Online Databases of Misdeeds by Teachers Raising Concerns

Florida has become the latest among a handful of states where the public can log on to check which teachers have been disciplined on such charges as drug possession and sexual abuse.

The searchable database , opened last month by the state education department, lists 319 disciplinary orders handed out against teachers since January by the state’s Education Practices Commission, which investigates such complaints. In action stemming from those complaints, 64 of the teachers had their licenses revoked.

While most states collect such information and make it available through an open-records request, only three others—Ohio, Texas, and Vermont—offer publicly accessible online versions. The Texas and Ohio databases are intended primarily for administrators...