Tennessee Lawmakers Take Aim At Teacher Sexual Misconduct

NASHVILLE, TN -- State lawmakers announced a five-bill package Wednesday that aims to beef up protections for students against sexual misconduct from teachers following a scathing report from the Tennessee Comptroller.

Earlier this month, the comptroller's office released an audit saying that laws regarding educator misconduct were vague and often ineffective at identifying and disciplining problem teachers. A USA Today investigation gave Tennessee an F for battling teacher sexual misconduct.

In response to the audit, a group of state senators - seven Republicans and Democrat Reginald Tate of Memphis - filed five bills:

• Senate Bill 2014 which ensures that background checks are conducted to identify sexual predators before a teacher license is issued and that reports are done on an ongoing basis for those who work with children. Presently, school districts require an initial background check before hiring.
• SB2015 which prohibits a Local Education Agency (LEA) from entering into a non-disclosure agreement with a teacher that would prevent other school districts from knowing about sexual misconduct. It also allows districts to access information about the previous employment of a teacher with another school district.
• SB2013 which updates the state’s Teacher Code of Ethics regarding inappropriate teacher-student relationships, including engaging in sexual behavior with students or furnishing them alcohol or drugs.
• SB2011 which grants the State Board of Education’s authority to reprimand school directors for not reporting instances of misconduct and clarifies the board’s authority to reprimand educators for violating the Teacher Code of Ethics.
• SB2012 which calls for the State Board of Education to post all final teacher disciplinary action on its website to allow school districts, as well as out-of-state entities responsible for the licensing and hiring of Tennessee educators, to access information regarding the final disciplinary action of an individual’s license case. It also requires final licensure action be reported to the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) database for the same purpose.

The bills have been filed and passed on pro forma consideration in both chambers.

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