And here's a lovely NYC Public School story...

CROOKS TEACH OUR KIDS

By DAVID ANDREATTA

January 4, 2006 -- EXCLUSIVE

Criminal charges leveled against teachers, principals, janitors and other city public-school employees shot up an astounding 58 percent last year, according to data obtained by The Post.
The huge jump was fueled by a 44 percent surge in charges against teachers and a near doubling in the number against school aides and low-level employees, statistics culled by Special Schools Investigator Richard Condon show.
In all, 2,348 charges were brought against school workers in 2005, including 517 for teachers, 319 for janitors, 206 for school aides and 10 for principals.
In 2004, Department of Education employees faced 1,486 criminal charges.
The department employs roughly 130,000 people.
Because multiple charges can accompany an arrest, the figures do not indicate how many employees were collared or convicted. They also do not show whether an alleged crime was committed in a school.
But the figures represent a startling 74 percent explosion in criminal charges against school workers since 2002.
Aquila Haynes, a spokeswoman for Condon, stressed the charges did not result from investigations opened by his office. Probes by Condon yielded 21 arrests last year, she said.
But Condon is provided the data by the NYPD and other police departments that arrest Department of Education employees, Haynes said.
Reached late in the day, Department of Education spokeswoman Margie Feinberg said the agency would have to examine the data more closely before commenting.
For instance, the department noted the data do not indicate whether charges were subsequently dropped or reduced.
Tim Johnson, chairman of the Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council, perhaps the most prominent parent group in the city, said the jump was "shocking."
"Parents entrust their children to people who work in public schools and one would like to think that trust is well placed," Johnson said.
Teachers union president Randi Weingarten said it appeared very few of the charges against teachers were school-related, adding, "The more important issue . . . is how many ended in convictions."
david.andreatta@nypost.com

And this....

January 5, 2006 -- A Bronx middle-school teacher was arrested last night for threatening a 10-year-old student following a brawl in a school cafeteria, police said.
José Garcia, 47, a teacher at MS 390 in University Heights, allegedly grabbed the boy by the throat and told him, "I could kill you," police said.
The student had marks on his neck, police said. Garcia was charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a minor. Joe McGurk

Oh yeah, and this...

January 6, 2006 -- Pervert public-school staffers were nabbed in record numbers last year, leading to 43 percent more recommendations from city investigators that employees be fired or disciplined.
A report issued yesterday by Special Schools Investigator Richard Condon said his probers substantiated more complaints of misconduct by public-school workers in 2005 than in any year since the office was created in 1992.
The 568 cases opened last year represented a 19 percent jump over 2004, and the 250 cases that were substantiated represented a 43 percent hike.
Of the 250 cases, 92 involved sexual misconduct complaints ranging from rape and educator-student relationships to sexual harassment and public exposure. In all, Condon called for the firing of 124 employees.
"It was the busiest year in the history of the office," Condon said in an interview. "We're getting more complaints from within the system, people are paying more attention to misconduct and know that we will go after them if they don't report a complaint."
Probers opened 214 investigations related to sexual misconduct in 2005, compared to 164 in 2004 — the second-highest number on record. The 92 substantiated sex cases topped the previous high of 71 set in 1996.
Department of Education spokesman David Cantor commended Condon "for the continued value and thoroughness of his work."
Perhaps the most significant result of a Condon investigation last year was the arrest of 16 custodians on charges of taking kickbacks for cleaning supplies that were never delivered.
But among the best known cases were those involving two female educators at Health Professions and Human Services HS in Manhattan, who investigators last spring said had affairs with male students.
One of them gave birth to a student's child, stunning parents and sparking pledges from officials to an aggressive crackdown on sex offenders in schools.
Other cases that grabbed headlines were those involving teachers who probers said wrongly used sick days to pursue side interests or second jobs, including conducting a Scandinavian orchestra and climbing into the ring for World Wrestling Entertainment.
david.andreatta@nypost.com