Parents concerned about their child's well-being would be wise to follow the court case of Aleksandr Plehanov.
Plehanov, a former substitute teacher for School District 43, is facing 11 charges - five of sexual assault, five of sexual interference and one of criminal harassment. The charges stem from allegations involving five girls who were aged seven and eight at the time of the alleged offences.
The charges have not yet be proven in court and it could be some time before the judge reaches a verdict.
But the case is illustrative of various ways in which sensitive issues are dealt by parents and authorities - and it's certainly a teachable moment for both educators and, especially, parents.
Parents should understand that cases such as these are extremely rare; in fact, in SD43, this case is probably unprecedented. Certainly, nothing like it has come before the courts in more than two decades since The Tri-City News began publishing.
Since the 1980s, when concerns about sexual abuse involving adults in positions of trust became widely discussed, there have been extensive policies put in place to ensure situations are handled appropriately. In fact, it is expected that individuals with knowledge of suspected sexual abuse will report their concerns to the police.
Whether SD43 should have made that call - since testimony so far suggests a parent called the police first in the Plehanov case and there were complaints about his conduct months before his arrest - is hard to say because we don't yet know the all the circumstances.
Still, parents would be wise to trust their own instincts if they suspect something inappropriate has taken place and make their own call to the police in addition to contacting the school authorities.
