LAUSD Urges Teacher Misconduct Policy Review
The L.A. Unified School District superintendent, John Deasy, instructed his negotiating team on Wednesday to push teachers' unions to eliminate a four-year-time-limit on teacher misconduct files.
Currently, teachers who are accused of misconduct that does not result in disciplinary action removed from files after four years. The clause dates to the early 1990’s when LAUSD agreed to it in exchange for teachers taking a pay cut, according to Deasy.
“In the interests of affording greater protections to our students, I have instructed the Los Angeles Unified School District’s negotiating team to enter discussions immediately with teacher’s union to change or eliminate this practice,” Deasy said.
The clause in teacher’s contracts may explain why the district had no record of earlier allegations of misconduct by former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt, who has been charged with 23 counts of lewd acts with children, according to a report by the L.A. Times.
Deasy said that in response to the recent string of allegations, he ordered an investigation into the district’s system of reporting alleged misconduct by teachers. He said that probe led to the discovery of the contract clause.
President Warren Fletcher of United Teachers Los Angeles said in a statement that he would be open to a discussion.
“As teachers we are always open to discussing ways to assure our children are safe," Fletcher said.
From Roque Burio Jr. Here is another song on the delay of teacher dismissal caused by the Paper monster LAUSD. Oh, come on. The law on crimes is easily and speedily enforced. Criminal justice system is accurate and fast in California. However the LAUSD will not report to the District Attorney the commission of crimes for it likes to use these crimes of teachers as bargains for obtaining additional funding and for paying its favorite private lawyers pursuing more an administrative case instead of criminal one.
If a teacher commits misconduct which could be crime then let the Criminal Justice System takes over, and if the teacher is guilty, he is convicted in less than a month and he can therefore immediately be dismissed from teaching. LAUSD causes the delay for some ulterior reasons or in short for money.