Analyst: Sexual abuse by teachers isn’t examined enough

WASHINGTON — In April, a former Montgomery County substitute teacher pleaded guilty to groping two middle school girls. A month later, a county music teacher pleaded guilty to abusing 15 minors. Many of the incidents took place in classrooms during school hours.

While there seems to be a spike in these occurrences, there’s no data to confirm that.

“My sense is that we see more reporting,” says Carol Shakeshaft, an educational leadership professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. “As people have become more aware of it and it’s in the papers more, people are willing to step up and report.”

In a 2004 report for the U.S. Department of Education, Shakeshaft wrote that teachers who abuse students are often highly regarded and professionally accomplished. That’s still true, she says: “People don’t question what you’re doing or why you’re meeting alone with kids, because they might think you’re a really good teacher, you’re probably just helping that child.”

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