Student relationships, AI alterations: Tennessee lawmakers target bad teacher behavior
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Tennessee lawmakers say protecting students will be a top priority when the General Assembly returns to Nashville in January.
Leaders of the House and Senate education committees told us on Tuesday they plan to pursue legislation aimed at strengthening protections for students and increasing accountability for school employees who abuse children.
Lawmakers stressed that the overwhelming majority of Tennessee teachers are dedicated professionals committed to educating students.
However, they said the small number who abuse children should face severe consequences.
"We need to come down very hard that this is not acceptable," House Education Committee Chairman Mark White said.
White said one focus will be preventing teachers accused of abuse from quietly leaving one district and finding work in another.
To keep from embarrassment of the person or the school, they will dismiss the teacher, but do it quietly," White said. "Then no one knows about it, and then they go to the next district or the next school and they apply for a job and they get it. But the school doesn't know that there's this history, so we want to put that in legislation.
The discussion comes months after former Wallace A. Smith Elementary School teacher Duane Sanders was convicted of molesting multiple students, including some in his classroom. A judge sentenced Sanders to 60 years in prison.
House Education Committee member Kevin Raper said he also wants tougher penalties for educators found guilty of abusing students.
"If due process takes place and the judge views it as guilty, then hey, I hope they slap the book at them," Raper said.
Raper said any new legislation should also apply to other school employees, not just teachers.
"What about contractual services like custodian, and maybe in some cases it could even be cafeteria staff?" Raper said. "I think that they should abide by exactly the same rule."
Professional Educators of Tennessee CEO JC Bowman said school employees also need to report suspected abuse immediately.
"We've had teachers that have waited for two hours to notify someone and be in trouble with the school district for failure to report fast enough," Bowman said.
Bowman said the goal of any legislation should be protecting students.
"We want to do everything to protect our kids," he said. "Ninety-nine percent of our teachers are doing great. It's just that one bad apple."
Lawmakers say they expect to introduce legislation after the General Assembly convenes in mid-January.
Depend on us to keep you posted.