Some Sex Offenders are Working in Schools, Says GAO Report
A recent, small-sample study performed by the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported high rates of employees at both public and private schools who have convictions for sex-related crimes. No one employee group was singled out in the study, and researchers found people with records of inappropriate sexual conduct in all sorts of positions, including teachers, volunteers, aides, support staff and contractors.
Of the 15 high-profile cases investigated by the GAO, 11 of those involved abusers who had previously targeted children at least once before. Several of the offenders had worked at multiple public or private schools for a number of years while no red flags were raised about past misbehavior.
The GAO's investigation revealed that the system of federal and state background checks was failing to adequately keep alleged or convicted sex offenders away from the children the system was designed to protect. The GAO gave reasons why background checks were insufficient to screen potential school employees: