Roxanne

Posted on 3/10/10

The situation you are describing certainly sounds like one of
not only great concern but sensitivity as well. Although who
a teacher is dating may be seen as private in some regards, a
teacher does have a moral responsibility to not only his or
her students and parents but the community as well. An
investigation may be further warranted to gather more
information about the details of what may have or may not
occurred while the student was still in high school. Keep in
mind that once the community or other parents find out about
this I would think they would be concerned and rightly so.
This teacher is supposed to be a professional and a role
model. How can he be a role model if his judgment leads him
to date a former student? I disagree with one of the
replies to your post stating that you should leave it alone.
You should investigate the situation further. Here is a link
to an article on public trust and the role of teachers:
http://www.cepionline.org/newsletter/2004-
2005/2005_Mar_Public_Trust.html. This article provides
information on court cases that involve privacy rights of
teachers. The case of Flaskamp v. Dearborn Public Schools may
be a case of interest to you. If you find that the teacher
did have relations with the student while the student was
still in his class this case would set the precedent of what
could happen should you decide to terminate this teacher. In
conclusion, I think it is critical to your school, students,
and community that you investigate this matter further.

On 3/06/10, anon wrote:
> I would like to know how the resident admins would handle a
> situation if it came to light that a young, male faculty
> member (age 24) on your high school staff was now dating a
> girl (age 19) that was a former student and graduated last
> May 2009, yet no evidence exists that anything inappropriate
> was going on while she was a student.
>
> Are there any professional/ethical issues at stake? I say
> 'arguably' yes, on the fence, but I would like to hear the
> opinions of others.

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