Teaching Profession

Teachers and Sexual Misconduct

October 24, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

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?

Related Tags:

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

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Improve Reading Comprehension: Three Tools for Working Memory Challenges
Discover three working memory workarounds to help your students improve reading comprehension and empower them on their reading journey.
Content provided by Solution Tree
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Recalibrating PLCs for Student Growth in the New Year
Get advice from K-12 leaders on resetting your PLCs for spring by utilizing winter assessment data and aligning PLC work with MTSS cycles.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor How Teachers Can Take Care of Themselves
A retired teacher shares recommendations on setting healthy work-life boundaries.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Images Should Reflect Real-Life Demographics
A reader pushes back on the illustration used with an Education Week Opinion essay.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Teaching Profession Should It Be Normal for Teachers to Have a Second Job? Educators Weigh In
Research has shown that most educators work multiple jobs. Teachers shared their reactions in an Education Week Facebook post.
1 min read
Monique Cox helps her co-worker, Chanda Carvalho, stretch after leading her in a physical training session at the Epiphany School in Boston, Mass., on Oct. 7, 2025. Cox, who is a teacher at the Epiphany School, supplements her income by working as a personal trainer and DoorDashing food after her teaching shifts.
Monique Cox helps her co-worker, Chanda Carvalho, stretch after leading her in a physical training session at the Epiphany School in Boston, Mass., on Oct. 7, 2025. Cox, who is a teacher at the Epiphany School, supplements her income by working as a personal trainer and DoorDashing food after her teaching shifts.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion How a Middle School Teacher Became a Viral Sensation
A science educator explains how he balances being an influencer with his classroom practice.
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week