Shockingly, the school board again offered to allow this man to resign, but when he refused, fired him. When the first accusations occurred, Texas school districts did not have to report such incidents. This teacher's behavior was finally uncovered only because a new state law requires districts that have knowledge about arrests to report them to the state's Board of Educator Certification. The superintendent recommended the school board accept the teacher's proposal because it would save the district thousands of dollars in legal fees. But if this teacher applies for employment in another district, no criminal convictions would turn up against him.
Districts often permit employees who have been accused of indecent behavior to resign.
Sometimes they even appear to provide positive recommendations to other potential employers who may lack experience in the art of checking references. Unfortunately, while one school district might rid itself of an embarrassing and expensive legal hassle, another district will end up with an accused abuser in its classrooms. Even when school districts try to identify risky employees, devious applicants sometimes slip through a criminal background check. The Arizona Department of Education, for example, warned school districts last year of a former teacher who had used a false name and Social Security number to fraudulently obtain a teaching certificate. This was after her first certificate had been revoked when it was found she had falsified college transcripts on her application.