slightly scary..
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2003 3:54 pm
I find this slightly disturbing to say the least. I dont have any kids of my own yet but im sure alot of you do. Schools are SUPPOSED to do FULL background checks before you are hired to ensure you dont place a whack job in with a bunch of children/yound teens. Its kinda funny though the students found what they did. :jerkoff:
Zan
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Article:
Student finds teacher on list of sex offenders
The Associated Press
March 21, 2003
Email this story.
A high school math teacher was put on paid leave after a student discovered his name on a list of convicted sex offenders.
School officials said Thursday they placed John E. Benson, 26, on leave when authorities determined he had been convicted of first-degree rape in 1996 involving a 12-year-old girl.
Birmingham police obtained a felony warrant against Benson for violating the Alabama Community Notification Act. The law says a sex offender is not allowed to live or work within 2,000 feet of a school or any child care facility.
Court records show Benson was 18 when the crime occurred and was denied youthful offender status. He was convicted and received a 10-year suspended sentence, with three years probation.
Birmingham interim schools Superintendent Wayman Shiver Jr. said a student at Woodlawn discovered Benson's name on an Internet site.
Shiver said he met with Benson before placing him on leave. He said Benson noted that the incident occurred when he was 18, and said he was never convicted. Benson also showed Shiver a card that identified him as a sex offender.
Shiver said Thursday he believed Benson underwent a required criminal background check, but he has no record of the results. He said that Benson was hired conditionally by the system because at the time of his hiring he had not received his license to teach.
"He's a math teacher and we have a great need for them in the system," Shiver told the Birmingham News. "We hired him under the condition he would soon become certified."
State education officials said Thursday that because Benson was a new hire, it was the responsibility of the school system to fingerprint him and run the criminal check.
"The state will investigate the matter and, if indeed the facts are as they're being presented, proper action will be taken," said Rebecca Leigh, spokeswoman with Alabama Department of Education.
Zan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Article:
Student finds teacher on list of sex offenders
The Associated Press
March 21, 2003
Email this story.
A high school math teacher was put on paid leave after a student discovered his name on a list of convicted sex offenders.
School officials said Thursday they placed John E. Benson, 26, on leave when authorities determined he had been convicted of first-degree rape in 1996 involving a 12-year-old girl.
Birmingham police obtained a felony warrant against Benson for violating the Alabama Community Notification Act. The law says a sex offender is not allowed to live or work within 2,000 feet of a school or any child care facility.
Court records show Benson was 18 when the crime occurred and was denied youthful offender status. He was convicted and received a 10-year suspended sentence, with three years probation.
Birmingham interim schools Superintendent Wayman Shiver Jr. said a student at Woodlawn discovered Benson's name on an Internet site.
Shiver said he met with Benson before placing him on leave. He said Benson noted that the incident occurred when he was 18, and said he was never convicted. Benson also showed Shiver a card that identified him as a sex offender.
Shiver said Thursday he believed Benson underwent a required criminal background check, but he has no record of the results. He said that Benson was hired conditionally by the system because at the time of his hiring he had not received his license to teach.
"He's a math teacher and we have a great need for them in the system," Shiver told the Birmingham News. "We hired him under the condition he would soon become certified."
State education officials said Thursday that because Benson was a new hire, it was the responsibility of the school system to fingerprint him and run the criminal check.
"The state will investigate the matter and, if indeed the facts are as they're being presented, proper action will be taken," said Rebecca Leigh, spokeswoman with Alabama Department of Education.