Teaching Profession

Teachers and Sexual Misconduct

October 24, 2007 1 min read
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In an investigative series that received national attention this week, the Associated Press reported widespread sexual misconduct by teachers, saying that it found “more than 2,500 cases over five years in which educators were punished” for sexual abuse. Many more cases, according to agency, went unreported. “There are 3 million public school teachers nationwide, most devoted to their work,” the report notes. “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.”

What’s your view? How can sexual misconduct by teachers be prevented? What can school systems do to keep abusive teachers out of the classroom? What can teachers as a profession do?

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Teacher Talkback blog.

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