Where is the teacher certification? I did not see it. The only certification in his file is for a Licensed Respiratory Therapist. (Page 22 and 23)
On page 26 there is a checkmark next to Occupational Education License (Apprentice Occupational) then on page 28 it appears they are using that License to say it is his teaching license. In the area where it asks for his teacher's license someone made a note and wrote, "needs occupational license".
Is that even valid? Isn't that like saying I should get a teacher's job because I have a drivers license?
https://mgtvwkrn.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/thomas-packet-to-media.pdf
When an unlicensed teacher is hired, he/she needs a provisional license from the state board to teach. This is good (in Alabama, anyway) for three years - in the meantime, the teacher is expected to gain the proper professional license, usually through coursework. I imagine TC promised to get a bachelor's degree in that time.
BTW, an RT certification is not trivial. It may be an occupational license, but the coursework and exams are difficult.
I want to say something else about the social media issue. I was a teacher in the northeast and in Alabama. One of the big differences I noted was how connected students and teachers are socially, especially in rural areas. Facebook is a common way to share information, and everyone has a profile. Teachers and students are connected by church, relatives, sports, etc. It is not at all unusual for teachers and students to be FB "friends."
Another thing, though,
does strike me as unusual. It would be very strange in Alabama for a student to call a teacher by his first name. Within the school walls, relationships are usually more formal than those I observed in the northeast when I taught there.
Finally, as to the school's response. I saw several unfounded student reports of teacher flirtation, touching, etc., in the South by female students. When pressed, the students admitted they made these allegations up when they were mad at the teacher. This is why the board has to be so careful when they are investigating. A teacher's reputation can be damaged forever just from the allegations, whether or not they are proven true. It would be very difficult for the principal to catch ET in TC's room if the meetings took place right after school. At that time of the day, the principal, vice principal are busiest...they are dealing with parents, buses, detention, etc. And about TC's wife - she was an administrative assistant at central office. I don't know if this is a southern thing, or just not common where I taught in the north, but the central office of every school district is called the Board of Education. TC's wife was not a school board member. I don't know if that makes any difference. I imagine that the fact that she worked in the building where the investigation originated would add to the HR director wanting to treat TC with kid gloves.
One more thought on the school: what bothers me most about the school's response is that ET was allowed to intimidate the 12 year old who reported the incident. School counselors should have been following up with the 12 year old to provide support - they would have learned that ET was bullying the 12 year old and that the 12 year old continued to see ST in TC's classroom.
The person who is most at fault here is, obviously, TC. He was the grownup responsible for creating the boundaries for ET. It is not uncommon for students who have troubles at home to latch on to a favorite teacher. That relationship can be a saving grace for a student like ET. Unfortunately, TC allowed what could have been a healing relationship to evolve into a damaging one.My heart breaks for what ET has probably lived through and what she is going to face in the future.
ETA: All IMO
