Legislation that would prevent schools from hiring sex offenders is likely to come to a vote in the House tomorrow.
Reps. George Miller , D-Calif., and Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., introduced H.R. 6547, Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act, earlier in the session, and released the following joint statement Monday:
School should be a safe place for all children but a recent GAO report shows that in far too many instances, the very people responsible for the well-being of our students are violating that trust.
The legislation we’ve introduced will require comprehensive criminal background checks for any employee and prohibit convicted sex offenders and anyone who has committed a crime against a child from ever working in a school. Putting these systems in place in a more comprehensive way will help give parents the assurances they deserve that their child is protected from harmful predators while they’re in school. The GAO makes very clear more needs to be done to protect all students — this bill takes the first and right step forward.
The legislation we’ve introduced will require comprehensive criminal background checks for any employee and prohibit convicted sex offenders and anyone who has committed a crime against a child from ever working in a school. Putting these systems in place in a more comprehensive way will help give parents the assurances they deserve that their child is protected from harmful predators while they’re in school. The GAO makes very clear more needs to be done to protect all students — this bill takes the first and right step forward.
Locally, a social studies teacher at Centreville High School in Fairfax was arrested earlier this month for taking “indecent liberties” with a 16-year-old student in 2007 and 2008. Former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee once said that many sex offenders ranked among the 241 teachers she let go over the summer, then narrowed her statement to just one offender.
