I tried to keep yesterdays posting regarding Eduardo Genao to the facts that were available. Now I am going to post some of my thoughts that I hope will display my strong sense of disgust with the Hartford Board of Education and their handling of this matter.
Where do I begin? In the words of one Hartford Board of Education official, they "dropped the ball" on this one. That is putting it lightly to say the least.
I can not think of any greater trust than that placed in those responsible for the care of children and the children they care for..
Hartford Assistant Superintendent of Schools Eduardo Genoa is innocent until proven guilty, but if our system really works, that Justice will come swiftly and be severe. My phone and e-mail have been swamped today with people that are claiming to be victims of Genao as well as others that have outlined a pattern of deception by those in power at the Board of Education that have been complicit in the cover-up of Genao's behavior.
At least two callers depicted a pattern of abuse that had allegedly begun when Genao was in the New York City Schools and apparently some in Hartford were aware of this when he departed NYC and landed in his new hunting ground of Hartford, Connecticut. According to sources that behavior continued in the Hartford Schools. and first manifested itself at the Sports Sciences Academy when it was on Asylum Street in downtown Hartford. Genao's activities there apparently continued and after a complaint by a student's parent he was taken away from Children and moved into the Adult Education program on Washington Street.
Similar to a heroin addict craving their next fix, Genao continued his behavior there and was accused of improper behavior with a staff person. He was then shuffled off to the Superintendents Office. Unfortunately, even being buried away in the Super's Office did not curtail his activities. He still found a way to continue his predatory behavior until that behavior was revealed publicly yesterday. Does any of this sound like another organization that had a history of shuffling their pedophiles around to avoid detection?
Why? Why is it so difficult to hold pedophiles accountable and bring them to justice. Is it because they are in positions of authority? Is it because they wear clerical garb and collars or hold the title of Superintendent of Schools ? Is it because we want to believe that they could never prey on the same children they are entrusted to protect and nurture?
I don't need to pat myself on the back here, but when I received the call last Monday about Genao's behavior, I dropped everything. The sense of urgency to stop the potential abuse of a child was my first priority. My phone call to Deputy Chief Foley was made within minutes, if not seconds. Chief Foley's response was very similar I am sure. The wheels of Justice were set in motion immediately
I guess as I found out more facts my discomfort with the situation increased, as well as my disgust with the hierarchy of the Hartford Board of Education, specifically the Superintendents Office.. I have said for a very long time that the Hartford Schools are not about educating children, it is clearly more about making very good salaries for the people at the top. This incident proves that.
Doctor Aaron Lewis , who first attempted to bring this situation to light, probably could have been more aggressive in his reporting attempts. Without making excuses for his actions, it is an are none of us have much experience in and hopefully never will have. How do you report and stop a predator.
My real disgust begins with Doctor Gislaine Ngounou a Hartford Assistant Superintendent of Schools who proves my earlier theory about the Hartford Schools being more about high salaries than about children and education. From a webpage on the University of Hartford website describing Dr .Ngounou, she is quoted as saying "Through her work with the Children’s Defense Fund’s Freedom Schools, she discovered her true calling: to dedicate her life’s work to improving opportunities and outcomes for young people and communities, especially those that have been marginalized and under served. Ngounou believes in the power of education, organizing, teamwork, narrative and self-empowerment—to help individuals and communities transform themselves, and to bring about a more socially just world.
This is the same person who was having a "hectic" day and was too busy to act when confronted by the allegations of improper contact with a student that Dr. Lewis tried to inform her of on March 22, 2016. To see more of Dr. Ngounou's profile,
click here
Even more troubling is the fact that Ngounou also functions as the Chief of Staff for Hartford's Superintendent of Schools Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez Apparently Ngounou never notified Narvaez of the allegations against Genao. That seems to be the height of irresponsible behavior and makes me wonder why Ngounou is even there. Clearly it is not to protect the children and definitely not to assist the Superintendent. There is a $180,000 budget cut I could recommend immediately and Ngounou should do the right thing and resign today and join Eddie Genao in the unemployment line and quite possibly in court as a defendant for their behavior.
There needs to be a wholesale investigation as to what happened and who swept what under the rug and a complete housecleaning of the people at 960 Main Street that need to understand that they are there for the children, not the salaries.
And it appears that the arrest of Eddie is imminent. Justice for the child victims.