High school teachers are role models to millions of teenagers in this country and around the world. We trust them to teach and to guide our youth and to impart upon them the ability to be active and productive members of their community. But what happens when a teacher violates this oath and breaks the bonds of trust between them, their students, and their community?

This is exactly what happened to someone who had previously taught at my former high school. Last week, a Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville) article was published revealing that a man who had been my high school’s band director has resigned his new job in Florida due to an investigation for sexual misconduct.

I was never in the band nor did I take any music classes in high school, so I never met this member of faculty but I had many friends who did. Having spent three years hearing stories from my band friends about him, I was not at all surprised when I saw the article on Facebook last week. But I was shocked when I actually read it. It details his inappropriate correspondence with students and gives specifics on unacceptable advancements he made to high schoolers.

At my former high school, I knew that this man was not liked by many people, but I had no idea about the severity of his actions.

My community is reeling from these revelations, and it is causing many to wonder how, if the problems were just as bad in Virginia as they were in Florida, he managed to get away with it and get another job afterward.

At one point, the article mentions that this band director showed pictures to his current students of other students in a different school’s band uniform and alleged that he had relationships with them. Were they from my school? Did I know them? I have no idea, but it is a terrifying thought.

Many people in my community, specifically former band students, have voiced relief that this man has finally been exposed. On social media, people are now sharing their experiences with him and it breaks my heart to see people that I know reveal how they were abused by this teacher. According to them, the allegations and accusations in the article are true, and he behaved this way at my school as well, but nothing was publically done to prevent repetitions of his actions.

Teachers hold an immense amount of power and influence over the students they teach. Every student deserves to come to school and be respected by their teachers and no one should have to dread going to a class because they fear verbal or physical abuse. I’m very glad that he is now going to have to answer for what he has done, but I wish that we could have stopped him sooner before he had a chance to hurt more kids.