Sex | Teacher Faces Sex Charges As Missouri Social Network Law Challenged

COMMENTARY Yet another teacher in Missouri is facing sex charges while a new Missouri law pertaining to private contact between students and teachers is being challenged. The Joplin Globe reports Josh Long has had his teaching license suspended and faces two years of probation for a misdemeanor child endangerment charge in Jasper County Circuit Court. The penalties stem from two years of mistrials.

Long is also accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl while he was the girls basketball coach at East Newton High School. The alleged statutory rape happened in 2008 while she lived in Webb City.

This case is in the public eye right before Missouri's new law goes into effect restricting personal contact between students and teachers over electronic media. The Amy Hestir Student Protection Act is designed to keep teachers from preying on students by forbidding private messages between teachers and students.

KSDK out of St. Louis reports the Missouri State Teachers Association and the American Civil Liberties Union both filed lawsuits in an attempt to block provisions limiting student contact. The intent of the law is to protect students from teachers who have inappropriate contact with them.

At issue is limiting a teacher's First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. Yet each year, there are cases such as Long's where a teacher in Missouri hasn't done anything previously illegal and they are later charged with crimes relating to children.

It's not a nice world for children anymore. Potential predators lurk in the open on electronic media now such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Cyberbullying has been at the forefront of America's consciousness for over a year now with gay suicides. The Megan Meier case in suburban St. Louis made national headlines when an adult bullied her and caused her suicide in 2006.

As a Missouri resident and parent of two children, I understand that developing bonds between teachers and students is important. I also know that parents deserve the right to see what's going on in their children's lives at school. There is a fine line between being close to a student and inappropriately invading someone's privacy. That's what this law is about.

Ultimately, it is up to the parents to be responsible for the safety of their children. When teachers cross the line, laws like the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act need to be written and passed. Although it may not be perfect, it is a step in the right direction.

There are always measures to implement that can work with the law. Teachers and school districts can have "official" webpages that will allow for more student-teacher interaction, just no private messages. Schools can provide official Facebook or Twitter pages that can foster more communication.

William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.