On September 30, The Washington Post reported a story regarding the sexual misconduct of an El Paso high school teacher. The teacher in question, 34-year-old Marco Alferez, is accused of with having sexual encounters with at most 70 students—all encounters being taped.
As the story was exposed today, many details are still coming out about the encounters. Readers know that of the 70 students victimizes, several were elementary aged. We know that Alferez only began employment with the school district in 2008, which equates to molesting up to 45 students each school year. What readers aren’t told is how this story unconsciously degrades the reputation of the city of El Paso and its educational system.
El Paso is a border town, directly riding the border between Texas and Mexico. As a native Texan, I associate El Paso with border patrol and gang violence. While neither gangs nor border patrol represent a positive depiction of El Paso, the city is known for its strong Hispanic culture. El Paso is home to four four-year universities including the University of Texas-El Paso and five independent school districts. That educational system will now be under fire as a result of this story.
This case of alleged child molestation will negatively impact the city economically, socially, and culturally. Economically, the city will suffer due to the cost of a trial and in the future by the negative connotation El Paso’s education system will undergo. Many families are not going to want to move to a town where they feel they cannot trust the teachers. As students spend at least seven hours at school, parents need to feel that their children are in safe hands, not the hands of a monster.
El Paso will be affected socially because the city is now associated with sexual misconduct. El Paso is a large city on the edge of Texas. The Washington Post and other highly recognized papers regularly cover the city due to its violent crime incidents.
It’s a common belief that one never suspects the people most like themselves to be the ones who hurt them. In a city enriched with Hispanic culture, the citizens probably never suspected a Hispanic male of being a threat to their community. As an African-American woman, I compare this crime to an African-American rapist targeting Black women. Regardless of race, the crime is still appalling; it’s just another nonsensical aspect of the crime.
I believe the city of El Paso, Texas, will have to launch into crisis management mode to repair the damage done by this teacher.
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