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June 5, 2008 - From the Associated Press:

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has quietly signed a bill that requires teachers convicted of child abuse or illegal sexual behavior to agree never to teach again anywhere in this country.

The law requires the Department of Education to release the names of teachers and school employees convicted of such violations if it takes any action against their licenses.

It also requires school districts to notify the state if a teacher is dismissed or resigns because of allegations of illegal behavior with a child, including sex assault.

The law stipulates that if a teacher signs a settlement agreement with the Department of Education, the teacher must agree to never teach at a public or private school in this country.

The AP series documented a number of abuses.

According to records obtained by The Associated Press under the Colorado Open Records Act, the board over the past decade has signed settlement agreements with teachers convicted of serious crimes that allowed them to return to the classroom, even though the crimes included sexual assault on children.

The records show the board agreed to keep crucial details secret in some instances, including the case of a Northglenn teacher convicted of sexual assault on a child and allowing a minor to consume alcohol. The teacher received a two-year suspension, but the settlement agreement lists only the state statutes he violated, without saying what happened or where.

The board has said it was only following a law passed by the Legislature in 2003 requiring that teachers convicted of felony violent crimes be disciplined.