The following September, Mr. Chen received no calls from the inves-
tigators. Months passed, and he thought that the matter had been settled.
In April, almost a year after the original allegation, a new investigator
came in and this time Mr. Chen was verbally berated for not reporting
the allegation and was threatened with being brought up on charges for
maintaining a cover-up.
As it turned out, the original two investigators he had spoken with
the previous June had been laid off shortly after they spoke to him. For
whatever reason, the students’ parents waited almost a year to call the
district, prompting a renewal of the investigation. The dust-covered case
folder was found piled with many others on an empty desk. Mr. Chen was
told that when he heard nothing from the original investigators, he should
have followed up, called the investigation office, and found out what was
happening. Had he done so, the case folder would not have lain dormant
for months.
The staff member was removed from the building. Mr. Chen was told
to say nothing. Many in the school raised questions and rumors were ram-
pant. The other teachers in the staff member’s department were upset and
kept coming to their principal, as several, from whatever source, found out
their colleague was facing charges of sexual misconduct. Finally, Mr. Chen
called in a representative of the teachers’ union to speak confidentially to
the staff and tell them that their principal could not provide any informa-
tion. The union was glad to do this because it understood the need for con-
fidentiality to protect all staff members and the importance of not spreading
rumors. Once the staff understood that Mr. Chen’s silence meant protection
for a colleague, they were better able to deal with the situation.
Yes, the investigation department had blundered, stretching out this
matter for an entire year. But Mr. Chen realized that the initial blame
was his. He trusted a staff member who gave a credible explanation and
did not trust two suspended students who provided no proof and made
vague remarks about some comments that made them feel uncomfort-
able. Perhaps, if he had listened more carefully, he would have detected a
deeper meaning beneath these remarks. In the end, he did not follow the
regulation to call in every allegation and not investigate. He knew he was
to blame.
The superintendent’s legal assistant accompanied Mr. Chen to hearings
regarding the teacher and told him that he might be penalized for failing
Stay within the Box and Remember—Life Is Unfair 173