Jan 25, 2008 - The San Gabriel Valley Tribune (CA) on SB 1105 in their weekly "It's Politics" reports.
State Sen. Sen. Bob Margett, R-Glendora, has introduced legislation he says will close a loophole which has allowed teachers who plead no contest to misdemeanor sex offenses to continue teaching in the classroom.
Under the current teacher credentialing law, if a person is found guilty of a misdemeanor sex offense, they immediately lose their teaching credential, effectively barring them from teaching.
However, if there is a plea of no contest, then all credentials held by the person are suspended until a final decision by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing is made.
This has allowed some teachers who have pleaded no contest to sexual offenses to come back into the classroom, Margett said.
SB 1105 would close this loophole by eliminating the distinction between a guilty plea and a "no contest" plea for misdemeanor convictions for credential holders.
"You should not be able to plead no contest to a sex offense just so you can continue teaching," Margett said.
"If you are innocent, you plead innocent, and you show the court why you are innocent," he said. "Otherwise, you should not exploit a loophole so you can continue teaching a classroom full of children and place them in jeopardy."
TT - Is that politics or is it common sense? Well, anywhere else it's probably common sense, which means that it will never pass in the highly partisan California legislature. It will never even be heard, primarily because newspapers in California think it is just "politics" instead of a responsible solution to a genuine problem that affects parents and the safety of their children.
On the other hand, had a state senator proposed legislation to give tenure to teachers after six weeks on the job, that would be referred to as "educational reform."
THE BILL
SB 1105 text (as introduced) Bill tracking (click on bill history)
EDUCATION COMMITTEES
A look at the Education committees in the California Senate and Assembly shows why reform just will never happen. Not in their lifetimes, not with their ties to the educational establishment that is the biggest industry in California.
Continued here for space considerations.
