The ultimate test of law is not how many convictions it results into but how many crimes it deters and prevents. Unfortunately, this is not quite happening in the US when it comes to preventing sexual crimes in school campuses.
Chad Maughan’s story is one such instance of how the multiple laws are proving useless when it comes to punishing someone who shows all the symptoms of being a pervert and yet is allowed to go on teaching. He was twice caught viewing pornography at schools in Washington, but was let off.
He was suspended from his first job. He went on to commit similar acts in another school, but therein, once caught, he told administrators that he was an addict and was getting counseling. Avoiding serious punishments on both instances, he continued teaching. 2005 saw him being convicted of raping his 14-year-old student.
This story is by far the biggest (but not the only one) example of how lacunae and loopholes in legislations are subjecting students to continuously live in fear of sexual abuse at schools. Add to that gross negligence and a fear of lawsuits, on the part of administrators, and the situation becomes even more hopeless.
An investigation by the AP identified over 2,500 cases between 2001 and 2005, in which teachers were penalized for sexual misconducts. But the frightening part is that states differed widely as to how many cases were dealt with effectively, resulting into punishments for the involved teachers. The states are not even sharing information on the concerned teachers.
The laws, at best, are a patchwork and differ across states. On the national level, Congressmen are too busy to give any measure - aimed at improving the conditions - a serious thought. Efforts to strengthen laws against sex abuse by teachers have faced vehement opposition from teacher’s union and school boards.
It isn’t a wonder that many such Maughans roam inside campuses, teaching the children and simultaneously looking for an opportunity to feast on them.
