Update on Jason Lyn Gasque--Our Tax Dollars at Work

It's been 11 months since Jason Lyn (Frog) Gasque was arrested on charges of the sexual abuse of one of his students. Gasque has still not come to trial, and the citizens of Lawrence County continue to pay the coach's salary.

We first reported on the charges against Gasque in our January 13, 2009, column. At that time, we incorrectly stated Gasque had worked in the Florence City system for two years. According to Florence Superintendent Kendy Behrens, Gasque worked only one year for Florence where he enjoyed a perfect record and was eligible for rehire. Unfortunately, he didn't enjoy the same reputation in other systems.

In early May, Gasque was formally indicted in Lawrence County on charges of inappropriate contact with the 16 year-old Speake student. On May 20th, the Lawrence County Board of Education met in its regular session, during which board members discussed the pending litigation and unanimously voted to terminate Gasque. Superintendent Heath Grimes stated the official termination did nothing to stop Gasque from drawing his regular salary until all legal charges are officially settled.

The 32 year-old Gasque is married to the former Susan Robledo, 35, a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner, who works at a Courtland rural health clinic in Lawrence County. Friends of Susan Gasque report that she has worked independently to obtain information favorable to her husband and plans to testify at his trial. Jason Lyn Gasque has told family and friends that he has no plans to re-enter the teaching profession after his trial, a trial that he and his wife have no doubts will exonerate him.

If the charges against Gasque have been concocted, we hope those responsible will be punished to the fullest extent. If they are true, we wish the same for Jason Lyn Gasque to whom the citizens of Lawrence County entrusted their children.


What's up with this: Good Samaritan Hospice of Madison (at one time ostensibly closed) is suing former owner Randy Gist for fraud. This is a civil suit and can be dismissed as frivolous by the judge; we have not seen a copy of the suit in question, but the word frivolous hardly seems to cover it.

Shoalanda

Is Your Child's Teacher Trash?

From the comments on yesterday's article concerning Jason Lyn Gasque, it is apparent that many are still unfamiliar with the term "Pass the Trash." This phrase has been used in many contexts and even as the appellation of a poker game, yet to those in the hallowed halls of academe it means passing a bad teacher off on an unsuspecting new school.

How can parents be aware of bad teachers in Alabama, especially sexual predators? While there is a national database of teachers who have been reprimanded, it includes such "crimes" as failure to make payments on student loans. There are currently over 500 names of sanctioned teachers in the Alabama data base.

For those parents who wish to investigate only those infractions of a sexual nature, this data base is almost useless. There are web sites that report exclusively on sexual crimes involving teachers, among them Teacher Crime and Bad, Bad Teacher. The latter has just added Jason Gasque to its list: http://badbadteacher.com/jason-gasque/

Unfortunately, Alabama schools are required to check only state records when performing a background check on prospective educators. One local woman is now working to correct this oversight, and we will be reporting on her quest later this year.

As for Coach Gasque, a University of North Alabama employee has reported that he was hired against the wishes of Colbert County High School's principal and athletic director. If this is true, it is even more disturbing that A.D. Steve Mask would attempt to quell the reports of Gasque's infractions while at the high school.

If you are the parent of a school-age child, no matter how young or old, take the time to discuss these issues with him or her. Predatory teachers are not a product of the 21st century--they have always been with us. It's time we faced the problem and eradicated it.


What's up with this: Sources report that financing problems have halted construction on the new Rick's Barbecue at Elgin. Here's hoping Mr. Lanning will be able to resolve these issues and be open by Spring.

Jason Lyn Gasque--Pass the Trash

Jason Lyn Gasque is 31 years old and has already had more jobs than many of us do in a lifetime. Why? It's called "Pass the Trash."

The son of Bennie and Vickie Gasque of Leighton, Jason Lyn was a good student and better athlete. This is a combination often found in sexual predators (see Keith McGuire story). Growing up in Leighton, he was popular due to his athletic accomplishments, and few in the small town would have failed to recommend Gasque for whatever endeavor he chose to pursue.

Jason Gasque and his wife live on Berry Circle in Florence, an upscale neighborhood located between Greenbriar and Hickory Hills. It's a long drive from his home in Florence to his latest teaching assignment in Speake in Lawrence County, but apparently no one saw this as odd. Apparently no one was really looking at Jason Lyn Gasque until now.

In the autumn of 2005, Gasque was teaching at Richland High School in Lynnville, Tennessee. The next autumn, he was hired at Florence High School as a math teacher. Gasque lasted two years at Florence High before taking the position of Assistant Softball Coach at Colbert County High School, an institution located in his hometown of Leighton.

After six months on the job at Colbert County High, five female softball players came forward to complain that Gasque had made inappropriate comments to them. Not waiting for a hearing, Coach Gasque immediately sought an audience with Colbert County Superintendent Billy Hudson to tender his resignation. Rumors were rife in the community, but Athletic Director Steve Mask defended his friend--an action that allayed fears in much of the provential town. After all, Gasque was one of their own, and Mask wouldn't have defended him if there had been an iota of truth to the accusations.

The fall of 2008 saw Jason Gasque coaching and teaching math at Speake High School in Lawrence County. The small community of Speak is located just southeast of Moulton. Those who travel 157 to Cullman may not even realize they are passing through a town unless they are faithful observers of signage. Now after only five months in this position, Coach Jason Gasque is in trouble again, but this time his actions have led to an arrest.

Accused of inappropriately touching a 16 year-old female student in Speake High School's parking lot, Gasque has been arrested for sexual abuse. How did the school systems that employed Jason Lyn Gasque let down both their communities and the students in their charge?

It's called "Pass the Trash," and it has to stop.

What's up with this: If you don't know how to read your various utility meters, refer to online instructions at city websites; then you'll know more than many professional meter readers.