Victim reveals her identity and calls on legislators to address systemic practice of “passing the trash” by school administrators

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES, April 6, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After a predatory English teacher, Joseph Koetters, sexually assaulted her hundreds of times while at the prestigious Marlborough School, Chelsea Burkett will speak out and reveal her identity for the first time tonight on ABC’s Nightline, and Good Morning America shortly after. Burkett is coming forward to shine a light on the national epidemic that often allows teachers like Koetters to continue molesting students: “passing the trash.” This practice of passing dangerous teachers off to other schools must come to an end. Tonight, Burkett courageously comes forward to instigate change in our nation’s schools.

Burkett, now 32, has been the driving force behind the now notorious Marlborough case, which has made national headlines since the scandal broke in 2014, and led to the conviction of Koetters in 2015 on charges that he engaged in sex acts with Burkett and another under-aged student. Koetters impregnated Burkett, and she lost the baby through a miscarriage.

A pending lawsuit filed by Burkett accuses Koetters, now 49, of molesting female students at three Los Angeles-area prep schools dating back to 1991 – including Viewpoint School, which would later be attended by President Trump’s daughter, Tiffany. These schools responded to Koetters’ repeated misconduct towards students by simply sending him along to his next school with glowing recommendations, a practice known as “passing the trash.” Rather than face consequences for his behavior, Koetters was able to obtain employment elsewhere, and threaten an entirely new community of vulnerable children.

“Remaining in the shadows implies I should be ashamed of what happened to me and I’m not,” Burkett says. “No victim should let shame rob them of their voice. Today I’m coming forward to reclaim this narrative and call attention to school administrators who ‘pass the trash,’ placing reputation and convenience above their duty to protect children.”

“I’ve handled many passing-the-trash lawsuits – it’s a disturbing pattern that affects even the most elite schools,” said Burkett’s lawyer David M. Ring, of prominent Los Angeles law firm Taylor & Ring. “Her story is heartbreaking. She is an incredibly strong woman.”

Only five states have laws prohibiting “pass the trash”: Oregon, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Washington and Connecticut. Laws are pending in New Jersey, Nevada and Massachusetts. Burkett hopes her story will result in California passing a strong, comprehensive bill that can serve as a model for other states, and drive urgency around an issue that has long been overlooked.

“Pass the trash is national, it is systemic. It does not discriminate,” Burkett said. “It’s clear that when left to their own devices, schools are either unwilling or incapable of addressing it. Lawmakers must now step in and legislate this reprehensible problem out of existence.”

David Ring
Taylor & Ring
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