An eighth- seventh-grade science teacher at Montclair Kimberly Academy has been charged with possession of child pornography, according a story in the Star Ledger. The teacher is identified as 34-year-old Brian Stern.
MKA Headmaster Thomas Nammack sent a letter to parents informing them of today’s arrest.
It is with great regret that we are writing to inform you that MKA has been notified by the FBI and the US Attorney’s Office of the arrest of Brian Stern, a teacher, today. The charges relate to the downloading of illegal materials from the Internet. The US Attorneys office advised us that they are not aware of any other allegations of illegal activity at this time and we are not aware of any concerns regarding the safety of our students at this time. MKA is fully cooperating with the authorities and will share additional information as deemed appropriate by the US Attorney’s Office. Any questions should be directed to Headmaster Tom Nammack. Please be assured that every support will be given to students at this difficult time.
Thomas W. Nammack
Headmaster
I thought this only happened in the public schools.
This is very bad, regardless of where it happened. To your point Roo, at least MKA can fire him immediately. If he were a public school teacher, the union would be coming to his defense.
No, Mr. Roo. In Montclair public schools it’s drugs, not kiddie porn.
This is sad, and while it’s easy (and fun) to make fun of MKA, these creeps are everywhere and this isn’t just about them.
I’m just happy he was caught and I hope no MKA kids were a part of his collection.
Deadeye, your claim is ridiculous. This man is an individual and should be prosecuted as one. Please don’t try to indict a union (of which he is not even a member) along with him.
Thirty… Read my post again, slowly. Trace the words if you need to. Maybe this time your comprehension will improve.
I’m just happy he was caught and I hope no MKA kids were a part of his collection.
Seconded!
You’re wrong about that, prof. For the 30k a year in tuition you get a problem-free education in return.
What’s scary to me is that, according to the nj.com story, the investigation had been going on for a while–yet the guy was still permitted to be in the midst of children! (And function also as a swim coach, I might add.) Furthermore, if you read that story, the nature of the photos was particularly chilling. (Okay, I guess it’s impossible to rate child pornography on a Scale of Most Chilling. It’s all horrendous, but the somehow these seemed beyond even that.)
Ugh…I hate reading tehse things, no matter where they accur.
I always wonder about the intelligence of these people, too, who use the Internet to engage in their sick behavior, especially their employer’s computer system. They never expect to get caught but they almost always do.
And, what’s equally sickening is that his lawyer is already on the defensive in the press, saying that Mr. Stern wanted to spare MKA of any embarassment. Spare ME! He’s just sorry his ass got caught.
tehse=these
accur=occur
Sorry.
What? B-net has no illustration for this story???
@Mrs Martta
Couldn’t agree more about the lawyer. I dropped a silent F-bomb to myself when I read that. MKA fires him and he’s not going to make a stink about it. Gee, what a standup guy. Maybe they’ll go easy on him now.
@walleroo
Very classy. Glad you’re enjoying such a heinous crime because it happened in a private school.
I was one of my Brian Stern’s students.
From what I know, his online illegalities never crossed the line from his personal life to his work environment. Brian was my swim coach, my adviser, my science teacher, my dad’s roommate (my dad lived in faculty housing for a year across the hall from Brian), and my camping supervisor. I trusted this man with my life and then I find out he was pedophile charged with possessing child pornography. Brian was fired immediately, he was removed from the faculty directory almost instantly, and he will never be allowed to teach again. I’m not familiar with the process in public schools, but I knew this process was quick, swift, and clean.
As for the continuation of his teaching, MKA wasn’t aware of the ongoing investigation conducted by the F.B.I. What Brian did was extremely wrong but MKA is not liable for anything regarding the child pornography. They had no knowledge of his illegal online activity and when the F.B.I. notified them, they took the necessary steps to help the students, faculty, parents, and others.
Background checks are required by law for both private and public schools. So when something like this happens, at public or private, it’s a shock and a wake up call. No school is exempt.
What matters here is the safety of the kids and I’m grateful he’s in custody.
I always sense discord among Montclair pub school parents regarding MKA. The Montclair residents attending private schools still pay their property taxes, so they are still helping to fund the public school system without taking up a seat. I never understand why that’s a bad thing.
What if all of the kids that go to Seton Hall, MKA, Lady O.L., etc etc. suddenly entered back in to the Montclair public school system. Surely it would seem suddenly crowded, causing the need to hire more teachers, etc.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Let them pay for the seat and not use it, fine by me.
Quite true, Lauren.
Well said, Lauren–but I’ll point out that one quibble some have is with private-school parents who request a refund on their pro-rata share of busing costs.
I have plenty of friends that send their children to MKA and I couldn’t care less. Until, that is, I hear some say that they would never send their child to Mtc public schools b/c of all the poor, black kids that wear their pants below their waist. Of course they don’t use those exact words–if they would only be so brave. Deadeye probably does, though. (Note I said some–not all MKA parents say this out loud.) So, it’s not really jealousy here, just warranted irritation in my opinion.
Regardless, this is very disturbing and I can only imagine how distressing this must be to his students.
Oh please, montclairdad, please pull the pickle out of your a$$. I am weary of people like you who think that every post on a serious topic must express the Proper Emotion. I get no joy from news of pedophiles in any school, public or private. Happy now?
I am gratified to hear that you are open minded about private schools, Tud. In my experience, if your kids are smart and stay on the straight and narrow, MHS is a great school. If not, not. But education is a very individual thing, so who am I to say? I’m sure yours will do fine no matter what school they attend.
I’m sorry, wally, but this is not a Proper Topic for this thread. (But thank you for your sentiment, you sage little marsupial.)
“I have plenty of friends that send their children to MKA and I couldn’t care less. Until, that is, I hear some say that they would never send their child to Mtc public schools b/c of all the poor, black kids that wear their pants below their waist.”
If any person I knew expressed this view in terms clearly enough for me to understand, they would definitely not be considered a friend.
If all the private school kids went to public school you might see better public schools bc I bet those parents would be involved in the school. But hey, free to be you and me, let your MKA flag fly!
Howard,
Guess you dont have any friends from Glen Ridge. Although I find it uncomfortable to hear a friend say ignorant observations about Race, Education, Religion, and Politics they are still my friends. I know somewhere down the road of their life they had a bad experience and created a strong opinion on a person, group, or idea. To say that you have no prejudice in any of your views is a lie you can tell the world, but you are only lying to yourself.
I was close to one family from Glen Ridge. Most of my close friends were met through my kids’ activities; school, sports and scouts. I can honestly say that i don’t recall any of them making bigoted remarks about any group. My family is another matter. Three of my siblings and many of their children are as bigoted as they come. We avoid being with them as much as possible ( and I’m sure they avoid us).
Allow me to defend myself. I went to public school K-12. I supported sending our kids to private school for the same reason that I opted to go to a small liberal arts college rather than a large university. Private school offers smaller classes, more individual attention, and strong peer pressure to perform academically with minimal distractions, not because of the presence of poor black kids, although I have made disparaging comments about hip-hop style dress. That’s my opinion, and I’m entitled to it. The student body at MKA is surprisingly diverse from a racial/ethnic perspective, if not from an economic one, much more so than some other “progressive” schools where one would frankly expect more diversity. I grew up in rural New England among some staggeringly poor white kids that were among my best friends. The lottery system for elementary school selection, and the way that it is seemingly gamed by aggressive parents isn’t something that we wanted to subject ourselves to either. Many stories of families getting 4th and 5th choices. I pay lots of taxes and feel like I should have more say in where my kids go. The public schools here are good. You take away what you put in. if your child is smart, focused, and able to work around the distractions inherent in a large diverse school, he/she will succeed. I’ve seen the college placements, and they’re impressive.
I think superior attitudes regarding anything makes everyone feel badly. I suppose that is the intent.
When people from private schools make those comments, and I have to say, most of the ones I know don’t…I always assume they have a chip on their shoulder, trying to make everyone else feel marginalized. I rarely take the bate, and just give a dull stare, mixed with slight disgust. It’s pitiful, really.
But that said, it costs Montclair somewhere around 12k per pupil, and I’d rather see the money paid, yes, even if they give the 700 or whatever dollar bus refund…I’m fine w/ having it paid by some residents who choose to send their child elsewhere, thus keeping the classes smaller, and freeing up that money for the budget.
And to be fair, there are kids who do better in a private setting, for whatever the reason. And I understand that parents have to be an advocate for their children, so if they can afford it, so be it.
I have friends who have kids in Catholic school and at MKA. No ever insults the ones in parochial school. I wonder if it’s because it would come off as as a religious insult. But I’ve heard plenty of insults aimed at non-sectarian private schools.
With the economy like it is, we probably will be seeing more kids pull out and enter back in the public system.
“If all the private school kids went to public school you might see better public schools bc I bet those parents would be involved in the school.”
Schools are much better off when parents aren’t too involved.