Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A bill amending the state teacher code of ethics to bar educators who engage in sexually related behaviors with former students passed the House in a 91 to 1 vote on Thursday.
Sponsored by Representative Mark White (R-Memphis-District 83), House Bill 1973 as amended subjects teachers who engage in prohibited conduct with students with whom they were in contact within the previous twelve months to disciplinary action by the state board of education.
“Sexually related behavior” is defined as including, but is not limited to, making sexual jokes or sexual remarks; sexual innuendo; pressuring the student or former student for dates or sexual favors; inappropriate physical touching; and committing a sexual offense or violent sexual offense.
Violations must be reported to the state board of education and an educator found to have engaged in illegal actions toward former students would face a range of consequences from a formal reprimand, up to losing their license.
The foremost authorities in the United States on the topic of sexual misconduct at the hands of educators say that predators target children and teens with behavior that crosses boundaries but their fellow teachers rarely report such incidents.
The state’s last report on educator sexual misconduct highlighted the findings of a 2016 national investigation on the topic which gave Tennessee an F.
That report defined “educator sexual misconduct” as a broad range of inappropriate behaviors clearly intended to “groom” victims, not unlike the recent incident in which a Clarksville science teacher “accidentally” showed nude photos of himself to a 17-year-old student in his class.
Now that the legislation has passed in both chambers of the General Assembly, it will soon make its way to Governor Bill Lee’s desk.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
