Responding to recent reports of sexual misconduct in New York City’s public schools, a state legislator wants to make it a crime for school employees to have sex even with students who are above the age of consent.
Sen. Carl Kruger, a Democrat, said last week that his proposed legislation would make it easier for school officials to enforce bans on staff-student sex. Noting that educators hold positions of trust and authority, he said New York needs to follow the lead of such states as Connecticut and Ohio by codifying in law that all K-12 students are sexually off-limits to school staff members, “regardless of age or consent.”
The proposal follows reports released on Jan. 7 by Richard J. Condon, the special commissioner of investigation for the 1.1 million-student New York City schools, on two separate cases of sexual activity between male school employees and 18-year-old female students. Prosecutors referred the cases to Mr. Condon after declining to pursue them because the girls were above the age of consent, which is 17 in the state.
