SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A recent state investigation finds some New Jersey school districts have been hiring teachers with troubling histories of sexual and other forms of abuse in schools.
The "Pass the Trash" laws enacted in 2018, were designed to prevent teachers from job hopping if they have a history of misconduct. However, the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation's report found loopholes in the system, allowing teachers to lie or withhold information on previous infractions and still find employment.
NJSCI Spokeswoman Kathy Hennessy Riley says something must be done to reverse this troubling trend.
“What we found is the law had been manipulated, not only by educators seeking to keep their past misdeeds private but also by school districts that had either disregarded or improperly followed the law’s provisions,” she said.
Hennessy says there’s no way for administrators to know how many teachers or school staff members who lied about their pasts are currently employed. The NJSCI recommends lawmakers take another look at the legislation and make necessary changes. In turn, legislators are hopeful the Department of Education will create a database so bad actors don’t fall through the cracks.
“There’s no statewide oversight of the system,” Hennessy said. “That means each of New Jersey’s 593 school districts develops its own method for collecting, reporting, and verifying the information. As a result school districts have no assurances that the information provided by applicants or prior employees is accurate."
The fine for lying about misconduct on a job application is $500 in New Jersey and $10,000 in Pennsylvania.