I am representing Washington Communities Against Predators.
This past December, two people came to me, separately, asking me if I knew that there was something going on in Washington Schools, and likely through-out the country, called 'passing the trash.'
This phrase is used to describe what happens when a school official needs to remove a 'problem employee' from one environment for troublesome but not necessarily criminal issues, and doesn't want to risk negative publicity for the school by going forward with formal allegations of misconduct.
They did not know how common it was, but they both had very strong issues with the results, in that parents and the new school's employees had no means of knowing that 'problem teacher' was a threat.
At the time, I had the resources to note down their concerns and add it to my list of things to research for future work. Today, a third person sent me a link to a news article [see link below] from King 5, regarding HB 3103.
I have taken the time to read the documents associated with HB 3103, and am very glad to have the opportunity to contribute on its behalf.
The fact is, children have to go to school. Yes, parents could home school, but that is a possibility for a very limited number of Washington citizens.
Parents are responsible for the safety of the children every-where in their lives, right up until the school's door. Inside the door, it is the school's responsibility to protect the children. We now know that there is this threat, and HB 3103 articulates an appropriate response to this threat.
I urge that this bill be passed through the Senate and signed into law.