March 1 - Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools

In a criminal case, where the burden or proof is higher, a judge or jury must find proof "beyond a reasonable doubt" that a crimehas been committed. Ireland said a criminal conviction therefore usually leads to a license revocation."If somebody has been convicted of a crime, it makes it much easier for us to prove that the conduct occurred," he said.Ireland also said there have been several cases in recent years where a license has been revoked because of an inappropriaterelationship that did not involve criminal conduct.Investigating teachersAt the county's Exploited and Missing Child Unit, which investigates reports of physical and sexual abuse of children as well aschild pornography, detectives handle about 170 cases a month. Tracy said only a handful involve teachers."If we had five a year, that would be a lot," she said. "It's certainly not common."Bob Shoop, a Kansas State University education professor who specializes in studying student abuse, said he doubts that the 41revocations for improper conduct with children represent all the abuse that has occurred in Kansas schools since 2000."I promise you, that's just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "Most cases don't get reported."And just because a case is reported, he said, doesn't mean it will result in criminal charges."In many cases, the parents don't want to see their child become the poster kid for being abused," he said.Shoop said school districts should establish clear standards that set appropriate boundaries for student-teacher relationships. Hesaid parents and students need to be aware that inappropriate contact can occur in schools.Two decades ago, no one would have suspected that a priest would molest a child, Shoop said. He said that changed afterseveral high-profile cases.Shoop said he suspects the same phenomenon is now happening in the nation's schools, which have turned out not to beimmune from sexual predators."There are some very sick people who go into education because that's where the kids are," he said. "They go so they can getaccess."At the national Missing and Exploited Children Center, an effort is made to track the relationship between child victims and theirmolesters. Although officials there don't treat teachers as a separate category, Shehan said, teachers do fall into the category ofpeople most likely to molest children: people the children know and often trust."The vast majority have legitimate access to the kids," he said.Reach Hurst Laviana at 316-268-6499 or hlaviana@wichitaeagle.com.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com