School employees aren't the problem
In a March 20 editorial in the Bangor
Daily News Criminologist Steven E. Barkan of the University of Maine
Department of Sociology writes, "Some policies may have good intentions
but still be wrongheaded. They may stem from mistaken beliefs about the
reasons for and the nature of a social problem, and their implementation
may do much more harm than good. The fingerprint and background check
requirement is one of these policies."
Barkan characterizes the sexual abuse of children as a serious one and estimates
the problem to be so profound nationally that perhaps 25% of girls and
10% of boys are sexually abused. Clearly a problem of this shocking magnitude
should be attacked, but, as Barkan says,
"Teachers and other school employees commit only a tiny proportion of all
sexual abuse of children. They are not the problem. Instead most sexually
abused children are victimized by a father, stepfather, mother's boyfriend or
other male relative. The remainder are abused by neighbors and other family
acquaintances, and occasionally by strangers."
Barkan finds that if we really want to protect our children, we should worry
about "...fathers, stepfathers, mothers' boyfriends and other male relatives,
acquaintances, and neighbors."
"Are we going to try to do massive fingerprinting and background checks on all these
people? Obviously not. To do so sounds like overkill, a presumption of guilt
without evidence, a violation of civil liberties, even an act of a police
state."
Members of the clergy, he adds, have molested children. "Should we thus fingerprint
and do background checks on all members of the clergy? Of course not: The sins
of a very few should not tarnish the vast majority who do good works and serve
their congregations and their children well."
Then why, he asks, target teachers and other school personnel? "Because they're
easy targets? Because they abuse our children? To repeat, they are not the
problem. This policy is just as much overkill, a presumption of guilt and a violation
of civil liberties as the massive or clergy-limited policies just criticized."
"...we treat them as possible pedophiles even though they are not the ones
sexually abusing our children. By distrusting them we disrespect them, dishonor
them, and lower their morale. They deserve better."
The law, Barkan believes, should be repealed.