Former Paterson Teacher Among 28 Sanctioned

PATERSON, NJ - A former Paterson teacher who tried to solicit sex acts from students for money is among the nearly three dozen teachers that have temporarily or permanently lost their licenses due to bad behavior.

Since Aug. 1, 28 teachers have been sanctioned as lawmakers continue to demand for improvements to the state’s hiring system. The teachers were removed for a variety of reasons, from helping students cheat on the PARCC test to sex abuse and drug charges.

Thomas Weir, 56, was sentenced in December 2018 to three years in state prison after admitting he had "sexually explicit conversations" with three Kennedy High School students over Facebook and through text messages. Weir wanted to pay the students in exchange for act acts, according to authorities.

Weir's credentials were revoked and he will be subject to parole supervision for life under Megan's Law, according to his sentence.

See the list of teachers and their school districts here.