Gaps found in teacher background checks

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Teachers with criminal records and histories of child abuse continue to work with children, despite state laws intended to bar such offenders from the classroom, a new state audit shows.

A report released Monday by State Auditor Susan Montee concluded that imprecise language in those laws -- coupled with unclear guidelines offered to local school districts -- has allowed some teachers to improperly obtain state certification.

Three different agencies play a role in conducting background checks for teachers.

"We have multiple agencies working on this," said Jim Morris, an education department spokesman. "The system is not feasible at this point."

State auditors found 77 teachers from that group who were listed as having an "adverse background history" -- a statistic that could include both criminal records and child abuse reports.

The audit identified another 194 violators who held Missouri teaching licenses but were not assigned to public classrooms in the 2006-2007 school year.

When auditors shared those findings with the education department, the agency responded that it knew about 22 of the offenders but still cleared those individuals for certification. State law prohibits the Board of Education from issuing teaching certificates to people found guilty of most violent crimes, but offers discretion for lesser offenses.

In another 50 cases, the education department was unaware of the teachers' adverse backgrounds, according to the audit.