How Far Should Educators Go to Help Students?
January 29, 2019
By: Amelia Harper
Source: Education Dive
Dive Brief:
- Superintendent Casey Smitherman of Elwood Community School District in Indiana faces felony charges for insurance fraud, insurance application fraud, identity deception and official misconduct after she allegedly took a 15-year-old student to a health clinic and claimed he was her son so he could receive medical care, Education Week reports. Smitherman suspected the student — who lives with an elderly relative who doesn’t have a car — had strep throat, and she wanted to make sure he got treatment, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Dive Insight:
- Compared to what could have transpired, Smitherman is relatively fortunate in that she may be able to evade any long-term consequences of her alleged actions. It seems many, including the Elwood Community Schools Board’s president, back her and understand her motives — even if they agree what she reportedly did was wrong — and the prosecutor’s office is working with her to avoid a criminal record. However, the situation allegedly caused her to take illegal measures, including placing the student she helped in a position where he felt he had to hide her actions.