Discussion Question

After reading the story out of Glen Rose, Texas, what warning signs did you notice with Ms. Ogletree? Aside from her guilt or innocence, were there behaviors you noted that looked bad? What surprised you about this story? What lessons can you learn from this story?

Respond appropriately

In 2002, a young teacher in a small town in Texas was accused of sexual misconduct with two of her students. (Dexheimer, 2007) Download the article, read it and be prepared to respond to a discussion post about this article.

Joelle Ogletree had grown up in Glen Rose, Texas, only to return to her hometown to teach in the high school from which she had graduated. After two years of teaching, two young men in her sophomore French class accused her of various forms of sexual misconduct. These alleged incidents occurred when the student and the teacher were alone in the classroom, or at her home. After two years, the charges were dropped. Later it was determined that the boys had made the stories up.

The Texas Education Agency still revoked her license, and it took another court case to get a new license. In addition, as of October 2011, Mrs. Ogletree still had outstanding lawsuits against the district and administrators. Even though she was completely innocent of the charges brought against her, Mrs. Ogletree allowed students to get too close to her and to her family. She tutored them alone in her classroom, she allowed groups of students to camp out at her home (with her husband there, of course) and she drove one of them home late one night. In any other circumstance, these acts would not seem unusual. But once an allegation has been made, even the most innocent of circumstances can look suspicious.

As the article explains, there are great ramifications and slow resolutions to allegations of impropriety with students. This case was still ongoing, with additional accusations, case dismissals, and unbelievable court costs almost ten years later.