Shocking new information on bad teacher behavior has California lawmakers demanding change.
A state audit of the commission responsible for cracking down on teacher misconduct found the program is "flawed" and could pose a risk to the safety of children, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Some of the cases in the April audit include a teacher who was charged with showing middle school student pornography. The commission did not ask for documents from police for 17 months.
In another case, a substitute teacher urinated in a classroom while students were there. A judge banned that teacher from teaching for a year. But the commission did not revoke his credential until six months after the case closed in court.
Auditors say they found flaws in the commission's regulatory process, including delays in starting investigations, updating files, gathering information and revoking credentials.
In response to the audit, the commission says it has never had a complaint or a report that a lag in processing caused harm to a student.
Senate Present Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) says legislative staffers are looking into ways to fix the program and that the Joint Legislative Audit Committee will meet next month to brainstorm areas that need improvement right away.
