2,570 educators had credentials sanctioned or denied over sexual misconduct from 2001-2005
A seven-month investigation by the Associated Press (AP) of disciplinary records in all 50 states and the District of Columbia has found 2,570 educators whose teaching credentials were revoked, denied, surrendered, or sanctioned from 2001 through 2005 following allegations of sexual misconduct. Young people were the victims in at least 1,801 of the cases, and more than 80% of those were students. At least half the educators who were punished by their states also were convicted of crimes related to their misconduct. There are 3 million public school teachers nationwide, most devoted to their work. Yet the number of sexually abusive educators¯nearly three for every school day¯speaks to a much larger problem in a system that is stacked against victims. Most of the abuse never gets reported. Those cases reported often end with no action. Cases investigated sometimes can't be proven, and many abusers have several victims. And no one¯not the schools, not the courts, not the state or federal governments¯has found a surefire way to keep molesting teachers out of classrooms.
The perpetrators that the AP found are often popular and recognized for excellence and, in nearly nine out of 10 cases, they're male. While some abused students in school, others were cited for sexual misconduct after hours that didn't necessarily involve a kid from their classes, such as viewing or distributing child pornography. Even though the United States has grown more protective of victims of sex abuse over recent decades, sexually abusive teachers continue to take advantage, and there are several reasons why. For one, many Americans deny the problem, and even treat the abuse with misplaced fascination. A deeply entrenched resistance toward recognizing and fighting abuse starts in school hallways, where fellow teachers look away or feel powerless to help. School administrators make behind-the-scenes deals to avoid lawsuits and other trouble. And in state capitals and Congress, lawmakers shy from tough state punishments or any cohesive national policy for fear of disparaging a vital profession. That only enables rogue teachers, and puts kids who are not likely to be believed in a tough spot. Several academic studies estimate that only about one in 10 victimized children report sexual abuse of any kind to someone who can do something about it. Teachers, administrators, and even parents frequently don't, or won't, recognize the signs that a crime is taking place.
Too often, problem teachers are allowed to leave quietly. Laws in several states require that even an allegation of sexual misconduct be reported to the state departments that oversee teacher licenses. However, there's no consistent enforcement, so such laws are easy to ignore. While some schools and states have been aggressive about investigating problem teachers and publicizing it when they're found, others were hesitant to share details of cases with the AP—Alabama and Mississippi among the more resistant. Maine, the only state that gave the AP no disciplinary information, has a law that keeps offending teachers' cases secret. Meanwhile, the reasons given for punishing hundreds of educators, including many in California, were so vague there was no way to tell why they'd been punished, until further investigation by AP reporters revealed it was sexual misconduct. And in Hawai‛i, no educators were disciplined by the state in the five years the AP examined, even though some teachers there were serving sentences for various sex crimes during that time. They technically remained teachers, even behind bars.
Elsewhere, there have been fitful steps toward catching errant teachers that may be having some effect. The AP found the number of state actions against sexually abusive teachers rose steadily, to a high of 649 in 2005. More states now require background checks on teachers, fingerprinting, and mandatory reporting of abuse, though there are still loopholes and a lack of coordination among districts and states. U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the last 20 years on civil rights and sex discrimination have opened schools up to potentially huge financial punishments for abuses, which has driven some schools to act. And the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification keeps a list of educators who've been punished for any reason, but only shares the names among state agencies. The uncoordinated system that's developed means some teachers still fall through the cracks.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel By Martha Irvine & Robert Tanner, with John Parsons (AP)
[Editor’s Note: The article excerpted above is part of an AP series that has been carried widely by news media, many of which in turn have run complementary stories and related editorials. Another of the AP articles, below, asserts that sex abuse laws and efforts at federal, state, and local levels are riddled with gaps. Some advocacy groups are particularly focused on ending statutes of limitations for bringing lawsuits against the employers of sex abusers. An overview of school liability for harassment of this and other kinds is included in the resource at the second link. The third link is to information on a new training DVD for school personnel and students on harassment and bullying prevention; the DVD was produced by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) and is available from the NSBA Council of School Attorneys (COSA). The final link is to information on a COSA legal resource book on sexual harassment by school employees.]
Associated Press By Robert Tanner
Leadership Insider on harassment
Information on TASB training DVD
Information on COSA resource book