Substitute Teacher Chapter 72

Thursday, June 20, 1991

In the district that we live in, there is school year-round. Jared started kindergarten last August, just before he turned 5.

When Jared came home from school today, he seemed withdrawn. All of a sudden, his nose started to bleed. I asked him if he was okay. He nodded his head. Later that evening, while giving him a bath, I noticed bruises all over his body.

I asked Jared what the bruises were from. He looked at me and wouldn’t tell me. I kept trying to get him to talk to me, but he wouldn’t.

That evening, as I put him to bed, he was scared. He didn’t want me to leave, so I stayed with him until he fell asleep.

Friday, June 21, 1991

Jared didn’t want to go to school. I could tell he was scared, so I let him stay home.

When Ashlee, one of the daycare kids, came home from school, I asked her if she knew what had happened to Jared at school yesterday. As she was about to tell me, Jared yelled, “Don’t say anything!”

Something had happened, and I needed to get to the bottom of it! I told Ashlee that she needed to tell me. Just as she started to talk, Jared said, “Ashlee, remember what the teacher had said would happen to us if we told?!” Ashlee thought for a few seconds, then she said, “I don’t believe she has secret powers. I am not scared of her!”

Ashlee then told me that just before recess, the teacher had told everyone to clean up. The teacher didn’t think Jared was going fast enough, so she asked him to stay behind while the rest of the kids went to play.

Ashlee had waited for Jared outside the classroom. While she waited for him, she looked through the window and saw the teacher grab Jared by the arm and hit him in the face and all over his body. The teacher had also gotten a needle and poked him with it.

I was horrified by what she had just told me! I turned to Jared and asked why he hadn’t told me what had happened. Ashlee said that after the teacher had hurt Jared, the teacher noticed she was standing by the window, watching. The teacher then told Ashlee to come into the classroom.

I called the police to let them know what had happened. They told me to go to the hospital so that they could have a look at Jared and then call them back tomorrow.

When Richard came home from work, we took Jared to the hospital. Jared didn’t want to go because he was afraid of what the substitute teacher might do to him. I assured Jared she couldn’t hurt him anymore. When we arrived at the hospital, they wanted Jared to tell them, in his own words, what had happened.

Jared was scared and started to cry. I told him that he needed to tell them what happened because this would help us to put her in jail for what she had done.

When Jared was done telling them what had happened to him, they took pictures of the bruises that were all over his body. The doctor could tell Jared had been poked with a needle several times. They took pictures of that, too. When they were done, I was told they would send the pictures along with their report to the police.

For the next few nights, Jared was afraid to sleep alone. I told him I was proud of him for telling the doctors what had happened to him and that I would stay with him till he fell asleep.

Saturday, June 22, 1991

I called the police to let them know that we had taken Jared to the hospital. I was told to call back on Monday.

Monday, June 24, 1991

I went to the school to let the principal know what had happened to Jared. I was told the substitute teacher’s name was Jean Hawkins. The principal told me that she would make sure that this person wouldn’t substitute for them again.

I then called the police back to let them know I had taken Jared to the hospital. They sent two officers out to talk to me. After I had told them what had happened, they said that they needed to talk to Jared.

Jared cried because he didn’t want to go over what had happened to him. I convinced Jared that he needed to tell the police so that the substitute teacher couldn’t hurt anyone else.

Jared finally agreed. The police filmed Jared telling them what had happened. When the police finished interviewing Jared, they told me they would get back to me in a few days.

Tuesday, June 25, 1991

Channel 2 News wanted to do a report on what had happened to Jared. I thought this interview would help us, so I told the reporter that they were welcome to come. Once again, Jared cried because he didn’t want to talk to them. Again, I managed to convince him he had to tell his story so the substitute teacher would never be able to hurt anyone again.

The news people came out and interviewed both Jared and me. They told me they would air the story on Friday. After they left, I let Jared know I was proud of him for telling them what had happened. On Friday, everyone would see his interview and know not to hire her.

Wednesday, June 25, 1991

I called the police back to see what was going on with Jared’s case. They told me that the film they had taken of Jared never turned out, and “if” I wanted to proceed with the case, they would have to come out and interview him again.

I told the police it had already been traumatic enough for Jared the first time they had interviewed him. I asked the police, since Jared had already talked to two officers and had pictures taken at the hospital, if that was enough to arrest Ms. Hawkins. He told me they wouldn’t proceed with the case unless they could do another interview with Jared.

Then the man I was talking to on the phone said, “It’s probably better that you just drop the whole thing! To be honest, he’s so young, and who knows if he is telling the truth!” I assured him that Jared was telling the truth. I had been to the hospital and that he should have the pictures in his files. The policeman said he would send two new guys out to do another interview.

Thursday, June 26, 1991

It seemed like the police weren’t doing anything to investigate what had happened to Jared. I thought they should have talked to the kids in his class by now.

I got worried that if the police waited much longer, the kids wouldn’t remember what had happened that day. I wanted to do what I could to help the police build a case against Jean Hawkins

I talked to all the parents in Jared’s class and asked if it was okay that I talked to their children to see if anyone remembered anything about the day Jared was hurt. All of the parents were happy to help me.

Except for Ashlee’s mom, she told me she didn’t want her child questioned and that I should just forget what had happened to Jared. I tried to get her to understand that I was doing it because I never wanted this substitute teacher to hurt another child.

I told Ashlee’s mom that Ashlee was one of the key witnesses to what had happened. But Ashlee’s mom didn’t seem to care. As far as she was concerned, the case was closed!

Ashlee’s mom could tell I was distraught. Then she told me, “When Ashlee was younger, she was molested by a man. I tried to get justice for her. I put her through hell! Nothing happened to that molester! I can’t do that to her again. The police didn’t care, and they don’t care about what has happened to Jared. Do us all a favor and move on.”

I felt bad that I couldn’t get Ashlee’s mom to cooperate. I was sure that in my case, it would be different, and the police would do something about what had happened to Jared. I went ahead and interviewed everyone who had been in Jared’s class that day.

When I got home, I told Richard how Ashlee’s mom had reacted. He told me I had wasted enough time on it, and he thought I should drop it, too. I told him I needed to do what I could so that no other child would be hurt by this awful person.

I started to cry. I told Richard that I was sure this wasn’t the first time this teacher had hurt someone, because she had the book “Miss Nelson is back.” ready to read to Jared and Ashlee.

If the parents of whoever she had hurt had done something about it, she would have been stopped, and our child wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I needed to do what I could to prevent it from happening to anyone else!

Richard told me it didn’t matter and that I should just be happy Jared would never have her as a teacher again. He didn’t want to hear another word about it, and if I needed to cry, I should go somewhere else!

I felt so alone in pursuing justice for Jared.

When it was time for bed, I still couldn’t stop crying. I went over to Terry’s house. Even though it was late, I was hoping she hadn’t gone to bed. I could see that the light was still on, so I knocked on her door. Terry told me to come on in. I told her what had happened and how hopeless I felt. Even though Terry’s husband had already gone to bed, she went to get him so he could bless me.

As I was about to leave, I apologized for coming so late and thanked them for being there for me. Both Terry and her husband assured me that no matter what time of day or night, they would always be there for me.

Friday, June 27, 1991

Two new officers came out to talk to Jared. As before, they brought their camcorder to record the interview. Jared cried because he didn’t want to tell his story one more time. I managed to convince him, yet again, to tell his story just one more time so that this would never happen to another child. Jared dried his tears and did the interview.

Channel 2 News called to tell me that they weren’t going to air Jared’s story after all. I asked them why. I was told it was because Jean Hawkins’s lawyers had called the news station and threatened that if they aired the story, she would sue. I felt bad that we couldn’t get the story out to the public.

That evening, Jared asked if we could watch the news. I didn’t know how to tell Jared that his story wouldn’t air after all. When the news was over, Jared asked me why he had not been on. I tried my best to explain to him that they couldn’t air it because of Jean Hawkins’s lawyer.

I could tell Jared didn’t understand what I was saying. Then Jared broke down and cried. Threw his tears he looked at me and said, “They didn’t believe me! They didn’t believe she hurt me!” I didn’t know how to help him understand why they had not aired his story. I held Jared as we both cried. I reassured Jared that I believed him, and I knew he had told the truth.

Saturday, June 28, 1991

I was worried that Ms. Hawkins would substitute at another school. Even though I was dealing with morning sickness, I typed up everything that had happened to Jared. I got the addresses of every Elementary school in Utah and mailed them a copy. I wanted to make sure no one hired her.

Monday, July 1, 1991

I called up the police station to see how Jared’s case was going. The man I talked to didn’t seem to care. I told him I had interviewed some of the children in Jared’s class. I had written down some of what they had said, which I thought was important and would help their investigation.

The policeman got upset. He told me that they didn’t intend to do anything about Ms. Hawkins, and if I didn’t stop what I was doing, they would arrest me and say I was the one abusing my son! He had all the pictures of Jared that were taken at the hospital. If I didn’t stop what I was doing, he would say that I had inflicted those bruises and pin marks on Jared. They had enough in the file to put me in jail. Then he wanted to know if he had made himself clear and if I understood that I was to leave it alone!

I was stunned. I could not believe what the policeman had just said to me! Everything I had put Jared through, and all my hard work, had all been in vain! I let him know I understood. I had no other choice but to drop the case.

5 years later, I got a phone call from the principal. She told me that she was retiring, but before she did, she wanted to talk to me.

All these years, she had felt bad aboutnot helping me fight my case. She told me about the day I came into her office and told her about Jared. She had done some digging and found out that Jared was not the first child that had been abused by her. She felt bad that she had not known this before she hired her.

She said she couldn’t tell me about it because the school board feared a lawsuit. She wished Jean Hawkins had been arrested for what she had done to Jared. She admired me for standing alone and fighting as hard as I had. She wanted me to know that, because of everything I had done, Jean Hawkins was not allowed to teach in Utah. Hopefully, I could find some comfort in knowing that all my efforts had not been in vain.