OK then: one’s word against another. Just as much of a credibility problem on the part of the one who made the accusation.
I agree. It does come down to one word against another, but that doesn’t mean the issue is finished. What would you do, for example, if a woman claimed someone sexually assaulted her, but there were no other witnesses or physical evidence, like bruises? What if the alleged attacker had a prior history of sexual assaults, even unproven ones? You’d probably try to determine the veracity of the alleged attacker’s and the victim’s stories.
I’m not saying anything about the results of this teacher’s case, because I don’t really know all the circumstances. What I am saying is it’s entirely possible and reasonable to punish someone based on the testimony of one direct witness.