Parents Get Online Access to Teachers’ Disciplinary Records

We should think about this for Wisconsin.

Just in time for the start of school, the state of Florida has launched an eye-opening Web site that enables parents to see the disciplinary records of their kids’ teachers. The site, called http://www.myfloridateacher.com makes, public a troubling secret in education: that the people who teach our kids and discipline them sometimes have a few demerits on their own permanent records.

The site was designed to be parent-friendly. Users can put a teacher’s last name—or a particular school district—into a search engine and within a few seconds get a list of the teachers who have been found guilty of misconduct—even crimes—and a description of the punishment meted out to them. Some of the infractions seem minor; one teacher in Miami-Dade was convicted of submitting a cribbed essay as part of a licensing exam. (He was handed two years’ probation, a $250 fine, and required to retake the test.) Others suggest more serious problems: one teacher in Hernando County was convicted of disorderly conduct, carrying a concealed weapon and intoxication. The punishment? A letter of reprimand and a $250 fine.