Since 2007, there have been 128 teachers and education staffers credibly accused of sexual misconduct or having inappropriate relationships with students. Only 33, a mere 26 percent, were dismissed from the system. According to the New York Daily News, the only NYC mayoral candidate who is calling for a change is Christine Quinn:
Council Speaker Christine Quinn stepped forward in response to an investigation, conducted jointly by the Daily News and former CNN anchor Campbell Brown, that showed how the UFT's job protections have protected dozens of alleged schoolhouse perverts.
The 26 percent rate is a consequence of a process where both the Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) have a say in choosing the arbitrator. According to the New York Daily News:
The department and the teacher, represented by the UFT, present evidence to an arbitrator, who decides whether the charges are substantiated and what the punishment will be.
The arbitrators are selected jointly by the union and the school system. Those who come down hard on teachers are blackballed from future assignments and fees. As a result, arbitrators have gone out of their way to avoid terminations. In the process they've set precedents for laxity that the courts have upheld.
