Several unions said they oppose the release of
reports related to teacher misconduct cases because they could destroy
the reputations of innocent employees.
Responding to this newspaper’s probe of teacher misconduct in
school districts throughout the San Gabriel Valley, the Hacienda La
Puente and Alhambra teachers associations told their respective
districts that releasing teacher names to the newspaper was “unfair.”
Using the exact wording, letters from union heads at both districts take issue with the newspaper’s probe.
“Disclosure of claims and reports of misconduct that have not
survived the test of investigation, and have not been incorporated into a
finding, would be both unproductive and unfair,” say letters from
Hacienda La Puente union President Dani Tucker and Alhambra union
President Roz Collier.
The unions requested that the districts release only
complaints that are “of a substantial nature” and well-founded. They
urged the districts to redact identifying information on ongoing
investigation documents and forms sent to the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing.
“No one benefits from public dissemination of untested
allegations, and any innocent employee … deserves the opportunity to
contest the allegations before his or her reputation is irreparably
tarnished,” the letters read.
Despite those concerns, one school official and one former
union president said more often than not, safeguarding a teacher’s
privacy has become more important than protecting a child’s safety on campus.
Read more in Juliette Funes story TEACHERS.
