Student Safety is Top Priority

The safety of children is the number one priority. Anyone who is a danger to children should not be working in our schools. I say that as the leader of a school employee union and as the father of three children attending public school.

Unfortunately, recent legislation that is the cause of the much-publicized list of school employee offenders is so fraught with mistakes that it is questionable if it protects anyone's safety.

The Michigan State Police, the producers of the list, acknowledged inaccuracies and submitted that the best system for developing it was not used.

One would think that legislation calling for the development of a list would provide for an accurate list. I guess not.

The result? Here are a few. A school employee "guilty" of nothing more than a parking violation is labeled a sex offender. Another, who has done nothing at all wrong, is labeled as having committed assault with the intent to commit murder.

I ask every elected and state official involved in the production and release of this faulty list, what if these examples involved your spouse or your child?

And for those employees put through the trauma of being wrongly labeled who, so devastated they broke down and understandably could not stop crying - - how will the state compensate them? No amount can erase the pain and the suspicion in the minds of colleagues. But something has to be done.

Moreover, if the list is inaccurate in terms of wrongful labeling, common sense indicates that an inaccurate list may omit someone, someone who may be a true threat to our children.

While accuracy is the immediate concern, it is not the only issue.

Why does the list include employees who committed misdemeanors that under the legislation call for no action? Why does everyone need to know what someone did when the infraction was so minor that it warrants no concern whatsoever?

Why are employees of private for profit companies who work in our schools exempted? Privatization is devastating enough to our communities. Why do these employees get a free pass? The list exempts a number of employees such as contractors, less than half time employees, and private school employees.

Why doesn't the law consider when an offense was committed? Example: A twenty-year exemplary teacher and citizen made a mistake at age eighteen. The superintendent and school board now must act to keep this person as an employee, although they are not a threat to anyone. Further, now the entire community knows what happened a long time ago

Have we become a society that necessitates proof of innocence rather than a presumption of innocence until proven guilty?

Due process, or the lack of, is also a concern. If a school employee is arrested s/he must, within three days, send in a specified form to the employer. If they do not, they are fired even if they are innocent of what they are accused. So, what happens to the arrested employee who cannot meet bail? How does s/he get that form in? Of course, this discriminates against lower income employees, and in our discriminatory society, that means disproportionately minority.

One final thought. Our elected officials have very responsible positions. They determine the laws and policies that impact our lives. School children visiting the capitol meet with them. Should we expand coverage of these laws to cover all elected officials?

The safety of my children is my top priority. I want policies that insure their safety. I want it done in a way that does not label an innocent person as a sex offender; denies due process; gives for profit companies a pass, or for no reason reveals an employee's history when that history has no impact on the safety of my children.

David Hecker
President
AFT Michigan