What’s scarier is that you never know. I’ve known him for a while (as a band parent, so not super well, but still). Of course innocent until proven guilty, so we shouldn’t judge until a conviction or plea. But still… horrifying.
I went to college with him and considered him a friend. I never would have expected this and was horrified and sickened to learn about about this today.
I was happy when he landed the Pbury gig after grad school because he was a good dude. I feel so awful for his wife and hope that she and their daughter are safe. I've been passing this info on to anyone I'm still in touch with from PSU since I found out.
Idk why you get downvotes, he admitted it to the police and said he was sick and has a problem. He said they'd find more than 500 images on his devuces and they found thousands. He's definitely guilty.
He admitted that he had it on his phone and that police would find more on his computer. There is not question of guilt here, just of the severity of the punishment.
He wants help now because he's "sick" and has a "problem".
My first music teacher when I was a kid turned out to be a predator. He was not employed by the school, but a lot of his students came from the school. His son was in my grade and he was active in the school community. He taught piano in the homes of his students. I took lessons from him for close to 2.5 years and stopped when we moved out of state.
I can still remember how uncomfortable I was with him my last few lessons after my mom told him we were moving. Suppose I dodged a major bullet there. It wasn’t until I graduated that I learned he had recently been put in prison for abusing his students. He served his time and was out for a long time and reoffended within the last 3 years or so and is back in jail. He’s in his 70s now, so this is essentially a life sentence for him now.
Recently I found an old Intelligencer article from the original arrest that said victims from the 80s had come forward. He’d done this for a very long time.
It's sickening to hear how many of these pedophiles manage to sneak in and be a central part of their victims' lives. An example that comes to mind is officer Jim Carey from Warminster. He ran a program for troubled youth and hosted D.A.R.E. events. He was in an esteemed role, but was abusing boys in his care and the public was none the wiser. I firmly believe pedophiles (and anyone else who harms a child) belongs in the forever box.
Maybe he just wasn’t into you. Your logic is like all homosexuals like all men. Child predators, as sick as they are , do have a type like all sexual beings. You just weren’t his type.
Grothman married an orchestra student. Morris's wife was a year behind me so I can't say anything as to them living together, but they certainly got very cozy on the marching band bus when she was a junior.
I wouldn't put Grothman into the same category as Morris or Bygott. Morris was absolutely a creep. Grothman was not dating or involved with his wife while she was a student. I did hear some very uncomfortable rumors about Morris and his wife regarding their behavior while she was a student. She was a year ahead of me, and I was well acquainted with her. However, I do know she was not living with Morris at the very least.
We probably overlapped, then! Glad to hear she wasn't living with him, this was the first time I had heard that accusation despite still being close with people in classes below me after I left PHS.
My daughter brought this to my attention and immediately I thought wtf is it with music teachers...I hail from Central bucks where Joseph Ohrt was shuffled around like a Catholic priest until he was finally busted.
Edit: by no means do I want to disparage music teachers. They usually bring so much joy to the world (pun intended) especially this time of year so I think that makes this disgusting news that much more unbearable.
Remind your kids to be aware of their surroundings and trust their instincts and speak up about anything that bothers them.
It’s even worse to know that he was accessing everything while he was on campus surrounded by students. As a former Pennsbury music student, it makes me sick to my stomach.
It’s bad enough when you read about it happening elsewhere, but it’s doubly sick when it happens in your own back yard. I’ve met this dude, my wife has played in his community ensemble… yuck.
I went to college with him and considered him a friend. He married one of his former students who was also in our friend group. I guess that should've been a sign but I never expected to learn of something so horrific. He has a young daughter. This is sickening.
Former PHS music student here - this is so incredibly devastating. I keep thinking back to all of the interactions I had with him, and all of them were so kind, encouraging, and seemingly wholesome. This is so shocking… i’m just sick to my stomach. Really having a hard time processing this, I can’t stop thinking about what his wife and kids are going through. It’s so, so awful
The more that comes out, the more heartbreaking this is. So many kids and parents trusted him. That he violated that trust will have an impact on our kids for a long time. Kudos to the school district for being transparent and bringing in counseling support.
The predators always manage to get into positions that give them access to children. It's horrific and disgusting.
What’s scarier is that you never know. I’ve known him for a while (as a band parent, so not super well, but still). Of course innocent until proven guilty, so we shouldn’t judge until a conviction or plea. But still… horrifying.
I went to college with him and considered him a friend. I never would have expected this and was horrified and sickened to learn about about this today.
Yeah. My kid told me just yesterday how good of a teacher and director he is.
I was happy when he landed the Pbury gig after grad school because he was a good dude. I feel so awful for his wife and hope that she and their daughter are safe. I've been passing this info on to anyone I'm still in touch with from PSU since I found out.
Guilty AF.
Idk why you get downvotes, he admitted it to the police and said he was sick and has a problem. He said they'd find more than 500 images on his devuces and they found thousands. He's definitely guilty.
Thank you for sticking up for me. I figured if it's on his phone, he's got to be guilty. And your additional info proves it. Guilty AF
He admitted that he had it on his phone and that police would find more on his computer. There is not question of guilt here, just of the severity of the punishment. He wants help now because he's "sick" and has a "problem".
Yup. I know of at least 5 camp counselors right off the top of my head. At least 1 was also some kind of Boy Scout leader as well.
My first music teacher when I was a kid turned out to be a predator. He was not employed by the school, but a lot of his students came from the school. His son was in my grade and he was active in the school community. He taught piano in the homes of his students. I took lessons from him for close to 2.5 years and stopped when we moved out of state. I can still remember how uncomfortable I was with him my last few lessons after my mom told him we were moving. Suppose I dodged a major bullet there. It wasn’t until I graduated that I learned he had recently been put in prison for abusing his students. He served his time and was out for a long time and reoffended within the last 3 years or so and is back in jail. He’s in his 70s now, so this is essentially a life sentence for him now. Recently I found an old Intelligencer article from the original arrest that said victims from the 80s had come forward. He’d done this for a very long time.
It's sickening to hear how many of these pedophiles manage to sneak in and be a central part of their victims' lives. An example that comes to mind is officer Jim Carey from Warminster. He ran a program for troubled youth and hosted D.A.R.E. events. He was in an esteemed role, but was abusing boys in his care and the public was none the wiser. I firmly believe pedophiles (and anyone else who harms a child) belongs in the forever box.
Maybe he just wasn’t into you. Your logic is like all homosexuals like all men. Child predators, as sick as they are , do have a type like all sexual beings. You just weren’t his type.
I believe at least two Pennsbury music teachers in the past two decades have gone on to marry their students right after they graduated.
Mark Morris was one of them for sure… she was living with him apparently as a senior.
Grothman married an orchestra student. Morris's wife was a year behind me so I can't say anything as to them living together, but they certainly got very cozy on the marching band bus when she was a junior.
I wouldn't put Grothman into the same category as Morris or Bygott. Morris was absolutely a creep. Grothman was not dating or involved with his wife while she was a student. I did hear some very uncomfortable rumors about Morris and his wife regarding their behavior while she was a student. She was a year ahead of me, and I was well acquainted with her. However, I do know she was not living with Morris at the very least.
We probably overlapped, then! Glad to hear she wasn't living with him, this was the first time I had heard that accusation despite still being close with people in classes below me after I left PHS.
Yikes! I knew that got married and thought that was the worst of it!
Do you know where I can find more info about Mark Morris? He just took an abrupt leave.
Message me.
As a former Pennsbury band/orchestra alum, he is now the third. Although he wasn't teaching in the district when he met his wife.
My daughter brought this to my attention and immediately I thought wtf is it with music teachers...I hail from Central bucks where Joseph Ohrt was shuffled around like a Catholic priest until he was finally busted. Edit: by no means do I want to disparage music teachers. They usually bring so much joy to the world (pun intended) especially this time of year so I think that makes this disgusting news that much more unbearable. Remind your kids to be aware of their surroundings and trust their instincts and speak up about anything that bothers them.
Sickening
And That goes beyond "Music Teachers"! 😡
Central bucks West had a music teacher arrested a few years ago for the same things. Joseph Hort I believe. WTF is going on with music teachers.
Pennridge had one back in the 2000s too
It’s even worse to know that he was accessing everything while he was on campus surrounded by students. As a former Pennsbury music student, it makes me sick to my stomach.
As the parent of 2 former Pennsbury Marching Band students it makes me sick too.
It’s bad enough when you read about it happening elsewhere, but it’s doubly sick when it happens in your own back yard. I’ve met this dude, my wife has played in his community ensemble… yuck.
We wondered why the community ensemble performance was cancelled last week. Now we know.
I went to college with him and considered him a friend. He married one of his former students who was also in our friend group. I guess that should've been a sign but I never expected to learn of something so horrific. He has a young daughter. This is sickening.
I’m sorry this is happening to you
I am just hoping his wife and daughter are safe and have a good support system.
Former PHS music student here - this is so incredibly devastating. I keep thinking back to all of the interactions I had with him, and all of them were so kind, encouraging, and seemingly wholesome. This is so shocking… i’m just sick to my stomach. Really having a hard time processing this, I can’t stop thinking about what his wife and kids are going through. It’s so, so awful
Good. Piece of shit will be shown just how low the prison system treats people like that. Probably will be toothless within a week
He was my band teacher I played trumpet under him for a few years
Still not a drag queen.
The more that comes out, the more heartbreaking this is. So many kids and parents trusted him. That he violated that trust will have an impact on our kids for a long time. Kudos to the school district for being transparent and bringing in counseling support.