Note: I'm wondering if the "cultural barrier" or differences didn't come into play here. 12 different instances of abuse were investigated, yet not one "victim" came forward. Because no one came forward the allegations couldn't be substantiated. Police admitted language was a "barrier" yet also stated that the children/families may have "misinterpreted what constitutes abuse" when it was initially reported. I don't know that I quite believe that...
By Jennifer Mann
Tue Dec 30, 2008, 09:59 PM EST
http://www.wickedlocal.com/quincy/homepage/x288829461/Chung-Yee-School-cleared-of-abuse-claims-set-to-re-open
QUINCY -
“No parent has come forward with any confirmed cases of abuse,” Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan said on Tuesday. “We’ll be wrapping (our investigation) up tomorrow, and there won’t be any criminal charges.”
The state Department of Children and Families has also closed its case against the school, and the district attorney’s office does not plan to pursue charges, Keenan said.
Chinese-American parents, in large part, stood behind the school when reports of potential abuse surfaced earlier this month. If anything, parents seemed more upset by the school’s sudden closure after more than 12 years in operation. More than 100 Chinese-American children and teenagers attend the $100-a-month program after their regular school day, learning Chinese language and culture.
Headmaster Harry Kwan, a Hong Kong native with more than 50 years of education experience, has from the beginning vehemently denied the charges. He deferred to his attorney, Douglas Jensen on Tuesday.
“I am very happy the school and Harry have been exonerated and cleared of these charges,” Jensen said. “It was very difficult, and very difficult for parents – a state of depression. They’ve been calling my office nonstop daily saying what can they do to reopen.”
Nearly 20 percent of Quincy’s population is Asian, and there is not another school like Kwan’s in the region.
Quincy police abruptly closed the school Nov. 28 because it did not have all of the necessary local and state permits. It operates out of the Knights of Columbus Hall in North Quincy.
When the school’s closing raised questions, police confirmed that an abuse investigation was also underway.
A student at Quincy’s Montclair Elementary School, who spent afternoons at the Chung Yee School, had reported an assault to a teacher, police said.
The school system, after investigating, filed reports of 12 alleged cases of abuse with the state Department of Children and Families.
Keenan said cultural differences may have played into the initial report in that “maybe there was a misinterpretation of what is abuse and what is not abuse.”
“Once the allegation is brought forward to us we’re obligated to come in and investigate it fully,” he said. “We try to do the best we can to protect the rights of both the alleged victim and the alleged suspect. So we try to get to the bottom of it.”
He said language barriers slowed the investigation somewhat and police had to consider cultural differences as they interviewed families and children. Not all of the city’s first generation immigrants speak fluent English.
The school now has the OK to reopen because it has filed the appropriate paperwork with the state and city, according to everyone involved. Jensen said the problem was the school hadn’t renewed its various licenses and exemptions when it moved from a prior location on Hunt Street in 2006.
The Chung Yee School does not need to be licensed as a child care program through the state Department of Early Education and Care, but it is required to register with the department to get an exemption. The school also had not renewed its business license with the city.
The school is aiming to reopen next week, Jensen said.
Jennifer Mann may be reached at jmann@ledger.com.
QUINCY -
“No parent has come forward with any confirmed cases of abuse,” Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan said on Tuesday. “We’ll be wrapping (our investigation) up tomorrow, and there won’t be any criminal charges.”
The state Department of Children and Families has also closed its case against the school, and the district attorney’s office does not plan to pursue charges, Keenan said.
Chinese-American parents, in large part, stood behind the school when reports of potential abuse surfaced earlier this month. If anything, parents seemed more upset by the school’s sudden closure after more than 12 years in operation. More than 100 Chinese-American children and teenagers attend the $100-a-month program after their regular school day, learning Chinese language and culture.
Headmaster Harry Kwan, a Hong Kong native with more than 50 years of education experience, has from the beginning vehemently denied the charges. He deferred to his attorney, Douglas Jensen on Tuesday.
“I am very happy the school and Harry have been exonerated and cleared of these charges,” Jensen said. “It was very difficult, and very difficult for parents – a state of depression. They’ve been calling my office nonstop daily saying what can they do to reopen.”
Nearly 20 percent of Quincy’s population is Asian, and there is not another school like Kwan’s in the region.
Quincy police abruptly closed the school Nov. 28 because it did not have all of the necessary local and state permits. It operates out of the Knights of Columbus Hall in North Quincy.
When the school’s closing raised questions, police confirmed that an abuse investigation was also underway.
A student at Quincy’s Montclair Elementary School, who spent afternoons at the Chung Yee School, had reported an assault to a teacher, police said.
The school system, after investigating, filed reports of 12 alleged cases of abuse with the state Department of Children and Families.
Keenan said cultural differences may have played into the initial report in that “maybe there was a misinterpretation of what is abuse and what is not abuse.”
“Once the allegation is brought forward to us we’re obligated to come in and investigate it fully,” he said. “We try to do the best we can to protect the rights of both the alleged victim and the alleged suspect. So we try to get to the bottom of it.”
He said language barriers slowed the investigation somewhat and police had to consider cultural differences as they interviewed families and children. Not all of the city’s first generation immigrants speak fluent English.
The school now has the OK to reopen because it has filed the appropriate paperwork with the state and city, according to everyone involved. Jensen said the problem was the school hadn’t renewed its various licenses and exemptions when it moved from a prior location on Hunt Street in 2006.
The Chung Yee School does not need to be licensed as a child care program through the state Department of Early Education and Care, but it is required to register with the department to get an exemption. The school also had not renewed its business license with the city.
The school is aiming to reopen next week, Jensen said.
Jennifer Mann may be reached at jmann@ledger.com.
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