CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) —
Iowa state lawmakers have passed multiple pieces of legislation to stop public employees from hiding investigations or misconduct allegations. But, the KCRG Investigative Team learned some public employers aren’t following these laws and employees are taking advantage of a legal loophole to avoid disclosure.
Iowa school districts allow staff members under investigation for sexual or physical assault to resign, rather than face a termination process. Experts say this allows those staff members to work in another school district.
The practice is common in school districts across Iowa and the country. In 2019, the federal government called the practice “Passing the Trash.” The term is traditionally used to refer to teachers who sexually abuse students, resign, then find another job with no record of their sexual misconduct. A federally funded study said the practice occurs because district administrators “fear legal liability and tarnished reputations.”
KCRG found the practice of a resignation occurring after allegations of misconduct or an investigation happened, not just in schools, but across different government employers. We also learned those people are able to get similar jobs at a different public employer with no criminal history. Recent changes to Iowa law have tried to make it so whenever a public employee, like a police officer or teacher, does something wrong it becomes public record.
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