Lawmakers, Advocates Push Changes in Laws Covering Sex Abuse by Educators

By Todd Wallack, Jenn Abelson and Jon Saltzman
Boston Globe
December 23, 2016

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2016/12/22/lawmakers-advocates-push-changes-laws-covering-sex-abuse-educators/nFN2REzelhmf1VUAvluebK/story.html

State lawmakers and advocates in at least four New England states are pursuing legislation to make it easier to punish educators who sexually abuse students and make it harder for them to continue to work with children.

The moves come after Globe Spotlight Team report found more than 110 private schools in New England have faced allegations of sexual misconduct over the past 25 years. In more than two dozen cases, educators moved onto new schools after they were fired for misconduct, sometimes with glowing recommendations from the old school, in part because of gaps in state laws and regulations.

Massachusetts Senator Joan B. Lovely (D-Salem) said she plans to introduce a comprehensive bill next month that will include a long list of changes, including making it illegal for high school teachers to have sex with students under 20 and eliminating the criminal statute of limitations for cases involving sexual violations of children.

“We have to take care of our kids,” said Lovely, who said she herself was the victim of sexual abuse at a young age.