Chicago Charter School Principal faces child-porn charges

[Ediacara]

Principal faces child-porn charges

By Carlos Sadovi
Tribune staff reporter
Published March 29, 2004, 1:44 PM CST

The principal of a Chicago charter school has been charged with possession of child pornography, federal authorities said today.

Joseph Thomas Nurek, 54, of the 6800 block of West Addison Street, was arrested Friday night in his home by federal immigration and customs agents, according to an announcement by U.S. Atty. Patrick J. Fitzgerald.

Nurek is principal of the West Belden Campus of the Chicago International Charter School, 2245 N. McVicker Ave., authorities said. The school enrolls about 500 children in kindergarten through 7th grade.

The defendant appeared in court Saturday and is being held in federal custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago. Detention and preliminary hearings have been set for Tuesday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys in U.S. District Court.

More at the Chicago Tribune

[Sugarbleus]

1. What is a Charter School? I hear about them but don't

know what they are, exactly. ?

[BR_Parkway]

2. Privately operated, publicly funded schools

From the website of the corporation that runs this school (and a bunch of others in the midwest)

"What is a charter school?

A charter school is a publicly funded school created and managed by interested individuals or groups from the public or private sector. The schools are accountable to the local school board and/or the state, but they are free from the complex regulations that often constrain school success. Charter schools are:

Open to all students
Non-selective in enrollment
Non-religious
Tuition-free
Funded with public funds according to student enrollment

Charter schools operate with relative autonomy, independent of most state and local regulations. In exchange for this freedom, charter schools are held accountable to state learning standards through rigorous academic testing and high expectations of their students."

http://www.aqs.org/home.htm

Perhaps they should revise their mission statement to include the screening and safety of all the children that they are making a profit from (I know, it's Not for Profit - all you do is take it all out in salaries and perks)

[Tansy_Gold]

3. Charter schools are different in each state

In Arizona, where they are extremely popular and extremely poorly run, many of the charter schools are run by conservative christian groups and have a strong religious foundation in their teaching.

Lisa Graham Keegan, who was on Bill Moyers' NOW last week laughing and defending *'s "no child left behinder" program, used to be Arizona's superintendent of public education. She oversaw the mushroom growth of charter schools here, but I don't think I've ever heard her give and explanation for how they could have continued to be so abysmally run. Of course, she is a strong proponent of just the kind of school "choice" that would put more money into these enterprises, and pull more funds from truly public education.

[Sugarbleus]

7. Thank you Tansy and parkway....... I went and looked

up some info on Charter schools but all I got were "glowing" representations of what they do. I was still puzzled about where they came from, who was behind it etc.

Now you've explained to me what you know of them. Are you saying then that these places are NOT a good thing?

I did wonder if they were part of that voucher school thingy which I don't support at all.

edit for added text:

I forgot to mention that my neighbor is sending her son to one that is just starting up in her child's school district. The reasons given are that, in my state, way too many schools are being closed. Three closed just during the month of March in my town. No one knows what they are going to do with thier kids. What say you at this? I'd like to inform my young neighbor if she is making a mistake.

[Toucano]

4. In these pornography cases...

we always hear about the arrest, but I never hear anything more after that.

Has anyone read an interview with one of the people accused of these charges before?

It puzzles me that I never hear any of them defend themselves.

[Festivito]

5. Detroit area Elementary teacher was turned in by his own family.

Turns out it may have been his estranged wife while undergoing a messy divorce, his home computer having some legal-aged porn pictures is now returned to him leaving him time to talk on local TV newscasts about the embarrassing allegations that were not substantial but uncovered that even a male Elementary teacher may have seen a picture of nubile prurient interest.

[Endangered Specie]

6. If you ever gonna have legal porn on your computer...

You had better the hell be able to hide it.