Web Site Keeping Tabs on the Country's 'Bad' Teachers

Posted: Jul 03, 2010 12:18 AM
Updated: Jul 03, 2010 5:14 AM

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- There's a new Web site putting a spotlight on so-called "bad teachers."

It's called Bad Bad Teacher, and it's a one-stop shop for stories of sex scandals from public and private schools across the nation. The site calls it the "dark side of teacher-student relations," and it features at least 53 Oklahoma teachers and faculty members accused of inappropriate conduct.

The most recent Oklahoma entry included Robert Yerton Jr., a 41-year old assistant principal in Tulsa who is accused of sexually abusing kids.

Professor Liz Willner at Oklahoma City University gave some insight in to the Web site.

"We need to counsel some people out of the teaching profession. Just because you want to be a teacher, doesn't mean you should be a teacher," Willner said.

Like many schools, at OCU ethics and morals are discussed in classroom management courses for all future educators.

There's also a follow-up process OCU offers for first-year teachers, but after that they're on their own, and Professor Willner said correcting 'that' may be the first step in preventing what is being reported on BadBadTeacher.com.

"Sometimes you'll hear stories about what a certain teacher has done and then you'll hear back stories about this has been going on," Willner said. "This needs to be corrected much sooner, and that means the colleagues of this teacher and the administrator of this teacher need to be observing and catching things before they get to that point."

NEWS 9 has attempted to reach the editors of the site, but they have not returned a request for an interview.

There is a disclaimer on the Web site that states all those featured on the site are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.

From: http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12749975