Teacher misconduct cases rising in Ohio

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Increasing use of social media and better reporting systems are believed to be among the reasons for the rising number of accusations of teacher misconduct in Ohio.

Ohio Department of Education records show the number of accusations have tripled since 2007. The problems have included lewd text messages, inappropriate Facebook posts, physical threats and sex acts with students.

Depending on the type of misconduct reported, a teacher’s inappropriate behavior toward a student is classified by the state as a case of conduct unbecoming or a sexual offense.

The number of conduct-unbecoming cases reported to the state increased from 250 in 2007 to 754 in 2011. However, specific sexual offenses investigated by the education department’s Office of Professional Conduct have decreased since 2008.