and even parents were challenging the new rules in private and through petition and protest. “It's really nice to be able to go to our teachers because there are some things you aren't comfortable talking with your parents about. The teachers at McNary are genuinely caring. They want to help you succeed and be there as an ear,” said Kimberly Schott, a McNary junior and an organizer of a protest in downtown Salem Monday, Oct. 23. “The district wants a safe, healthy environment, but I don't feel safe if I can't talk about some of these issues without getting reported,” said Schott. Schott also initiated an online petition at change. org (http://bit.ly/2y1ayDY) Please see DISTRICT, Page A6 Please see UNITED, Page A6 sex , maybe By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes Christy Perry, superinten- dent of Salem-Keizer Public Schools, told the Keizertimes that a state law requiring teachers to mandatory report if they have reasonable cause to believe that two students under the age of 18 are having sexual contact isn't new. The 13 slides sent to teachers in the Salem-Keizer School District last week were a clarifi cation from a question about mandatory reporting recently asked by a member of the community. “That question came about so we spent quite a bit of time with many of our partners in- cluding law enforcement, de- partment of human services and the district attorney's of- fi ce,” Perry said. “ That's probably not the intent of the law but “We really tried it's also not our job to guess what the intent to be careful of the law is.” and thoughtful and really take — Lillian Govus, Director of Communications, Salem-Keizer School District scenarios to our partners and talk The law comes from “The child abuse about them before we rolled this out. Really it's just a clari- Oregon statute 163.315, which mandatory reporting statute fi cation and for students it says a person is considered is the statute we live under seems big, I know that, but it's incapable of consenting to a and the defi nition that says a a clarifi cation for a law that's sexual act if they are under 18 person under the age of 18 is incapable of consenting years of age. existed for a long time.” Couple paves local path for refugee resettlement By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes In 2015, Keizerites Anya and Doug Holcomb were part of a relief team with the Christian Missionary Alliance at a refugee camp near the border of Greece and Macedonia. The number of refugees fl ooding into the camp was overwhelming, but stories connected them to individuals amid the chaos. Sitting in the dusty camp, Anya spoke with a young man who wept as he talked about having to leave his elderly parents behind. On another day, fi ve children died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea on a raft and sorrow swept through the camp. “They were kids that many people in the camp knew,” Anya said. Anya was struck by the stories of the hardship the refugees had endured, but also by how similar their families were to hers. The families in the camp har- bored hopes and dreams for themselves and their children not unlike hers and many, she realized, never wanted to leave their homes. “It's so easy to just think of the refugee as an other, but they are just like us,” Anya said. When they returned to the U.S., the couple expected to land in the Portland Submitted Anya and Doug Holcomb established Salem for Refugees as an extension of the Salem Leadership Foundation. area and continue working with refugees stateside, but they soon learned that the organizations working with refugees were looking for an alternative (read: cheaper) to Portland and they found it in Salem-Keizer. The offi ce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates there are currently more than 65 million forcibly displaced people around the globe. About 22.5 million of those are registered refugees who fl ed their home because of war, persecution, or violence. More than half of those with refugee status are under the age of 18. Since 2015, C a t h o l i c Charities and Lutheran Community S e r v i c e s Nor thwest, which contract with the federal government, have resettled about 160 refugees in Keizer and Salem. They've come from nine different countries – primarily from the Middle East and Please see REFUGEE, Page A8 KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley McNary High School students held a protest of the changes on the steps of the state Capi- tol Monday, Oct. 23. Suspect sought in 3 burglaries Keizer Police Department is seeking help in identifying a suspect in a string of crimes that occurred on Sunday, Oct. 22. At 5 a.m., Keizer offi cers were called to the scene of a burglary in the 5800 block of Kate Lane Northeast. Investigating offi cers learned a suspect had entered the garage rummaged through two vehicles that were parked inside. At 6:20 a.m., Keizer offi cers responded to the report of a theft from a vehicle in the 6200 block of 11th Avenue Northeast. A resident awoke to fi nd a man inside his vehicle parked in his front of his home. The resident confronted the suspect and a physical altercation ensued, both men were injured in the scuffl e. The suspect fl ed on foot and eluded a police search. Further investigation found that the suspect had entered the dwelling and burglarized it. At 7 a.m., while offi cers were still on the scene at 11th Avenue, KPD received a report of another burglary in the 1200 block of Harmony Drive Northeast. An investigation led police to suspect the same man in both burglaries. All three burglaries took place within a fi ve-block area on the west side of the Gubser neighborhood. The suspect is described as a white male adult, with dark hair and a dark beard. He is believed to have entered the 7-Eleven at 5550 River Road N. about 7:35 a.m. and police are hoping someone can identify the suspect from security footage. Anyone having information Soccer teams head to playoffs PAGE A11 Pearson contests sentence PAGE A2 For love of Disney Submitted Keizer police are looking for the man in theses photos in connection with three Keizer burglaries, one that included a physical altercation. Gridders face Titans at home PAGE A11 is asked to send an email to Tips@keizer.org or contact Detective Andrew Phelps at 503-390-3713, ext. 3497. Additional video stills are available on the Keizertimes and KPD Facebook pages.