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1. Write Letters to Support the Bill

**See sample letters below

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Senator Mike Morrell

Capitol

State Capitol, Room 3056
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916.651.4023
Fax: 916.651.4923

Rancho Cucamonga

Phone: 909.919.7731
Fax: 909.919.7739

 

Email Letters: Attn: Rebecca Fontaine, Legislative Director to Senator Mike Morrell

Rebecca.Fontaine@sen.ca.gov

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2. Show up at Education Committee Hearing

April 11, 2018 at 9:00am      

 

California State Capitol, 1303 10th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, Room 4203.

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3. Call Your Senators and Education Committee Members

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  • I am calling to express my support for SB 1456, Senator Mike Morrell’s Sexual Abuse Free Education Act that is being heard in the Senate Education Committee, April 11th. Senator __________, can I count on you to support SB 1456?

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The following sample letters are provided to enable your immediate action….

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(Date)

 

Senator Mike Morrell

State Capitol, Room 3056

Sacramento, CA 95814

 

(Your Name)

(Address)

(City, State, Zip Code)

 

RE: SB 1456 Sexual Abuse Free Education Act: SUPPORT

 

Dear Senator Morrell,

 

I write to support SB1456, the Sexual Abuse Free Education Act (SAFE Act). In California, children are victimized by a loophole allowing school employees accused of sexual abuse to quietly move school-to-school, without their new employer being alerted to the allegations of misconduct. This practice – known as “passing the trash” – unjustly endangers countless California K-12 students every year.

 

Passing the trash exacerbates an already pervasive and devastating problem. According to the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 1 in 10 students is the target of educator sexual misconduct sometime during his or her K-12 academic career. A Government Accountability Office report found that one child sex offender can have as many as 73 victims in their lifetime. The National Association of School Attorneys says that an offending teacher will work in a minimum of three school employment settings before being reported and punished. Silently shifting child predators school-to-school allows for prolific child sexual abuse and lifelong trauma for millions of school children.

 

SB 1456 is a much needed solution to stop the concealment of these bad apples and keep them out of California schools. It restores trust in the teaching profession and most of all, provides a safe environment conducive to learning for all public and private school students. I thank you for sponsoring SB 1456 SAFE Act and wholeheartedly support you to see it through to becoming law.

 

Sincerely,

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(Your Name)

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(Date)

 

Your District Senator and/or Education Committee Member

Address

Sacramento, CA 95814

 

Your Name

Address

City, CA Zip code

 

Re: SB 1456 Sexual Abuse Free Education Act - SUPPORT

 

Dear: Senator (     )

 

I / Organization write to urge you to support SB1456, the Sexual Abuse Free Education Act (SAFE Act). In California, children are victimized by a loophole allowing school employees accused of sexual abuse to quietly move school-to-school, without their new employer being alerted to the allegations of misconduct. This practice – known as “passing the trash” – unjustly endangers countless California K-12 students every year.

 

Passing the trash exacerbates an already pervasive and devastating problem. According to the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 1 in 10 students is the target of educator sexual misconduct sometime during his or her K-12 academic career. A U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that one child sex offender can have as many as 73 victims in their lifetime. The National Association of School Attorney’s says that an offending teacher will work in a minimum of three school employment settings before being reported and punished. Silently shifting child predators school-to-school allows for prolific child sexual abuse and lifelong trauma for millions of school children in America.

 

Glaring examples of this problem in California include:

 

  1. Randi W. vs Muroc Joint Unified School District. Randi was a middle school student who was sexually abused by her guidance counselor who had been passed with known sexual offense allegations from four previous school employment settings. The California Supreme Court upheld that Randi W. had the right to sue her school district and administrators as well as all previous districts and administrators. This case set a precedent for countless victims of educator sexual misconduct to pursue justice because of the pervasiveness of “passing the trash.”

  2. Presentation High School a prestigious all-girls Catholic school, in San Jose, where allegedly reports of sexual assault by a teacher went unreported and the teacher was allowed to complete his contract before moving on to secure employment at Stanbridge Academy in San Mateo. He continued his sexual predation upon students for which he was properly reported to law enforcement resulting in his conviction and requirement to register as a sex offender for life.

  3. Marlborough School in Hancock Park, made national news in an investigative report about Passing the Trash on ABC’s Nightline. A married teacher was exposed by former students in 2014, including one who became pregnant and miscarried after becoming depressed and bulimic while in school in the early 2000s. This teacher had been fired from another private school, Viewpoint, but was hired at Marlborough with a glowing recommendation. Once the students came forward, the teacher was already working in another school, Polytechnic. An investigation, arrest, conviction and lawsuits against both Marlborough and Viewpoint, vindicated these brave women.

  4. A Los Angeles teacher who had first been accused of sexual abuse in 2007 and let go, in 2012 by LAUSD, for sexually abusing at least six 4th and 5th grade little girls managed to get licensed in Nevada where he was hired as a kindergarten teacher. In 2013, he was arrested for the kidnapping of a 16 year old girl whom he infected with a STD after keeping her hidden for months. Last year, he was found guilty on four counts of production of child pornography, one count each of first-degree kidnapping and child abuse or neglect for which he is serving 12.5 years to life in a Nevada prison.

 

SB 1456 is a much needed solution to stop the concealment of these bad apples and keep them out of California schools. Four other states, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Nevada and New Jersey have passed similar bills with two others actively seeking the same solution, Massachusetts and Oregon. SB 1456 is commonsense legislation that restores trust in the teaching profession by 1) requiring full employment history reviews of applicants to public and private schools to uncover any past findings of sexual misconduct or child abuse, 2) prohibit the aiding and abetting of child predators by banning the use of confidentiality agreements or clauses in collective bargaining contracts that allow predators to evade detection by law enforcement or future employers and most of all, 3)provides a safe environment conducive to learning for all public and private school students by ensuring their teachers have been thoroughly vetted and deemed fit to serve.

 

Every child deserves to learn in sexual abuse free classrooms. Every parent deserves peace of mind when they send their children to school. Every educator deserves to teach without a few bad apples casting a cloud of suspicion over them and tarnishing their profession. Therefore, every constituent deserves your support on SB1456 the SAFE Act.

 

Sincerely,

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(Your Name(s)

CALL to ACTION CALIFORNIA:

How can you support SB1456 Sexual Abuse Free Education Act?

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