NEWSPAPER INVESTIGATION
Some of the best investigations by newspapers across the country have had little media attention. This 1996 Special Report from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette by Mary Hargrove and Susan Roth examines the problem of teacher misconduct and the "Code of Silence."
The series was the result of an eight-month investigation.
Using computer databases, reporters compared a list of criminal charges against a list of individuals holding teaching licenses. The computer programs matched birth dates of 103 teachers charged with crimes ranging from distributing drugs to asking students to pose for pornographic pictures."A disturbing pattern emerged: When teachers are accused of sexual misconduct, some school officials and school boards quietly sidestep legal and ethical issues to protect their schools from scandal. Accused teachers can depend on this unwritten code of silence to cover up their actions, which may be repeated at their next school."
Reporters then drove to courthouses across the state and copied selected files to determine the outcome of those charges. More than half of the cases were filed after January 1992. Those figures do not include convictions that were expunged to preserve a teacher's reputation, or those sexual charges that were not prosecuted.
The three largest categories of teacher crimes involved theft, sex and violence.
A seven-part series, excellently researched, thoughtfully presented and everything in it has been repeated in virtually every state.
