State Sen. Randy Head recently voted in favor of legislation that would make it tougher for teachers to hide prior records of misconduct.
Head was part of a Senate committee that voted in favor of Senate Bill 242. He explained the bill was inspired by reports of secret resignation agreements made between an Indianapolis-area school and teachers.
Apparently, the school district made agreements allowing four teachers to resign in exchange for money, secrecy or neutral job references. The four teachers were believed to have harassed or abused students.
The measure being introduced to the Senate would require school districts to disclose substantiated disciplinary reports to another school district as part of the hiring process and to the Indiana Department of Education. The legislation also requires school districts to notify the DOE of agreements made with teachers to suppress information concerning misconduct or allowing the teacher to resign.
“I believe this legislation could help prevent individuals with a history of misconduct from moving unnoticed from school district to school district,” Head said. “We should use resources available to help ensure our students are safe and school administrators know the professional history of a new hire.”
Under the legislation, school boards could also suspend teachers without pay while the district investigates a substantiated report of misconduct. If a teacher is exonerated, the corporation would immediately pay back wages and benefits.
State superintendent of public instruction Tony Bennett said he believes the measure is important for the state’s school children.
“There remain far too many cases in which schools interviewing potential employees have no means of learning the details of an educator’s dangerous history, particularly if a criminal conviction is never obtained or a due process hearing never takes place,” Bennett said.
Local News
Bill would disclose discipline reports of educators
It would prevent hidden agreements with teachers
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