The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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March 14, 2010

Our View: Students must be the top priority

The Free Press

Before the Mankato Area 77 Lancers Marching Band gets a fresh start with a new director, the band members and other band students deserve reassurance.

Students deserve to know that their well-being and protection are a top priority.

Longtime director Tedd Gullickson is no longer with the school district after being investigated for allegations of sexual misconduct.

No criminal charges resulted from an investigation begun in November after Gullickson was discovered in the back seat of a car in the company of an 18-year-old former student, but the investigation has been reopened. A woman came forward Feb. 2 who claimed she had a sexual relationship with Gullickson while she was 17 years old in 2009. One encounter, the teen said, occurred during a trip to a music convention in Minneapolis.

The teen from the November incident told law enforcement authorities that faculty and students both noticed their feelings for one another. A police report states that Gullickson had been disciplined by the school district for his involvement with the teen involved in the November incident. The question is: Was action as swift and as harsh as it could have been?

The teen told authorities she was aware of rumors from about three years ago about Gullickson’s involvement with a different student. Those rumors are just that, but their longevity also should raise red flags. A reasonable question is whether Gullickson’s award-winning success as a director caused some to balk at looking a little deeper.

Every band student and every member of the Lancers deserves to know that they will be supported and adults will do everything in their power to protect them.

The Lancers is a group that has a history of excellence and the parents have been a powerful ally. The students now have a new director who has the credentials to likely continue that record of success. And now every parent, every student, every community member can re-emphasize that integrity and ethical behavior matter much more than a winning record.

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