MFL Mar Mac shows the way

By The Gazette Editorial Board

When recently faced with allegations that a district employee was behaving inappropriately with students, MFL Mar Mac school officials acted exactly as school leaders should.

They enlisted the assistance of trained law enforcement and cooperated in the investigation of then-MFL Mar Mac vocal teacher Richard Nance.

They quickly accepted his resignation after that investigation led to criminal charges accusing Nance, 58, of Cresco, of weapons violations and of supplying alcohol to a minor.

They communicated with staff and community members about what had happened, and made it clear that they refused to hide what had happened or strike any deals.

As MFL MarMac Superintendent Dale Crozier stated: “There were no negotiations, no deals, no severance pay, no agreements for recommendations, no anything - nor will there be.”

What's more, the district will ask the state Board of Educational Examiners to permanently revoke Nance's teaching license, he wrote.

That kind of openness and decisiveness helps rebuild trust in school communities. It's exactly how school districts should respond to allegations of teacher misconduct.

Unfortunately, it's not always what happens.

Iowa law requires schools to report to the state Board of Educational Examiners only if a licensed educator is accused of one of a few types of criminal offense, or if that teacher's employment ends because of a good-faith belief that offense took place.

Schools are not required to report a broad array of troubling ethical violations to police, state licensers or parents, even when that alleged misbehavior involves students. In too many cases, schools have the option of quietly accepting that accused teacher's resignation.

That's a tempting option to officials who want to maintain their district's image as a safe environment for kids.

But those quiet resignations allow problematic teachers to shuffle off to other school districts, giving them the opportunity to continue - or escalate - their unethical, destructive behaviors.

And as recent events at MFL Mar Mac indicate, it's not only better for students when schools decline that easy out - it builds community confidence in their school's leadership.

No child should be exposed to unethical or dangerous teachers, but it happens. The alarming number of Eastern Iowa educators accused of sexual abuse or serious misconduct in the past few months is evidence of that.

Every Iowa family should have confidence that their school district would choose the same openness and accountability if allegations of teacher misconduct surfaced in their school.

Unless we can count on that, state legislators must step in and make the right choice school officials' only choice.