Collier County school sex abuse investigation: What happened and how students and parents can seek help
Three years ago, a Collier County elementary school teacher and soccer coach was arrested on charges of child sexual assault.
Hector Manley admitted last month to 20 charges of child molestation at Parkside Elementary School in Naples Manor. He is now serving a 25-year sentence.
Collier County Public Schools said in response to a parent’s lawsuit that it had no way of knowing Manley was abusing children before his arrest nor could it have stopped him.
But as the Naples Daily News / The News-Press began investigating, we found that three months before Manley’s arrest, a girl reported him for molesting her friend. However, the recess monitor she spoke with, as well as five tutors, teachers and administrators, didn’t follow up, according to testimony given to investigators.
In the three months between the girl’s report and Manley’s arrest, he continued to abuse his students and started molesting three more.
Here are quick facts about the case, and you can read the full investigation here.
Who was abused?
Manley was charged with 23 counts of abuse of a child under 12. In January, he pleaded no contest to 20 counts of molestation of a child under 12 in exchange for the prosecution dropping the three sexual battery charges against him.
How long did the abuse go on?
Manley abused students from his first day on the job in August 2015, according to his plea. He abused children up until the date of his arrest: March 1, 2019.
Where did Hector Manley abuse students?
Children told investigators and child advocates that he abused them in the classroom during lessons, on school grounds, on the soccer field, in his car and in their homes while he tutored them.
What did this investigation show?
An analysis of sworn statements made to investigators shows six teachers, tutors and administrators received the girl’s report about Manley’s behavior three months before his arrest.
But the district alleges in a response to a civil suit by the parent of one of Manley’s survivors that it couldn’t have known about Manley’s “propensities” before his arrest date.
Key dates in Hector Manley case: A timeline of Hector Manley's sex crimes against Parkside Elementary students in Florida
Data: Hector Manley's survivor count is Florida's second-highest in recent history
Federal Title IX policy: After Hector Manley: Here's the federal policy that could help keep Florida schoolchildren safe
National and state sexual misconduct experts say the administration’s failures to follow up on the girl’s report, as well as other reports of Manley’s favoritism and inappropriate behavior with students, are signs that people who worked at Parkside weren’t appropriately trained in spotting grooming or sexual abuse.
What’s changed at the school?
So far, the district has declined to say whether any changes have been made in response to Manley’s abuse.
It’s not clear if teachers or students are now being trained on spotting grooming behaviors in other adults or reporting sexual abuse, and the district has said it will not investigate the circumstances that allowed Manley to abuse children. The district says it has turned the matter over to law enforcement.
What can I do to prevent this from happening to my child?
Experts we spoke with recommended the Collier County Public School Board conduct an investigation into the circumstances that allowed Manley’s abuse to go on for nearly four school years at Parkside.
Parents can ask that Collier County Public Schools train teachers and children to spot and report grooming and sexual abuse.
Parents also can talk to their children about how to identify and report sexual abuse of themselves or others.
Stacey Honowitz, an assistant state attorney in the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit for the 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida, recommends parents and teachers educate children about their body parts using plain language such as “penis,” “breasts” and “vagina” so they feel no shame in reporting inappropriate attention from another person.
Whom do I call for help?
The Florida Department of Children and Families has an abuse hotline you can call to report abuse at 1-800-962-2873. You can also report abuse online at reportabuse.dcf.state.fl.us/.
To file a report with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office call 239-252-9300 or 911 if it is an emergency.
Previous coverage: Collier school officials defend district's handling of Hector Manley child molestation case
'You tainted my life': Collier County teacher Hector Manley guilty of molesting 20 children
Lawsuit: Collier school board, Parkside Elementary mishandled claims of sex abuse by ex-teacher
Kate Cimini is an investigative journalist covering Florida. Share your story at (239) 207-9369 or email kcimini@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Hector Manley molestation case: What we know and where to go for help
