This shuffling of sleazy characters from school district to school district is just one way we''re failing to fully protect
our children. It''s no small concern: In 2004, a U.S. Department of Education study found that nearly 10 percent of public school
students have endured unwanted sexual attention from school
employees, and close to 7 percent had experienced actual sexual contact -- anything from pinching to kissing to outright molestation.
Let''s make one thing clear: Most teachers are honest, hardworking, and truly care for their students. And it''s important to protect teachers from false allegations, especially when harassment and abuse charges are used as punishment for bad grades or strict discipline.
Still, there''s no denying that the threat from molesters exists in every state. In West Virginia, for example, sexual abuse of students is the No. 1 reason teachers lost their licenses over the past five years -- a whopping 35 percent of all licenses lost. And a Detroit News study found that, in the 15 months from January 2004 to April 2005, 22 present or former school employees were convicted of sexual misconduct involving minors or the mentally impaired. The vast majority were teachers, although a coach and a janitor were also among those convicted.
We obviously don''t have enough safeguards in place to keep perverts out of the schools. And the biggest problem is a background-check system that looks like Swiss cheese.
Most states require a criminal background check for school employees, but some schools only check state databases, not national ones like the FBI''s National Crime Information Center. Schools also need to be candid about former teachers when another school inquires about an applicant.
At a minimum, schools must warn state officials when they have concerns about a teacher -- and the police should always notify schools about any troubling past charges. States might also follow the lead of New York, where a superintendent can be charged with a felony for letting a teacher resign rather than face a sexual misconduct allegation. Or Iowa, where after the Eveleth case, the state legislature passed a law saying that if an employee is terminated or resigns due to the sexual exploitation of a child, it must be reported to the Board of Educational Examiners. And, of course, any principal caught "passing the trash" should get the book thrown at him too.
It''s easy to say we have zero tolerance for sexual predators in schools, but we haven''t yet passed the test.