Frustrated by the number of inappropriate relationships between students and teachers, the governor of Texas wants “real consequences” to crack down on the growing problem.
Gov. Greg Abbott said during his State of the State address on Tuesday that Texas’ “unwanted ranking” is an issue, while claiming that the Lone Star State has some of the best high schools in the Sekabet country, the Houston Chronicle reports.
“Texas reportedly leads the nation in teacher-student sexual assaults,” Abbott said. “Some of those teachers are not prosecuted … and worse … (others) are shuffled off to other schools to continue teaching in other areas threatening other kids.”
Teachers who assault children should lose their license and go to jail, said Abbott, who added that he also wants to penalize administrators for turning a “blind eye” to educators who have inappropriate relationships with students.
Abbott began calling for “tougher penalties” for misbehaving teachers last week when he tweeted a new story about a Dallas middle school teacher who allegedly paid a 14-year-old former student nearly $28,000 to keep their sexual relationship secret. Abbott characterized such relationships as “disgusting” on Jan. 25, fifteen days after Thao “Sandy” Doan was placed on administrative leave for her alleged conduct while teaching at Raul Quintanilla Sr. Middle School.
Teacher-Student sexual relationships like this are disgusting. I want tougher penalties for this. #txlege https://t.co/o38WpbUKOE
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 25, 2017
Doan, according to the school’s website, had worked as a coach for the cross-country and soccer teams. She had been employed with the district since 2014, a spokeswoman confirmed to The Post.
But the effort against teacher-student sexual assaults was already underway with the introduction of House Bill 218, filed by Republican State Rep. Tony Dale.
“Our students and parents have a valid expectation that they will be educated in a safe environment,” Dale said in a statement announcing the bill. “The increasing problem of inappropriate teacher-student relationships endangers our students and damages the confidence in our educational system. The era of allowing people who have inappropriate contact or communication with students to move from school district to school district without consequence must end.”
The bill, if passed, would expand criminal liability for teacher-student relationships to include educators who target students in other schools or districts. It’s currently not an offense unless both parties are working or teaching in the same district, Dale said.
It would also expand culpability to include principals – in addition to current mandatory reporters of superintendents and directors – and requires the revocation of an educator’s teaching certificate if they’re a registered sex offender, regardless of where they were convicted.
“HB 218 increases penalties and close loopholes that allow educators who engage in inappropriate relationships to resign and obtain employment in another district,” Dale’s statement concluded. “This bill seeks to allow Texas the tools we need to get rid of teachers who prey on our children. It is time that we fully address this issue and make sure that educators who have inappropriate relations with students not be allowed to teach again.”
A total of 908 cases of improper relationships between educators and students have been investigated by the Texas Education Agency, according to statistics cited by the Houston Chronicle. The data shows a 42 percent increase from fiscal year 2011-12 to 2015-16. Seventy-eight new cases have also been opened between September and December, the current fiscal year.
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