Combating sexual misconduct in the classroom
Saturday, March 10, 2018 4:01 am As legislative session is starting to wind down, the Tennessee General Assembly is proposing necessary changes that the members of Professional Educators of Tennessee strongly support. We have had input throughout this process, and will continue to add insight on this critical issue. We must get this right for both students and educators. • House Bill 2099/Senate Bill 2012 which calls for the State Board of Education to post all final teacher disciplinary action on its website to allow school districts, as well as out-of-state entities responsible for the licensing and hiring of Tennessee educators, to access information regarding the final disciplinary action of an individual's license case. It also requires final licensure action be reported to the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) database for the same purpose. In addition, committee members support an appropriation in the budget presented by Governor Bill Haslam on Monday for an additional staff attorney in the State Board of Education to review educator misconduct investigations and outstanding cases, and determine what licensure action, if any, should be taken. • House Bill 2165/Senate Bill 2013 which updates the state's Teacher Code of Ethics regarding inappropriate teacher-student relationships, including engaging in sexual behavior with students or furnishing them with alcohol or drugs. • House Bill 1997/Senate Bill 2014 which ensures that background checks are conducted to identify sexual predators before a teacher license is issued and that reports are done on an ongoing basis for those who work with children. Presently, school districts require an initial background check before hiring. • House Bill 2433/Senate Bill 2015 which prohibits a Local Education Agency (LEA) from entering into a non-disclosure agreement with a teacher that would prevent other school districts from knowing about sexual misconduct. It also allows districts to access information about the previous employment of a teacher with another school district. • House Bill 2494/Senate Bill 2390 prohibits school employees, directors of schools, and employees and members of a local board of education or governing body of a public charter school from assisting an employee in obtaining a job at another school for any position that involves direct contact with minors or students, if on notice, or there is reasonable cause to suspect, that the employee has committed an act of misconduct.
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