Sheri Davis, the Houston teacher who made her national debut in a cellphone video beating a student, spoke exclusively to George Stephanopoulos this morning. During the interview Davis says she was frustrated and poorly trained to handle the situation. And this may be true.
According to a May 12 article by Ericka Mellon of the Houston Chronicle Davis was not a certified teacher.
“As a science teacher at a charter school, she didn’t need to be certified,” reports Mellon. “Texas law requires charter schools to hire certified teachers only in the areas of bilingual and special education.”
This policy is designed to give charter schools more freedom in hiring, but it poses a serious issue because non-certified teachers can’t be sanctioned by the state board. This means that teachers can apply for other teaching jobs and won’t have a record at all with the State Board for Educator Certification.
