The College Fix

The urge to legislate is often strongest after a tragedy, such as Jerry Sandusky’s serial sexual abuse of boys while at Penn State.

It’s also typically the worst time to legislate, because there’s little moderating influence when Something Has Gone Horribly Wrong.

Educators in Pennsylvania are now being treated like sex offenders so another Sandusky-type incident won’t happen, NPR reports:

University professors in Pennsylvania are upset over a new law that requires them to get a child abuse background check every three years and have their fingerprints taken. …

The law applies to anyone at schools and colleges who interacts with people under 18 years old. This includes elementary school teachers, preschool workers and college professors who might teach 17-year-old freshmen.

Also janitors and secretaries, all under a massive cloud of suspicion because of one deeply troubled and opportunistic coach. It’s an expensive cloud of suspicion, too, estimated by Penn State to cost $3 million just for its “first round” complying with the new law on campus.

It looks like further evidence of the government encouraging colleges to coddle their students, treating them as if they can’t navigate the adult world they’ve entered:

“I don’t consider my students to be children,” says Penn State art history professor Brian Curran. He’s also president of the local advocacy chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Curran says the law’s intentions are good, but including college professors doesn’t make sense to him.

“Standing in some line and being fingerprinted — it just doesn’t feel right. It seems intrusive in some sort of basic way,” he says.

Lawmakers are reviewing the language to see what they might change in response to the backlash from professors, NPR says.

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