This story has no winners, only damage. One family has lost a son and brother. Another took a vacation and ended up reporting the sexual abuse of their child. Dozens of elementary students may have been put at risk for similar abuse while at school, and their parents may still be unaware. A small child was adopted by two men, one of whom has since been indicted for child sexual abuse and is now deceased. And now, those responsible for vetting the adults who educate or raise other people’s children in Oklahoma aren’t interested in discussing this trail of tragedy.
One man was seeking access to boys by profession, adoption and even vacation, yet none of those paid to protect children acknowledged any red flags. How did multiple systems fail to protect the children involved, and why are parents so frequently the last to know when an accusation of abuse has been made against a teacher?
Moore PS Teacher Arrested Aboard the Carnival Dream: Takes Own Life Following Indictment
In March of this year, the FBI began investigating an elementary school teacher from Moore Public Schools (MPS) related to his reported molestation of a male child aboard the cruise ship Carnival Dream.
On June 17th, Solan Genesis Harrison (36), a 6th grade social studies teacher at Broadmoore Elementary School at the time of the alleged crime, was indicted by a grand jury within the US Dictrict Court of the Western District of Oklahoma for the crime of abusive sexual contact with a child under 12. The alleged crime occurred within a special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the US while Solan Genesis Harrison and his husband Ryan Marcus (McManigal) Harrison (30) were on a spring break cruise. The men were detained during the trip and sent home as an FBI investigation commenced.
According to the indictment, which was unsealed at the request of the FBI on July 9th, Harrison “knowingly engaged in and caused sexual contact by using his hand to intentionally touch, directly and through the clothing, the genitals of “John Doe”…a person who had not attained the age of 12 years, with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade, arouse and gratify the sexual desire of any person”. The child is identified only as a resident of Arkansas.
On June 26th, nine days after being indicted, it is reported Harrison took his own life. On the following day, unaware of Harrison’s death just hours earlier, the Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSDE) unanimously voted to suspend his teaching certifications.
Moore PS Removed Harrison from Classroom Prior to Federal Indictment
Prior to his indictment, Solan Harrison was reportedly removed from the classroom at some time during the spring semester though no record of his suspension is recorded within any MPS Board of Education agenda or minutes.
This publication reached out to Anna Aguilar, MPS’s Director of Communications & Community Relations, through the district’s email-based contact system to learn more about what actions were taken by the district to protect students and inform parents. Aguilar did not respond and no notice to parents concerning the situation could be located.
Accused Teacher was Emergency Certified, Then Alternatively Certified
Harrison began working at Broadmoore ES during the 2022-23 school year as an emergency certified para-professional before becoming alternatively certified and taking over his own classroom at the same school during 2023-24 .
Harrison and Same-Sex Spouse Adopted a Boy
A memorial service for Solan Harrison was held on July 7th. The publicly available, online tribute to Harrison states, “On March 26, 2013, Solan was married to Ryan. Together, they welcomed their son, Lincoln, who is now 3 years old.” Prior to that time, in 2010, Solan Harrison applied for a marriage license with a female co-applicant.
Solan and Ryan Harrison moved to Oklahoma from Texas and purchased a home in Moore during 2019, prior to adopting the child. It is unknown whether the couple adopted the child through the state’s child welfare agency (OKDHS) or through a private adoption.
This publication reached out to Dr. Deborah Shropshire (OKDHS’s Director of Child Welfare Services) and Debra Martin (OKDHS Communications) to inquire as to whether the child had previously been in state custody, if all required vetting for adoptive parents had taken place, and if steps had been taken to ensure the child’s safety since Harrison’s indictment for child sexual abuse.
The agency provided the following statement concerning the vetting process for all foster and adoptive parents, cited confidentiality requirements involving specific cases, and did not answer any questions concerning the Harrisons or the boy adopted into their home. OKDHS did not deny or confirm previous involvement with the child or the Harrisons.
STATEMENT (per Casey L. White, External Communications and Media Relations Administrator, Office of Communications, Oklahoma Human Services):
“Oklahoma Human Services is committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of Oklahoma’s children, including ensuring children who enter the foster care system are protected from additional maltreatment. Before individuals are able to foster or adopt, the agency completes criminal background checks for all adults in the home, checks our child welfare system for any history of previous reports on a family or the engagement with the system and completes references before the first home visit. As part of the background check process, all adults in the home are also fingerprinted. If an applicant has lived out of the state, additional background checks may also be required. All adult caretakers are required to take 27 hours of pre-service training to ensure they understand the needs of children in the foster care system and how to best serve them. In addition, a home study or Resource Family Assessment is conducted to understand family dynamics, the family’s personal history and their abilities to safely and affectionately parent a child to whom they did not give birth. A home visit is also completed to assess the safety of the home environment and complete initial paperwork, including documentation of the needs and experiences of children they are willing to accept. If they are approved through these initial processes and are considered for placement of a child, adoptive families would also have a trial adoption period to ensure the child’s continued safety and family’s continued success post adoption. After adoption is finalized, the adoptive parents are the legal guardians of the child and receive post-adoption services which may include adoption assistance and support services.
Any details concerning child welfare cases are confidential by state and federal statutes, so we are unable to discuss the facts or circumstances of any child welfare case with anyone who is not authorized by statute or permitted by an order of the court.”
Confidentiality and Non-Transparency Hinder Accountability for Schools and Public Agencies, Keep Parents in the Dark
If public schools refuse to comment or notify parents when a teacher is indicted for child sexual abuse, and OKDHS can legally hide case information concerning an adoptive parent similarly accused, how can children within those systems be protected? Accountability seems to be universally non-existent in this tragic case.
If you know a family with children who attend Broadmoore ES, please share this article. Children rarely disclose sexual abuse despite the devastating damage to their lives. Parents should know if their child’s teacher was indicted for such a crime.
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