Paid administrative leave.
What is the incentive to act appropriately in a classroom?
San Antonio, Texas
In San Antonio, a teacher was cleared of "inappropriate acts" against a 4-year-old student after five separate investigations concluded that the allegations "were not substantiated."
He was on paid leave for two months, returning to the classroom for the last 2 days of school.
Knox County, Tennessee
In Knox county, nine school employees remained on paid leave at the end of the school year. All nine will continue receiving their salaries while their cases remain open.
Galveston, Texas
An elementary school librarian remains on paid leave after being charged with with hitting a child with a stack of shelf markers in April. Her trial is scheduled for May 29 before a Justice of the Peace. [Update: all charges were dismissed by the Justice of the Peace.]
She is the third Galveston school district employee accused of assault by contact on a student this semester. A Justice of the Peace dismissed charges against the two, a teacher and a school bus driver. The bus driver was fired. The teacher, accused of kicking a student, was put on paid leave in February and was cleared by the judge "after it became clear from testimony that a witness did not see the incident clearly." After two and a half months of paid leave.
Clark County, Nevada
Three teachers remain on paid leave pending investigation in Clark County school district. No reasons given. No dates when leave began. News3 KVBC reports they are all coaches and all are being investigated for allegations of misconduct between those teachers and their students.
TT - These are only a few of the daily news stories where teachers are given paid leave because of classroom conduct. This blog doesn't follow inappropriate discipline because there is no way to follow up.
Maltreatment of students is notoriously hard to substantiate. It's the word of the teacher against the student that rarely results in criminal charges.
The real crime is the lengthy investigative process that dawdles long enough for the parent to be intimidated, the clock to run out until the end of the school year contract, and most often results in no public notice of subsequent letters of reprimand or suspension.
In the meantime, the teacher is given a paid vacation, the parent is often viewed as a troublemaker by the school district, the student is now in hostile teacher territory and the lucky taxpayer foots the bill for both the teacher and the substitute required to fill in at the classroom.
What exacly is the incentive for teachers to behave appropriately in the classroom?
