Following the State Board of Education’s initial efforts to strengthen rules concerning educator
misconduct, the Office of Research and Education Accontability (OREA) released a detailed report
in January that made clear that Tennessee had a fractured, ambiguous reporting system that has
allowed educators who have engaged in sexual misconduct to slip through the cracks. It revealed
severe deficiencies in hiring practices for school personnel that could allow predators to teach
in Tennessee schools. The review and analysis makes clear that we must keep those who have
committed sexual misconduct out of our classroom. [Read more on this issue in the last issue of
TREND]
One of the provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a federal law approved by Congress
in December 2015, was meant to end the practice of school districts passing along employees who
had committed sexual misconduct. This happened by districts quietly dismissing the employee
while giving him or her a neutral or good recommendation. In 2016, USA Today graded Tennessee
with an “F” following a national investigation of educator sexual misconduct in schools after looking
at each state’s efforts to reduce the chances that an employee with a history of sexual misconduct
could move from one school to another without repercussions.
Professional Educators of Tennessee strongly supported both the rule changes proposed by the
State Board and the five related pieces of legislation that passed during the latest session of the
Tennessee General Assembly. It was important to get this right for both students and educators,
and we had input throughout the process on this critical issue. The revisions to rule 0520-02-03
enhance the uniformity of discipline, define the terms utilized, and clarify, simplify and explain the
teacher disciplinary process. In addition to meeting with and writing to legislators, we testified in
support of the rule changes at multiple Joint Government Ops committee meetings, and in support
of the legislative changes in committee meetings.
VIDEOS
• SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE (SB2011/SB2012/SB2013/SB2014/SB2015)
• Testimony by Executive Dir. JC Bowman, Senate Education Committee (February 21, 2018)
• Testimony by COO Audrey Shores and Assoc. Director Mike Sheppard, Joint Government Ops
The safety and well-being of students is the highest priority of any school. Bringing clarity to this
issue ensures educators that adequate policies and procedures are in place for dealing with sexual
misconduct while maintaining the safest school environment possible. We do not have a place for
pedophiles in public education. We support the strongest language possible to keep them out of
the education profession.
We take the issue of teacher licensure very seriously. Licensure is primarily a function of the
state and it is the gatekeeper to employment. It is so important that this is done correctly and
transparently. As always, we will continue to work with the Tennessee Board of Education, the
Department of Education and the Tennessee General Assembly on our concerns on licensure issues,
and to ensure that our educators are treated fairly and impartially.
Any educator sexual misconduct or sexual abuse that involves children destroys trust and harms
the entire school community. We must unite to all promote safety and security within Tennessee’s
classrooms and uphold the high standards of the teaching profession. Bringing clarity to this issue
will not only benefit highly qualified educators, it will insure that sexual predators do not “slip
between the cracks” and do further harm to our students and schools.
COMBATING SEXUAL MISCO