A year ago, Mayor Bloomberg and School Chancellor Dennis Walcott called for a change in the law that would give the final say in sexual-misconduct cases involving teachers and school employees to the city schools chancellor and school district administrators and not paid arbitrators. The UFT claims to have zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behavior by teachers and school employees but they actively campaigned against the proposed law change.
According to former CNN anchor and head of the Parents Transparency Project, Campbell Brown:
The premise behind the proposed law is simple and straightforward: Due to the grave and lasting consequences these offenses can have on students, sexual-misconduct cases merit a higher level of scrutiny and an additional layer of protection for parents. The UFT, however, came out against the proposed legislation — and, under pressure from the UFT, legislators in Albany did nothing to pass the measure.
Mayoral candidates need to take a position on legislation that will put the city schools chancellor or school district officials in charge of cases involving inappropriate sexual behavior. The people of NYC deserve to know if the candidates are siding with the UFT or the students in such sensitive cases.
