Over their dead bodies.
May 23, 2008 - The Hawaii schools superintendent wants more than one criminal check on employees who work with children. She wants criminal checks a couple of times a year and a requirement that teachers notify schools when they are arrested.
The proposal arises out of the arrest of Gregory Keau, 30, a special education teachers' aide who was charged with sexually abusing a 17-year-old female student in a special education classroom at McKinley High School.
The 17-year-old student told police she was cleaning a special education classroom at McKinley when one of her teacher's aides entered and sexually assaulted her. She said he forced her to perform oral sex on him until another male school employee came into the classroom, interrupting the assault.It was, apparently, the second time Keau had assaulted her.
Keau was arrested at McKinley High School five years ago and led away in handcuffs. It was in a misdemeanor assault case. A judge later sentenced Keau to six days in prison for choking his ex-girlfriend. Co-workers knew he had gone to prison in that assault case five years ago, but never reported his conviction to supervisors. Nor did his mother who is also a teacher's aide at the school.
The teacher's union responded. "It's management's responsibility to make sure there's a safe environment both for employee and for the children of course, and whatever they need to do, they need to come up with their plan and then consult with us," Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA) Deputy Executive Director Nora Nomura said.
TT - The teachers union in Hawaii has been adamantly opposed to drug testing for teachers even after it was overwhelmingly agreed to by union members. Notice who came first in that sentence about management's responsibility? Any reform in Hawaii will be over the dead bodies of any union. There will never be a law similar to the one passed unanimously by the house and the senate and signed into law in Arizona that requires notification of an arrest or of pending charges.
No teacher in Hawaii has lost their license since 2001. See Hawaii Drug Testing Entry Entry
