"Ding!"
The email came in just like any other. We had just gotten back from 12 amazing days exploring Sydney, Australia. The last couple months of school were upon us. We were in the midst of discussing what crazy adventure we might want to take for summer vacation and the world came to a screeching halt. One "ding" from email transformed our lives. I quickly scanned the email from the school and took the laptop to sit on the couch. I reread it again and then read it aloud to Chris.
There had been an assault on a student at school, during school hours. The school was taking actions to ensure the safety of all students and the family of the student was asking for privacy. That was it...no more details. My mind was reeling.
Which campus had the alleged assault taken place?
What was the age of the student?
What was the nature of the assault?
Were my kids safe?
What in the world were we doing living in a developing country 10,000 miles from home?
Our school community was shocked (to say the least). The emotions at school were off the charts. Parents were keeping their children home and discussions were being held about pulling kids out of school completely. There were talks of other victims. The rumors were flying. Every morning as I walked Dustin to school, I would tear up thinking about the situation.
Were my kids truly safe?
What was I doing exposing them to such a horrific situation?
In my mind and in my heart, I KNEW they were safe. I spent enough time at school, with their teachers, and with each of them to know that nothing had happened to them personally. I knew the staff at the school enough to know that they were doing everything they could to protect my children from anything bad happening to them.
Then life got CRAZY...As the family of the child went public with their allegations, things went insane. There was mass media outside the front gates of school. There were reporters shoving microphones into Dustin's face as we walked to school in the morning. School was closed due to protestors outside of the gates. We live a block from the school and walk everyday, but the media and protestors were so bad, the school started providing special busses so we could avoid the madness before and after school. The Minister of Education closed down the Early Years program (the Pre-K and Kindergarten) Dustin was just finishing up Pre-K and there was much uncertainty about whether Kindergarten would open the following year (I spent my summer preparing to homeschool him for Kindergarten).
As we all left for the summer vacation, we felt we had barely made it thru the end of the year, but we were feeling optimistic that (other than the possibility of having no kindergarten program) the following school year would return to normal.
Next, the family sued the school for $25 million USD and plastered the name and photo of their child all over the media.
And then life got CRAZIER...The family had been accusing 6 janitors of horrific acts against their child. When it was learned that their $25 million lawsuit against the school wouldn't go anywhere because the janitors were not employed by the school, but contracted out, they accused school employees and upped the lawsuit against the school to $125 Million USD. So, while we were all off enjoying our summer holidays, the Head of the School was sending us daily updates about the situation in Jakarta. I was still in my jet lagged, wake up at 2:00 every morning state of mind when I received the email that 2 teachers and the Principal of Dustin's school were now being accused. Although I didn't know one of the teachers personally, I knew the other two and immediately sent an email to the school to express my outrage at the allegations and my support of the school and the teachers named.
The "facts" of the case started being leaked to the media. Each "fact" was more absurd than the last. Chris and I had been at school EVERY SINGLE DAY - at least twice a day. Dustin was in the Pre-K class and was let out of school 2 hours earlier than the rest of the kids. We would pick him up in the school office (the Aquarium, as it's named because of it's all glass offices), where these alleged acts of assault took place EVERY SINGLE DAY - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCHOOL DAY! It was said that one of the teachers was conjuring magic blue stones from thin air. There was no physical evidence that anything had happened to the child AT ALL, much less that those accused had any part in the non existent crimes.
One of the six accused cleaners died during interrogations. The others claimed to have been tortured and said they were forced to confess when they could no longer handle the torture. Two teachers were arrested and we came back from summer vacation to more questions and fewer answers than when we left. Vigils were being held at school every evening to get together as a community and show our support. The start of the school year was delayed for everyone and the Early Years and Kinder programs were delayed even further. Our rose colored glasses were removed...the bubble had burst.
Eventually things at the school calmed down. The school year got underway. The Kindergarten program reopened, followed a few months later by the Early Years program. Life went on...kind of...
As we came to realize that NOTHING HAPPENED, we began to reach out to the families of the six cleaners. We went to court to show our support for them. We began raising funds to replace their loss of income, money used to support extended family members. We came to know each of the cleaners and their families and tried to show them we believe in them. We wept with each of them as their verdicts were read and they were given 6-7 years in prison. We vowed to stand beside them until the day they walk free.
We did the same for the teachers and for their families. We spent entire days at the courthouse to show our support (there were days we would be leaving the courthouse well after the sun went down). The school community rallied to ensure that home cooked meals were delivered to the teachers every day in prison. We wept with each of them as their verdicts were read and they were each given 8 years in prison. We vowed to stand beside them until the day they walk free.
It's been over two years since this all started. As I sit writing this, the 5 remaining cleaners have been in jail 904 days. The teachers have been in jail, convicted, had their conviction over turned, and then over turned again. They also remain in jail waiting for some sort of justice to be served.
It's been over two years and I still can't wrap my head around the absurdity of the entire thing. Every day I question how a country I love so much, with such beautiful people, can have such a corrupt justice system. I've had conversations with my friends from Indonesia about the absurdity of it all, about how powerless they feel. How do you change a corrupt system? (Don't get me wrong, I am painfully aware of the problems in my home country - I cringe anytime someone mentions the current election, gun laws, or race issues - just to name a few!)
It's been over two years and my seven year old is still thinking up ways to help them get out of jail. He's still sending letters, notes, and pictures to his friends in jail (and receiving beautiful notes and gifts in return).
It's been over two years and I still cry when I think about the lives that have been ruined over this entire situation. I have stopped wondering about the motives of those who started this, but I hurt for the child in the center of it all. His name and photo will forever be linked to this case. He's had countless medical exams (all stating the same results - NOTHING HAPPENED). He's had to move to another country.
It's been over two years and we still stand vigil at the school every Friday evening. Dustin still leads the Naga Cheer (the school chant) with power and conviction in hopes that our innocent friends can feel our support.
It's been over two years and we're still doing everything in our power to support the cleaners, the teachers, and their families.
It's been over two years and this story has been ongoing. There is so much more than I could possibly write in a short blog entry, but I wanted to write something detailing why I haven't written in a while. I've had trouble putting it into words. I've had to come to terms with the fact that this amazing adventure we're on isn't just about seeing the wonders of the world and experiencing new things. It's easy to write about the fun adventures and the crazy things that happen. It's not so easy to write about things that really matter.
It's been over two years and I can honestly say this experience has changed us forever.
For more information, please visit freeneilandferdi.org
There had been an assault on a student at school, during school hours. The school was taking actions to ensure the safety of all students and the family of the student was asking for privacy. That was it...no more details. My mind was reeling.
Which campus had the alleged assault taken place?
What was the age of the student?
What was the nature of the assault?
Were my kids safe?
What in the world were we doing living in a developing country 10,000 miles from home?
Our school community was shocked (to say the least). The emotions at school were off the charts. Parents were keeping their children home and discussions were being held about pulling kids out of school completely. There were talks of other victims. The rumors were flying. Every morning as I walked Dustin to school, I would tear up thinking about the situation.
Were my kids truly safe?
What was I doing exposing them to such a horrific situation?
In my mind and in my heart, I KNEW they were safe. I spent enough time at school, with their teachers, and with each of them to know that nothing had happened to them personally. I knew the staff at the school enough to know that they were doing everything they could to protect my children from anything bad happening to them.
Then life got CRAZY...As the family of the child went public with their allegations, things went insane. There was mass media outside the front gates of school. There were reporters shoving microphones into Dustin's face as we walked to school in the morning. School was closed due to protestors outside of the gates. We live a block from the school and walk everyday, but the media and protestors were so bad, the school started providing special busses so we could avoid the madness before and after school. The Minister of Education closed down the Early Years program (the Pre-K and Kindergarten) Dustin was just finishing up Pre-K and there was much uncertainty about whether Kindergarten would open the following year (I spent my summer preparing to homeschool him for Kindergarten).As we all left for the summer vacation, we felt we had barely made it thru the end of the year, but we were feeling optimistic that (other than the possibility of having no kindergarten program) the following school year would return to normal.
Next, the family sued the school for $25 million USD and plastered the name and photo of their child all over the media.
And then life got CRAZIER...The family had been accusing 6 janitors of horrific acts against their child. When it was learned that their $25 million lawsuit against the school wouldn't go anywhere because the janitors were not employed by the school, but contracted out, they accused school employees and upped the lawsuit against the school to $125 Million USD. So, while we were all off enjoying our summer holidays, the Head of the School was sending us daily updates about the situation in Jakarta. I was still in my jet lagged, wake up at 2:00 every morning state of mind when I received the email that 2 teachers and the Principal of Dustin's school were now being accused. Although I didn't know one of the teachers personally, I knew the other two and immediately sent an email to the school to express my outrage at the allegations and my support of the school and the teachers named.
The "facts" of the case started being leaked to the media. Each "fact" was more absurd than the last. Chris and I had been at school EVERY SINGLE DAY - at least twice a day. Dustin was in the Pre-K class and was let out of school 2 hours earlier than the rest of the kids. We would pick him up in the school office (the Aquarium, as it's named because of it's all glass offices), where these alleged acts of assault took place EVERY SINGLE DAY - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCHOOL DAY! It was said that one of the teachers was conjuring magic blue stones from thin air. There was no physical evidence that anything had happened to the child AT ALL, much less that those accused had any part in the non existent crimes. One of the six accused cleaners died during interrogations. The others claimed to have been tortured and said they were forced to confess when they could no longer handle the torture. Two teachers were arrested and we came back from summer vacation to more questions and fewer answers than when we left. Vigils were being held at school every evening to get together as a community and show our support. The start of the school year was delayed for everyone and the Early Years and Kinder programs were delayed even further. Our rose colored glasses were removed...the bubble had burst.
Eventually things at the school calmed down. The school year got underway. The Kindergarten program reopened, followed a few months later by the Early Years program. Life went on...kind of...
As we came to realize that NOTHING HAPPENED, we began to reach out to the families of the six cleaners. We went to court to show our support for them. We began raising funds to replace their loss of income, money used to support extended family members. We came to know each of the cleaners and their families and tried to show them we believe in them. We wept with each of them as their verdicts were read and they were given 6-7 years in prison. We vowed to stand beside them until the day they walk free.
We did the same for the teachers and for their families. We spent entire days at the courthouse to show our support (there were days we would be leaving the courthouse well after the sun went down). The school community rallied to ensure that home cooked meals were delivered to the teachers every day in prison. We wept with each of them as their verdicts were read and they were each given 8 years in prison. We vowed to stand beside them until the day they walk free. It's been over two years since this all started. As I sit writing this, the 5 remaining cleaners have been in jail 904 days. The teachers have been in jail, convicted, had their conviction over turned, and then over turned again. They also remain in jail waiting for some sort of justice to be served.
It's been over two years and I still can't wrap my head around the absurdity of the entire thing. Every day I question how a country I love so much, with such beautiful people, can have such a corrupt justice system. I've had conversations with my friends from Indonesia about the absurdity of it all, about how powerless they feel. How do you change a corrupt system? (Don't get me wrong, I am painfully aware of the problems in my home country - I cringe anytime someone mentions the current election, gun laws, or race issues - just to name a few!)It's been over two years and my seven year old is still thinking up ways to help them get out of jail. He's still sending letters, notes, and pictures to his friends in jail (and receiving beautiful notes and gifts in return).
It's been over two years and we still stand vigil at the school every Friday evening. Dustin still leads the Naga Cheer (the school chant) with power and conviction in hopes that our innocent friends can feel our support.
It's been over two years and we're still doing everything in our power to support the cleaners, the teachers, and their families.
It's been over two years and this story has been ongoing. There is so much more than I could possibly write in a short blog entry, but I wanted to write something detailing why I haven't written in a while. I've had trouble putting it into words. I've had to come to terms with the fact that this amazing adventure we're on isn't just about seeing the wonders of the world and experiencing new things. It's easy to write about the fun adventures and the crazy things that happen. It's not so easy to write about things that really matter.
It's been over two years and I can honestly say this experience has changed us forever.
For more information, please visit freeneilandferdi.org
