Ethics test

Not all reprimands, however, result from sexual misconduct.

Teachers also put their licenses in jeopardy due to what the education office calls "insubordination," which might be the use of unapproved textbooks or assigning novels the district deems inappropriate.

Some educators are disciplined for unethical behavior, like the counselor who changed a student's test scores so the teen could get a better college scholarship, or the third-grade teacher who, after a really bad day, wrote awful things about her students — using their names — on her personal blog.

The state education office is working on a computerized ethics test that teachers would take every five years before their license is renewed. The assessment would pose different scenarios to find out what teachers believe would be the appropriate professional response.

One question being considered goes like this: You notice a colleague, a male fifth-grade teacher, is letting students sit on his lap. Would you: A: Notify parents; B: Talk to the colleague; C: Assume he is a nice, loving teacher and do nothing; D: Tell the principal.

The proposed ethics assessment will be presented to the board and discussed next summer. It could be implemented by January 2010, Lear said.

Background checks

Potential teachers must go through a criminal background check before being licensed. While the process used to be only regional, it is now done on a national basis. Conducted by the Bureau of Criminal Identification, it reveals arrests and convictions.

If there are more than two offenses within the previous one to two years, the state education office generally asks for a police report, court docket and/or a letter of explanation.

"It's really not simple," Lear said. "Subjectivity is necessary."

District human resources administrators are also advised to check a database, Computer-Aided Credentials of Teachers in Utah Schools (CACTUS), for applicants' names. The database, monitored by the state office, shows information supplied by school districts and charter schools reporting experience, age, gender and disciplinary history.

Lear said some districts or charter schools hire a person before a background check is completed — and are sorry later. And applicants can lie.

"The system is tight but not 100 percent foolproof," she said.

Early prevention

State school officials say emphasizing ethics in college teacher-education programs will have far-reaching results. And that training needs to be followed up regularly once the educator is in the field.