Candid Conversations is a periodic feature where community leaders and experts offer their thoughts on current topics of concern to the North Georgia region.
Twice this school year, the Hall County School District has dismissed teachers after they were accused of inappropriate sexual conduct with students, but the situation is not isolated to Hall County by any means. All it takes is a quick Google search to find news reports of teachers who have been arrested for having sexual relationships with students or for sharing inappropriate photos or texts with students. The offenders are young and old, male and female; they teach in urban settings and in rural areas - and the incidents happen all over the country.
Stan Lewis, Director of Community Relations and Athletics for the Hall County School District, and Capt. Joe Carter, Supervisor of the Hall County Sheriff's Office Special Services Division, recently had a candid discussion about why these situations occur and how the two entities work together to investigate any incidents that arise.
According to Lewis, all teachers should learn during their college training what the parameters are in a student-teacher relationship. Beyond that, at least in Hall County, every teacher and administrator is mandated yearly to review the Georgia Code of Ethics for Educators.
"Of course, before we even hire folks, everybody is subject to a criminal background check," Lewis said. "We train our principals to do reference checks on everybody...it's our school officials' obligation to follow up with a former employer."
Despite those checks and balances, there can be times when a student-teacher relationship moves beyond the classroom to something inappropriate.
"School systems are microcosms of society, and the Hall County School System hires about 3,400 folks, so those 3,400 folks are subject to the influences in society just like anybody else, and folks make poor decisions and when they make those poor decisions, we have to deal with it," Lewis said.
Both Lewis and Carter agreed that vigilance is key to curbing inappropriate activity that could escalate into more serious problems; that applies to administrators, teachers, students and parents.
"We've got that old adage of 'see something, say something' when we talk about school safety," Lewis said. "I think the same thing [applies] in regard to relationships."
Carter said he believes technology and social media have contributed to the problem.
"You know, technology has been a great thing, but it's become so ubiquitous in our lifestyle that it's real easy to fall into a trap and [think] 'oh, I'm just communicating,'" Carter said.
Lewis said students are taught the about the perils of improper use of social media in a 'digital citizenship' course, trying to teach kids that what they share digitally is 'forever.' He said the school district also is researching ways for teachers, coaches and students to communicate on platforms that are more safeguarded.
Lewis said when a teacher is arrested, the morale of a school can be crushed.
"It's traumatic. Sometimes, it can be like a death...but at the same time, I have seen schools come together [and] rally," Lewis said. "I've been so impressed at our schools and the way they've been able to deal with the pain and still keep the focus on taking care of our kids."
Even with the incidents that have occurred this school year, as well as some in years past, both men believe the Hall County School District is safe for its 27,000-plus students, saying the overwhelming majority of teacher-student relationships are healthy.
"It's always concerning when things like this happen, but being part of a national group and seeing other school systems across America, for the students in Hall County, school's still a very safe place here," Carter said.
(You can listen to B.J. Williams' interview with Stan Lewis and Capt. Joe Carter in the audio window to the left side of the story.)
