IT'S NOT JUST CHILD ABUSE
In this week's Portland Phoenix (3/17-23/00) there is a lengthy
front-page article by Mary Lou Wendell on the civil liberties aspects of
the current fingerprinting law. In the midst of the article is the
following passage:
"These fingerprints will remain on file with the State Police until
individual teachers leave the profession. The school personnel
fingerprints will also be searched when the State Police scan their
fingerprint database for newly committed crimes in Maine since there's no
way of isolating them, according to Education Department spokesman Yellow
Light Breen. So say an arson is committed in Portland. The police collect
fingerprints from the crime scene and search their entire fingerprint
database for a match. If the perpetrator happens to be a teacher or some
other school employee, a match will likely be found. However, the primary
purpose of the new fingerprinting law is to rout out school employees who
have histories of child abuse, Breen says."
Arson. Or maybe armed robbery. Or rape.
Might call your legislators, refer to this article, and ask them to find out
from DOE -- or the education committee -- if this is true.