Jeanne Whitmore is the founder and CEO of American Fork charter school Aristotle Academy and an education columnist for the American Fork Citizen.

This was not a good week for charter schools. One of its former principals was arrested for sexually assaulting young boys. In another charter school, a leader was arrested for sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old girl.

But no school is impervious to this kind of behavior, unfortunately: The February 2010 Review of Professional Conduct in Utah’s Public Schools shows that about 20 to 30 teachers are reviewed by the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission each year for pornography, sexual activity with students, drugs and alcohol, and other student-related activities. You can read their report on this Website.

Can awareness programs in schools help protect children from abuse? The “stranger/danger” program doesn’t address the overwhelming statistics that family members or trusted adults constitute the greater danger. Children have to be taught that all uncomfortable touching of any kind needs to be reported.

Former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky is the perfect example of an adult trusted by parents and children who uses a series of “grooming” exercises to acclimatize a child to inappropriate behavior. Abusers will almost certainly not sexually assault children in a violent way because that would cause them to get reported.

Parents should never dismiss a child’s gut feelings about an adult. A child should never be forced to spend time with an adult if they express discomfort or dislike. After all, we adults don’t have to spend time with adults we don’t like. This is especially important if the child would have to spend any alone time with the adult.

Schools perform background checks on adults in the school. But this only helps if the person has been caught in the behavior, meaning, if he has been reported by a child. It is sad that children seldom report this type of behavior, allowing the predator to continue for years.

Jesse James said that he robbed banks because “that’s where the money is.” Child predators will always be drawn to teaching and other professions that involve children because that’s where the children are. There are thousands of teachers and administrators in Utah. Most of them are fine people who want what’s best for the student. But we have to protect our students against the very few who don’t.

Listen to your children and take them seriously if they express concern about an adult.

Jeanne Whitmore is the founder and CEO of American Fork charter school Aristotle Academy and an education columnist for the American Fork Citizen. You can learn more about Aristotle Academy at aristotleacademyk8.org or on Facebook.