Do you worry that those instructing your children are bad influences on them? In an ever-terrifying world where danger appears to lurk in every corner comes yet another story to scare parents. This one occurred in San Diego, California but could take place virtually anywhere.
A San Diego Unified special education aide continued working in the classroom, after he was arrested at the border with more than $500,000 worth of cocaine and methamphetamine. As reported in www.nbcsandiego.com.
How is this guy not in jail? Garrett Anthony Clifton was pulled over at the San Ysidro Port of Entry last April trying to enter the United States with 9.9 kilos of methamphetamine and 8 kilograms of cocaine.
Over the next several months, Clifton attended nearly a dozen federal court appearances including pleading guilty to importation of meth and coke. For the majority of this time, he kept his job teaching special education students at San Diego Unified.
He was still teaching students as of a few weeks ago. He is set to be sentenced to federal prison on Feb. 28 for importation of cocaine and methamphetamine - a charge that carries a minimum 10 years imprisonment and maximum of life in federal prison.
Don’t you think that parents and their guardians have a right to know that there has been illegal behavior on the part of an adult who is supposed to be a role model -- who is supposed to be protecting their children and educating them? So, why wasn't the school district notified about Clifton's arrest and conviction?
State law requires law enforcement agencies to provide official information about an arrest to schools and other entities classified under the law as "care-providing." The state education code requires an employee to be placed on paid administrative leave when they are arrested for a crime that would disqualify them from working with children, such as a drug bust.
Apparently there's no similar federal law or mechanism for notifying schools of federal arrests.
What I do know is that when we have employees working with children and they're arrested with $500,000 worth of narcotics, we need to know about that, so that we can make sure that we're doing everything we can to keep our kids safe.