HARRISBURG – State Rep. Steven J. Santarsiero, D-Bucks, today said he
plans to introduce legislation that would add to the list of offenses that, if
convicted, could prevent teachers from receiving their state pension benefit.
Santarsiero said he decided to propose this legislation after he learned that
Robert Hawkins, a former Council Rock High School South teacher who was
convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of a minor for
having a five-month sexual relationship with a student, could still receive his
state teacher's pension.
The Pension Forfeiture Act 140 of 1978, which outlines the crimes that would
cause a Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) employee to lose his
or her pension, was amended in 2004 to include sexual offenses. However,
endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of a minor were not included
in the list of crimes that fall under Act 140.
"My legislation would add these two crimes to the list of law-breaking
offenses that would cause pension forfeiture," Santarsiero said. "In the case of
Robert Hawkins, I find it appalling that after being terminated from his job and
losing his teaching certificate for the crime he committed, that he's still able
to collect his pension.
"When a teacher has broken the public trust, he or she should not profit from
a public pension," he added.
Under the current law, PSERS members who have been sentenced after having
been convicted, pled guilty or no contest in a court of law for any of the
crimes listed in the Pension Forfeiture Act are subject to the forfeiture of
their PSERS pension benefit. The sexual offenses currently included in the act
are rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse,
sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and indecent
exposure. Santarsiero's legislation would add endangering the welfare of a child
and corruption of a minor to that list of offenses.
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