In spite of new state regulations designed to stop teachers accused of sex abuse from moving on to other schools, some still slip through the cracks.
That was the case with Dennis R. Tanner, who pleaded not guilty Friday to 10 misdemeanor charges that he fondled students in his Jackling Elementary sixth-grade class. A pretrial hearing is planned before 3rd Circuit Judge Edward Watson Dec. 8 at 8:30 a.m.The Granite School District hired Tanner for the West Valley elementary without calling Wasatch School District in Heber City, where he was fired after working two years.
If Granite officials had called, they would have learned that Tanner was the target of several complaints of "socially inapprop- riate" behavior, said Wasatch Middle School Principal Dave Giles in Heber City.
"No one ever called me," Giles said. "I didn't even know he was getting another job in education."
No charges were ever filed in Heber City, and Giles said the rumored behavior was never as serious as that Tanner is now charged with.
"I investigated every one of the charges but could never substantiate any of them," Giles said.
Parents of students in Tanner's Jackling Elementary class say the teacher pinched their children's buttocks, lifted girls' dresses and told sexual jokes in class.
Tanner has been suspended without pay.
Granite spokesman Kent Gardner said the district did not contact the Wasatch District school because four Heber school officials, including Giles, had written positive letters of recommendation for Tanner.
"We had no idea there were any problems going on in Wasatch School District," Gardner said. "All of the letters were positive."
Granite School officials also did not contact references listed by Tanner when he applied for the teaching job.
"Nothing in the materials we received made me feel it was important to call and check on this man," Gardner said. "It is distressing to me that a person who supposedly had these problems was given such positive recommendations."
Giles said that the four letters outlined Tanner's teaching abilities and were positive in the areas where they could be positive.
"If you read those letters, you will see that we did not recommend him for certification," Giles said.
The Tanner case is one of five similar cases involving former or current Utah teachers in the past year.
Earlier this year, the Utah Legislature passed several bills allowing criminal-background checks and fingerprinting to become part of the hiring process. Another law gives the state Office of Education access to expunged criminal records.
The state acts as a clearinghouse for all districts and other states seeking background information on teacher applicants, said Roger Mouritsen, director of teacher certification for the state.
It is the responsibility of individual districts to notify the state when a teacher is fired or resigns for something other than normal reasons.
In the past, district officials have been fairly lax in reporting the dismissals, Mouritsen said.