Grading the Teacher - Background Investigations on Educators

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Fifty year old John Acerra was the principal of Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem, PA—that is, up until 2007. In 2007, Acerra’s 28 year career with the Bethlehem School District came to an end when an informant tipped off police that Acerra was a crystal methamphetamine dealer, and had been consistently dealing for several months. After doing surveillance on Acerra’s dealings, police soon orchestrated successful transactions with Acerra, one in a CVS parking lot, and one in Acerra’s office at the middle school.  Once the middle school transaction was complete, police immediately entered Acerra’s office and arrested him, finding his stash of crystal meth and other paraphernalia in Acerra’s school office. There is no evidence that Acerra ever sold to students, but this didn’t leave parents, teachers, and the rest of the community less rocked or unnerved by the news. When asked for a statement, Bethlehem superintendent Joseph Lewis said he is "saddened and troubled by these events. I offer no explanation. There is none."    

In the aftermath of this incident, the school district, teachers, parents, and community on the whole were likely embarrassed, scared, or at a loss for what to feel about a school so blind or careless that its principal was able to deal meth out his office. The only way this incident could have been entirely avoided was for the district to not have hired him, or for Acerra to not have been a meth dealer in the first place. So the likelihood of this having been completely avoidable is pretty slim. But a story like this does shine a harsh light on the importance of checking in on teachers and other educators who work in the same school or district for an extended period of time.

Educators who interact with your children on a daily basis may have gotten hired 20 years ago, had a background investigation done upon their hiring, and not had their criminal history looked into since. In an industry where an educator is likely to keep his or her job without question up until the end of his or her career, the need for periodic checks is just as pressing as it is for industries with high turnover.  Don’t assume that just because a teacher or other education professional had a clear history at the beginning of his career, that his record remains clear. It’s always better to cover your bases, and enjoy the peace of mind.

Dana Rossi is an Investigative Analyst at MSAI.