Posted on 05/30/2008 10:46:37 AM PDT by JZelle
RICHMOND - The state has tightened its education licensing system to ensure that teachers who sexually abuse children aren't allowed to return to the classroom.
A law effective July 1 will require courts to promptly notify local school divisions when teachers are convicted of felony sexual offenses involving children or felony drug crimes.
It also will require school boards to inform the state Board of Education after they fire teachers or accept their resignations as a result of such crimes. School divisions must notify the state when a teacher is the subject of a legally proved complaint of child abuse or neglect.
The legislation followed a national Associated Press investigation of license revocations from 2000 through 2005 that involved teachers sexually abusing students. In Virginia, a teacher named Michael Wayne Allee was able to get a job and molest children in more than one jurisdiction because of a lag between when he committed the abuse and when he was disciplined.
Under the law, the Board of Education must spell out its guidelines for denial, suspension, cancellation and revocation of teachers' licenses. Each local school board must develop and annually review policies and procedures for how it will handle sexual abuse complaints.
Local social services departments also must inform the state Superintendent of Public Instruction when a licensed teacher is the subject of a legally proved complaint of child abuse or neglect. The state Board of Education must revoke the teaching license of anyone who has resigned because of convictions for felony crimes, sex offenses and drug offenses or because the person is the subject of a legally proven case of child abuse or neglect.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Time to change the job descriptions of some of these so called hiring folks, too.
Make the damn law retroactive to weed out the “hiding” that goes on.
Do we actually need legislation for this?!!!
My thoughts exactly.
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