[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2660]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    STRENGTHENING STUDENT PROTECTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, last year alone, over 450 teachers or 
school employees across the Nation were arrested for misconduct with a 
child. That is more than one per day. What is more, the Department of 
Education has estimated that nearly 10 percent of students are targets 
of educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career.
  Those numbers should be disturbing to every lawmaker, to every 
parent, and every grandparent in this body. In an effort to curb this 
alarming trend, I am proud that the Student Success Act under debate 
here today includes language from a bill that I introduced, the Jeremy 
Bell Act, to strengthen student protection efforts and get serious 
about who is being hired and transferred within our school system.
  The Jeremy Bell Act was named after a young boy from West Virginia 
who was drugged, sexually assaulted, and murdered by his elementary 
school principal--a man who had been suspected of sexual misconduct at 
previous jobs but was allowed to quietly transfer from district to 
district, avoiding repercussions and without awareness from his new 
employers, a shameful act known as ``passing the trash.''
  Language found within the Student Success Act will end the practice 
of ``passing the trash'' by blocking educational agencies from 
receiving Federal funds if they facilitate the transfer of an employee 
that they know or have probable cause to believe has engaged in sexual 
misconduct with a student.
  Furthermore, it ensures that the hiring of all school employees will 
be compliant with current, extensive background check requirements.
  As the husband of an educator, I know the overwhelming majority of 
teachers, educators, school administrators, and support staff are 
amazing, caring individuals committed to the success of their students.
  It is as much to protect the good work that they do, as well as the 
safety for our children, that we must pass this legislation and take 
real steps to address this issue.

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