The U.S. school system has many antipathetic issues to address. And if it is going to compete globally, then they will need to be resolved immediately. But now our schools have another tough problem to tackle. Abusive teachers are coming out of the woodwork and gaining more national attention. From physically fighting students to having sexual relationships with them, and the real bad news is that the problem is gravely and progressively getting worse.

From North to South and East to West the stories are all basically the same, disgusting and sick. Unstable child predators hiding in schools all across America are using their adult and teaching authority to take advantage of our innocent children. Take in account for instance the following stories that made the national spotlight. In Meridian, Idaho Ashley Jo Beach a math and science teacher was charged with having an affair with a 13-year-old boy in her class. The 37-year-old teacher was caught with the student in some bushes not far from the middle school. According to court documents, they had sex at the school and sent each other nude pictures of themselves.

Another story coming out of Tampa, Florida, had Debra Beasley Lafave a 23-year-old middle school reading teacher being charged with having sex with her 14-year-old student. According to detectives, she and the minor had sex in the classroom, at her apartment, and once in a vehicle. The student’s 15-year-old cousin apparently drove the vehicle while the two had sex in the backseat. The teen told detectives that he and Mrs. Lafave got to know each other during a class field trip and the sexual relationship started soon after. He also told them that Mrs. Lafave told him that her young marriage wasn’t doing so good. And she was into him because it was forbidden and exciting.

In a high profile case examined by the Associated Press, another child predator crossed the line between teacher and student once again. In Hamburg, Pennsylvania Heather Kline was 12-years-old when she first had sexual relations with her then teacher Troy Mansfield. Heather was described as a pretty blonde haired girl with a charismatic smile. Troy Mansfield had been pursuing her since she was in his third grade class.

At that time of the relationship Heather was 12. She skipped classes daily and received gifts from Mr. Mansfield. During her 7th grade year he was sneaking her off in his car for sex. He would tell her his sexual fantasies and that he wanted to get married and have children. Heather really thought she was in love. But her immature choices led her to be suspended for being excessively late and absent from having the relationship with Mr. Mansfield. Amazingly he was never approached or questioned for his actions toward Heather.

He was finally caught in the act by Heather’s mother. Heather read the e-mails that they both sent each other in his criminal trial. But before the trial, Heather endured many difficulties. After news of Troy Mansfield’s arrest, girls in school called her a “slut” to her face. Even a teacher went as far as to call her a “vixen.” Friends stopped talking to her and kids no longer sat with her at lunch. Mr. Mansfield was considered to be a very popular teacher and football coach. But today he is currently serving a 31 year sentence in a state prison.

Unfortunately, the psychological damage to her was already done. He had her believing she was in love at such a young age and prevented her from interacting normally with other kids her own age. The ordeal also exposed Heather to adult situations too mature for her to handle. So between rumors that she was pregnant or doing drugs and her own panic attacks and depression, Heather bounced from school to school. At age 16, she ran away from home and went to Nashville.

“I didn’t have my childhood,” says Ms. Kline, who is an adult now and back home. She is working at a local grocery store as a cashier and hoping to get her General Educational Development credential so she can attend nursing school. “He had me so matured at so young. I remember going from little baby dolls to just being an adult.”

The courts dealt her a final insult. A federal judge dismissed her civil suit against the school, saying administrators had no obligation to protect her from a predatory teacher since officials were unaware of the abuse, despite what the court called widespread “unsubstantiated rumors” in the school.

The root of the problem seems to be the word of the victim against the word of the accused. Still the fact remains that you have an adult who is far more mature than the minor, so it should seem. Instead, the adult figure let his or her condition affect their relationship with students. This in turn mentally and emotionally impacts the minor causing them to have their own issues throughout their adult lives. It’s like a bad cycle that keeps repeating itself.

Theoretically in the U.S. every school has rules governing teacher behavior. Each state has its own laws against child abuse and many specifically outlaw teachers taking sexual liberties with students. Each school district has administrators who are supposed to watch out for sexual misconduct by teachers. But still the problem lingers over our educational system like a dark cloud. An investigation conducted by the Associated Press, found that nearly 9 out of 10 of the educators punished for sexual misconduct were male. One mandated report by Congress estimated that as many as 4.5 million students, out of roughly 50 million in American schools, are subject to sexual misconduct by an employee of a school sometime between kindergarten and 12th grade. That figure include verbal harassment that’s sexual in nature.

There are about 3 million public school teachers nationwide. The overwhelming majority of cases the (AP) examined involved teachers in public schools. Private school teachers rarely turn up, because many are not required to have a teaching license, and even when they have one, disciplinary actions are typically handled within the school. The numbers on child abuse in schools are very high. Other reports by the Associated Press included at least 1,417 students being clearly identified as victims in sexual-misconduct cases. The total number of times a legal action was taken against a teacher’s license for sexual misconduct was 2,625. Around 50 or more teachers lost their teaching licenses in more than one state, and the number of licenses revoked in cases were 1,636. Four hundred-forty were surrendered and 376 licenses were suspended. The total number of educators punished for sexual misconduct nationwide was 2,570. And there were criminal convictions in at least 1,390, or 53%, of all cases to put the nail in the coffin.

A simple plan would be to just single out the accused teachers and have a day in court for all of them. Trial and convict, case closed. But schools instead cut secret deals with abusive teachers. It’s called “passing the trash,” and it is a popular policy which allow child abusers to resign and move on to other school districts. This is a disastrous breakdown were schools fail to report problems to state authorities, and fail to check with other state officials before hiring a troubled teacher. Also the legal loopholes, fear of lawsuits, and inattention all have weakened the safeguards that are supposed to protect children in school.

State efforts to strengthen laws against sex abuse by teachers have run into opposition from school boards and teacher unions. In congress, a measure that would train investigators and create a national registry of offenders hasn’t gotten a hearing. Nobody seems to want to recognize, or let alone attack a national ignominy. While some schools and states have been aggressive about investigating problem teachers and publicizing it when they’re found, others were hesitant to share details of cases with the Associated Press. Alabama and Mississippi were among the more resistant. Maine, the only state that gave the (AP) no disciplinary information, has a law that keeps offending teachers’ cases secret.

Meanwhile the reasons given for punishing hundreds of educators, including many in California, were so vague there was no way to tell why they’d been punished, until further investigation by (AP) reports revealed it was sexual misconduct. In Hawaii, no educators were disciplined by the state in five years, even though some teachers there were serving sentences for various sex crimes during that time. They technically are still teachers, even behind bars. More states now require background checks on teachers, fingerprinting, and mandatory reporting of abuse though there are still loopholes and a lack of coordination among districts and states. Among those states are Indiana, Massachusetts and Utah. Kentucky and South Carolina are considering making it illegal for teachers to have sex with older students.

Other states approach the same problem differently. A Colorado measure being drafted would penalize school districts and state officials that fail to report problem teachers, while a West Virginia proposal would open school officials to serious punishment as well. Florida would bar any confidentiality agreement between districts and teachers, and require districts to report every firing to the state.

The million dollar question is, what in the Hell has happened to real teachers? Some newly minted teachers graduate from college, have sex with a student and then say, “What’s wrong with that?” And that immature way of thinking from a sworn educator has in turn crippled America’s morals and values. It has clutched parents everywhere in fear and uncertainty. In fact researchers have found that verbal abuse (sexually) during adolescent years increase early sexual intercourse. It has been directly associated with early sexual intercourse and indirectly by its link with delinquent behavior, especially among girls. In addition, peer rejection was indirectly associated with a higher risk of early sexual intercourse by its link to self-esteem, but only pertaining to girls.

It is clear that the overall problem isn’t being handled properly by the local or national government. You see, cutting secret deals and turning heads the other way, is simply wrong. Children’s lives and their mental well being are at stake. It is truly a national tragedy that our educational system is in a choke hold by this overwhelming dilemma. Teachers use to treat students like their own. They were once perceived as the parents away from home for students. Somebody kids could definitely look up to and have another positive outlet.

Some teachers are now no better than the criminally minded sex offenders who are serving time. When did the good guys all of a sudden become the bad guys? Teachers have one of the most respectable but difficult jobs in the world. Many strive to influence the young minds of our future leaders. But most importantly, they give kids an honest chance to just make it.

America will never agree on how to handle the abusive teacher issue. Mainly because it’s real sensitive and it hits so very close to home. Every reported case is high profile and a smack in the face to all educators who take their profession seriously. But we all should agree that even one case of a child being abused by a teacher, is one too many we can’t afford.

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Email Gregory Brooks: bgregory13@yahoo.com

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