Austin Hopkins is accused of the alleged sexual abuse that happened while he was working as a physical education teacher at Clearcreek Elementary School.
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Experts at the Child Advocacy Center in Warren County stress the importance of normalizing conversations about safety with your children.
“When you have something like this within your family, it turns everything upside down,” said Child Advocacy Center manager Amy Fornshell. “There are a lot of people that have gone some through type of sexual abuse and trauma who don’t report it.”
The Springboro School District says it first learned of the allegations when a parent reported concerns to the principal.
“Mr. Hopkins was removed from the building within minutes,” said Springboro Schools communications coordinator Scott Marshall.
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The former gym teacher was put on paid administration leave immediately, but prosecutors say three months of video prior to that shows him sexually abusing girl after girl during class.
One mother said her daughter was one of Hopkins’ alleged victims.
“It’s even more sickening and gut wrenching and horrible to know that it’s not just you.”
Fornshell said she doesn’t even think the girls knew they were being abused, and that’s why it’s important to have conversations about safety with your children.
“Kids don’t always know what’s actually happening,” she said. “Being able to identify that no one should touch them in those private areas where their bikini or bathing suit covers.”
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Fornshell also says you need to make this topic a normal part of talks and teach them the importance of speaking up when something’s wrong.
“If you’re having that consistent conversation then it’s going to be a very natural conversation,” she said. “Being able to identify to a child that no matter what anybody says that is not a secret that you keep.”
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