Follow this link to a
2007 special investigative report by Associated Press on sex abuse by
American teachers.
An
Associated Press investigation found more than 2,500 cases over five years in
which educators were punished for actions from bizarre to sadistic. There are 3
million public school teachers nationwide, most devoted to their work. Yet the
number of 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.
On
the issue of secrecy, AP says that it found it difficult to get information
from the states. Maine – at least in 2007 – had a law which mandated secrecy.
Californian administrators spoke vaguely about misconduct, but only digging by
AP revealed that it was sexual abuse in many cases. And in Hawaii, no teachers
had been disciplined for 5 years, even though several teachers were in jail for
sexual abuse.
It
all sounds depressingly similar to stories from other institutions. What short memories we have.
