Feb 15, 2007 - WSYR, Syracuse, New York reports that records show tremendous growth in teacher sex cases.
An internal state Education Department report obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Law shows "tremendous growth" in so-called moral conduct cases against teachers over five years.The study was dated 2005 and includes some disturbing facts.
The study found the number of accusations against teachers doubled in five years, to nearly one case for every day and a half of the school year. Almost three in four of the "moral conduct" cases involved sex between a teacher and student.
The relationships and other sex cases often continued for months or years before action was taken.The study found:
-401 cases were brought to the state Education Department's Professional Standards and Practices Board from 2000 to 2004. They included inappropriate relationships, sex crimes, child pornography and lewd behavior.
-71 percent of the cases sent to the state's professional practices committee involved sex.
The next largest category was drug and alcohol cases, which accounted for 10 percent.
-245 cases ended with a teaching certificate either revoked, suspended, surrendered or denied.
-101 of the cases were in 2004, more than double the 48 cases in 2000
The internal 2005 report was the first state study of its kind. Three months earlier, an Associated Press report based on hundreds of individual case records revealed most public school teachers and administrators who had their licenses revoked or suspended were accused in sex cases involving students. In many of those cases, relationships continued for months or years and administrators allowed offenders to resign quietly even if they could later teach elsewhere. [Emphasis mine.]
