The Arizona State Board of Education took its first step Monday to immediately suspend the certification of teachers who are arrested for or accused of sexual misconduct.
The proposed change would allow the Board to suspend a teaching certification with a preponderance of evidence that a person committed a criminal act such as sexually abusing a minor.
Right now, the state board sometimes delays action against those teachers to avoid interrupting a criminal investigation.
This creates the possibility that someone accused of a serious crime against children remains in the classroom.
The board unanimously voted to “open rulemaking” and will hold a public hearing Wednesday, Oct. 16, to discuss adopting an emergency suspension policy.
The Arizona Republic and KJZZ reviewed more than 180 teacher sexual misconduct cases for “A Position of Trust,” read and listen to the series here.
