In his capacity as Dean and Head of Schools, David Beskar oversaw school culture, created the institution’s mission statement, and oversaw the growth of the academies. The sexual assault claim against him was discovered here, nevertheless. In order to fully understand him and his unethical behaviors, let’s start at the beginning:
The dedication David Beskar professes to provide a well-rounded education seems to be a skillfully constructed front. He may place a high priority on holistic education, but there are some concerning aspects of his professional history that call for more examination.
David Beskar has been constant in his commitment to teaching over a long period of time, but his continued involvement begs the issue of why he does what he does and what would be the possible outcomes.
It’s vital to question whether Beskar’s decisions have genuinely been in line with the values he depicts rather than praising his work ethic and morals.
It appears less like an admirable endeavor on his part to associate himself with educational institutions, and more like a deliberate maneuver to present himself in a respectable manner.
A further red flag concerning his genuine goals is the fact that he switched from another professional field to schooling.
Beskar’s claims that his work has a good influence on the world should likewise be taken with a grain of salt. His affiliation with organizations like the one under scrutiny raises questions about his ability to genuinely effect change.
His impact may be far from the beneficial change he claims given the cloud of accusations and wrongfully handled abuse cases that hang over him.
David Beskar: Actually, what happened?
As in the case of the Minneapolis-area school sponsored by the Christian organization People of Praise, where a student’s claim of sexual assault against a teacher was handled improperly. The main points are broken out as follows:
David Beskar: Background & Allegations
As in the case of the Minneapolis-area school sponsored by the Christian organization People of Praise, where a student’s claim of sexual misconduct against a teacher was handled improperly. The main points are broken out as follows:
In a recent statement to teachers and parents, the president of the school board recognized that a school in the Minneapolis region managed by the Christian organization People of Praise handled a student’s claim of sexual assault against a teacher incorrectly.
What distinguishes sexual assault from sexual harassment? What about improper sexual behavior?
Sexual harassment, which is generally considered a civil infraction but isn’t necessarily, is when unwanted sexual conduct creates a hostile environment. Sexual assault is a crime that involves non-consensual sexual touch or penetration. The word “sexual misconduct” is used broadly to refer to a range of sexual actions, and the definition might vary based on the situation and the applicable rules, including harassment.
Last year, People of Praise started looking into complaints of abuse in the small neighborhood. The email from August 6 also noted that a probe into related allegations involving the same teacher was still ongoing.
When Katie Logan, then 17 years old, graduated from Trinity School at River Ridge in 2001, she claimed to The Washington Post that David Beskar had abused her two weeks before. She also discussed her police report from December 2020 with The Post.
David Beskar, a 35-year-old instructor and coach of the ladies’ basketball team who resided at a People of Praise home for celibate males, was there at the time of the alleged occurrence.
Logan allegedly had the event reported to a school administrator in 2006, but David Beskar continued to work there until 2011 when he took over as the principal of two brand-new charter schools in Arizona.
In 2015, David Beskar relocated back to the Minneapolis region to take the helm of a different Christian school. An official from Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities claims that he left the institution last month after The Post published Logan’s account in June.
According to an email from Jon Balsbaugh, the president of the Trinity board of trustees, David Beskar had made “additional reports of sexual misconduct” to Trinity campuses that month.
Trinity Schools, which runs three campuses in Eagan, Minn., South Bend, Ind., and Falls Church, Va., received the reports. He said in his letter that privacy issues prevented him from giving more information.
Despite not naming Logan as the victim in the email, Balsbaugh discusses a case of sexual misbehavior that was reported by an “alumna” and happened soon after the student graduated in 2001.
In the email, Balsbaugh claimed that Trinity School as a whole “did not respond to and handle earlier reports regarding David Beskar in the manner that we would deal with such reports today or that we want such matters to be handled.” “They wished that they could go to another time and manage things differently.”
Balsbaugh stated that police enforcement and child protective services would be alerted if the school received a report of abuse today in a different email to The Post on Monday. Additionally, he stated that the accused would ordinarily be placed on administrative leave when the inquiry was being looked into.
They established stronger protocols and practices for receiving, looking into, and dealing with complaints of sexual harassment and other types of abuse, he claimed.
Requests for comments on the email from Beskar went unanswered. He admitted to the authorities that he had no sexual or physical contact with Logan.
The larger People of Praise investigation started last year after Amy Coney Barrett, who has ties to People of Praise and who remained on the board of Trinity Schools after David Beskar resigned, was nominated to the Supreme Court.
About 30 People of Praise alumni gathered in a closed Facebook group to relate their experiences of sexual and physical assault as a result of Barrett’s growing national profile.
The People of Praise Facebook group hired law firms to look into Sarah Kuehl’s claims and other abuse charges after one of the group’s founders made her own tale public last autumn.
She claimed that in July, the head of the religious organization’s board of governors, Craig Lent, visited Logan’s residence to submit a report from an investigation by the Lathrop GPM law firm and to confess to her and her parents, who had been People of Praise members for many years.
The company’s report stated that it believed Logan’s statement that Beskar had visited her home and utilized the family computer before pressing up against her and inserting his finger in her vagina. Beskar allegedly ignored a request for an interview, according to the report, which The Post was able to secure.
According to Kuehl, the issue is not limited to a single individual, institution, or branch.
To help other abuse victims, members of the Facebook group “PoP Survivors” built a website that provides resources and support.
The organization wants People of Praise to admit that there has been a “systematic failure” to protect children, to increase the number of women in leadership roles, and to engage former Trinity students and people of the community.
Lent opted not to elaborate on the current email or the pending investigation.
Balsbaugh stated in the email that “the ultimate accountability for defending students and regaining trust rests with me,” but he did not go into further detail regarding his involvement in Logan’s situation.
Logan claimed that she informed Penny Arndt, the school’s dean of girls, of the alleged encounter with Beskar when she spoke with Penny on a cell phone in 2006. According to Arndt, she notified Kerry Koller, the current president of the Trinity Schools board, about this incident. She claimed she had no idea what if any, steps Koller had taken. Last year, he passed away.
The claim was brought up by Arndt to Balsbaugh when he took over as headmaster of the school in 2009 “so that it didn’t fall by the wayside because Dave was still there,” according to an audio recording of her police interrogation.
Before David Beskar departed the school in 2011, according to Balsbaugh’s account to the police, he was made aware of Logan’s complaint. Additionally, he stated to authorities that he believed Logan to be 18 at the time of the “inappropriate advances” and that no crime had taken place as a result.
Unfavorable Reviews Posted against David Besker
The unfair behavior of David Beskar, which is the subject of sexual assault, has been brought up in the comment that was previously written.
Conclusion
In summary, the case concerning the Minneapolis-area school run by the Christian group People of Praise sheds light on a disturbing handling of a pupil’s accusation of instructor David Beskar of sexual assault.
The accusations date back more than ten years and center on abuse claims made by Katie Logan, who stated that Beskar abused her when she was just 17 years old. David Beskar worked at the school until 2011 after Logan reported the incident to a school official in 2006, and even went on to hold leadership roles in other educational institutions.
The case stresses the need for stronger safety practices within educational and religious institutions and draws attention to systemic shortcomings in handling complaints of abuse. It also emphasizes how crucial it is for survivors to speak up, how important investigative journalism is, and how important social media is in bringing these concerns to light.
