Textbook incompetence

We appreciate the L.A. school superintendent’s admission of failure and apology after a principal known to have had an affair with a student at one school was assigned to another school, where he’s now accused of molesting a student. But what parents need now is a clear explanation of where the administration went wrong and in what way the responsible people are being held accountable.

The alleged molestation of a 13-year-old girl who attends Markham Middle School is a gut-wrenching example of the weaknesses in management of the Los Angeles Unified School District. An egregious gaffe by top administrators on the 24th floor of the central office who are too distant from the kids on the ground to put their needs first. An initial attempt to downplay the significance of what happened, followed by an apology and an action plan to prevent such problems. The plan usually involves adding more layers to an already giant bureaucracy.

This story even has a familiar subplot, the “dance of the lemons,” in which the district shuffles problem personnel around -- usually to a troubled school in a poor area -- to avoid the task of booting them out the door.

Steve Thomas Rooney was never charged with a crime for his relationship with a student, but that’s not because authorities had no evidence of his involvement with the 17-year-old. The girl admitted to a yearlong relationship but refused to cooperate. Police said they turned over this information to school officials.

Prosecutors need proof beyond a reasonable doubt for a conviction, but the school district needs only evidence that students could be placed at risk in order to take action against an employee. Yet, after a brief stint off-campus, Rooney was transferred to Markham, a middle school already beset by poverty, violence and abysmal academic achievement.

Supt. David L. Brewer proposes a task force to oversee future such cases. But the district doesn’t need another panel to make common-sense personnel decisions. It needs administrators to do their jobs. Brewer should wrap up his investigation quickly, provide the public with a full account of what happened and outline what disciplinary steps are being taken. Success will continue to elude this district until there are consequences for failure.