Author: Joelle Casteix

  • If your kid goes to Anaheim’s Katella HS, read this:

    If your kid goes to Anaheim’s Katella HS, read this:

    Two survivors of child sexual abuse have said Katella High School’s David Sepe sexually abused them while he was their teacher at Savannah High School. Both schools are in the Anaheim’s Union High School District.

    But it gets worse –

    Please pass this information along. I am pretty sure that most of the parents at Savannah have no idea about the lawsuits.

    If you have information about the district’s response (letters, emails, etc.) or Sepe’s status on campus, feel free to send anything my way. Your privacy will be protected (as will the safety of more than one kid.)

    And it’s safe to come forward and report, even if you don’t want to file a lawsuit.

  • Twenty Years

    This year marks the 20th year I have been advocating for survivors of child sexual abuse.

    When people ask if I get discouraged, I tell them, “Yes, of course.”

    But if you look back to the state of things 20 years ago, it’s night and day.

    The best part? The amazing people whom I met along this path. Many came before and blazed the trailed I journeyed, and even more will follow.

  • New Podcast

    New Podcast

    People fascinate me. I love to ask questions. And when you ask someone the RIGHT question at the RIGHT time, the results can be extraordinary.

    Every week, I share the best with you.

    Join me, won’t you?

    Listen on Apple and anywhere you get your podcasts. (And do me a solid and leave a 5-star review!)

  • Too little, too late …

    Too little, too late …

    He finally announced he’s retiring.

    Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I bet that as soon as disgraced Mater Dei High School football coach Bruce Rollinson is retired and sitting on his Lanai on Maui, we will suddenly have “robust investigations,” “appropriate sanctions,” and “healing and renewal” of the athletics programs at Mater Dei.

    From the Orange County Register:

    Rollinson’s coaching future has been under intense scrutiny since late last season when allegations of hazing in the Mater Dei football program surfaced in a lawsuit filed just before the CIF-SS Division 1 championship against Servite. The incident was investigated by Santa Ana police but charges weren’t filed.

    Rollinson pressed forward. He didn’t miss a game even as additional concerns about the conduct of his players came to light.

    There were videos showing Mater Dei football players acting out simulated sex acts on other players. There was a report about a Mater Dei basketball player who was allegedly beaten by two Mater Dei football players during an off-campus event in 2019.

    And it gets worse … here and here.

    From the LA Times

    Player One was initially told by teammates not to “snitch,” but when the school’s officials figured out what had happened, they apparently didn’t want to openly acknowledge the reason for the injuries, and his parents weren’t called for 90 minutes.

    When his father finally spoke to Rollinson the next day, the coach dismissed the incident as child’s play, saying, “If I had 100 dollars every time these kids played, ‘Bodies’ or ‘Slappies,’ I’d be a millionaire.”

    Rollinson also is accused of telling Player One’s father that he couldn’t discipline Player Two because his father was an influential local youth football coach who had worked with several players at Mater Dei.

    But the school did administer punishment. In a move as outrageous as any sucker punch, the school actually suspended Player One for fighting, a suspension that was eventually rescinded.

    Oh yeah. Then there was that time he physically assaulted a female athletic trainer half his size.

    What did the Diocese of Orange have to say?

    “The Diocese of Orange is grateful for the decades of service Bruce Rollinson has made on the field as a renowned football coach at Mater Dei High School, and for his off-the-field contributions as a man of Catholic faith who guided generations of student-athletes as a mentor, teacher and community leader,” Diocese of Orange spokesperson Jarryd Gonzales wrote in an email.

    Gee. If Rollinson had killed someone, they probably would have named a parish after him.

    Good riddance …

  • Contributions

    I was asked to contribute a book chapter for a new book for survivors of child sexual abuse and sexual assault. The book’s focus is tools for healing, which attracted me. Besides, all of us need tools to better ourselves.

    Victimhood is no way to live. My job is not to protect anyone’s feelings, or to keep my feelings protected by silences others. My job—as is everyone’s—is to be the best, most whole person we can be.