Worthington Christian Schools will no longer hire sex offenders, and officials at the private school say they will dig into employees' backgrounds to look for any skeletons in their closets.
On Friday, a high-school teacher resigned after The Dispatch reported that he had been rehired after allegations that he fondled a girl. And Monday, a teacher was arrested on charges that he sexually abused a student while working at a school in Wisconsin.....
Did I read that correctly---'Worthington Christian Schools will no longer hire sex offenders'? It is sad that they seem to be admitting that they haven't been investigating the background of their teachers and staff.
There have been more news stories about teachers having sex with students. I am sure it is not an epidemic. I think that more has been published and the media just keep feeding on those stories.
Many decades ago when I first started to teach, I attended a workshop for all the teachers in my building about teacher behavior. Here are some of the things that were discussed:
1. A teacher should never be alone with a student.
2. A teacher should never touch/hug a student.
4. A teacher should have the principal/assistant principal/counselor/team leader sit in on all parent teacher conferences.
As a former teacher, I am saddened by these recent scandals. However, I think that the schools/districts have not been doing their jobs investigating their applicants for their jobs. It is the responsibility of the school districts to confirm the fitness, skills, previous employment, documentation, and police record of all their potential employees. School districts who have not been doing this are opening themselves to litigation.