Lawmaker wants schools to stem moral lapses

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2002 | 9:12 a.m.

Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, said Monday he wants the Clark County School Board to adopt seven initiatives aimed at stemming "moral, ethical and racial transgressions" by employees and students.

Williams, who is vice chairman of the Legislative Committee on Education, said he is fed up with teachers being charged with having inappropriate sexual contact with students, reports of employee fraud and allegations of racial harassment at area high schools.

"The growing number of incidences of moral turpitude, ethical breaches and racial intolerance have no place in an educational environment," Williams said outside the Clark County School District offices on East Flamingo Road. "We must hold this board accountable."

In the past two years more than a dozen Clark County teachers have been charged with sex-related offenses, including possession of child pornography and inappropriate contact with students. Additionally, an internal audit of accounting practices at Clark County schools turned up three cases of fraud by district employees. In one instance, a district employee stole student-generated funds to support a gambling habit.

Superintendent Carlos Garcia said the district already responds aggressively to allegations of harassment, improper conduct and theft. The district intends to prosecute three teenagers caught distributing racist fliers at a high school and is seeking criminal charges against two employees accused of theft, Garcia said.

"The public should know we have no tolerance for people who break the law or violate our code of conduct," Garcia said. "We welcome anyone who wants to help us crack down on that kind of behavior, and that includes Assemblyman Williams."

Garcia said the power to revoke a teacher's license rests with the state Education Department, not individual districts. He said the law would have to change to give the power to local districts. Garcia added that if Williams, who also chairs the Assembly Education Committee, pursues that, "more power to him."

George Ann Rice, associate superintendent of human resources for the district, said allegations of sexual misconduct are automatically turned over to the police. If the district uncovers evidence of theft or fraud, the police are notified, Rice said.

If the allegations involve behavior that could put children or other staff at risk, the employee is put on administrative leave pending an investigation, Rice said.

Additionally, the district has a full-time executive manager whose sole job is to hear and investigate complaints of harassment, Rice said.

But Williams said the district isn't doing a good enough job of enforcing its own rules. Too often, district officials decide to handle episodes internally and avoid public scrutiny, Williams said.

The initiatives, co-sponsored by the Urban Chamber of Commerce are: