Of Raul Ramirez and the devoping teen brain

Some young people in the Alisal, where assistant principal Raul Ramirez was arrested for allegedly having sex with a minor (and allegedly attempting to destroy the evidence of the liaison) are defending his behavior. "People should stay out of his life," a girl familiar with the situation told me via Facebook. Several of her peers "liked" her comment.

While I don't know the specifics of the situation, it would not be surprising to see a 14-year-old become infatuated with a man in a position of power -- particularly if the girl came from a broken home, where she lacked affection and attention. Not that surprising either is to see a 38-year-old male become infatuated with a young, energetic, attractive girl.

Because Ramirez has been a very popular assistant principal for many years, it's natural to see young people have his back -- and their peer's.

But like I told my Facebook friend, if they had a sexual relationship, it's illegal. Children's brains have not fully developed by age 14 -- or 16, or even 21. It's up to adults to be their prefrontal cortex, to think about the consequences of doing something stupid. Or unlawful. That's why it's so sad to see those who should be doing the thinking leave their brains at the door and allow other parts of their anatomy to do their thinking.

Young people do reckless things because their brains are not fully formed, as described in many studies -- and a great story in last month's National Geographic:

"These studies help explain why teens behave with such vexing inconsistency: beguiling at breakfast, disgusting at dinner; masterful on Monday, sleepwalking on Saturday. Along with lacking experience generally, they're still learning to use their brain's new networks. Stress, fatigue, or challenges can cause a misfire.

"The slow and uneven developmental arc revealed by these imaging studies offers an alluringly pithy explanation for why teens may do stupid things like drive at 113 miles an hour, aggrieve their ancientry, and get people (or get gotten) with child: They act that way because their brains aren't done! You can see it right there in the scans!"

We don't know what went on between Ramirez and the 14-year-old girl, but those who stand by the popular educator abound, including a letter writer who calls him "innocent until proven guilty."

Ramirez pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday. Let's hope, for the sake of his wife and four children, that indeed his prefrontal cortex was in charge the whole time.