A report just released by the State Commission of Investigation finds that some sexual predators made their way back into New Jersey classrooms, even after being accused of misconduct in a previous district. It’s something New Jersey’s so-called Pass the Trash law of 2018 was meant to stop. The law was intended to stop teachers with histories of sexual misconduct or child abuse from keeping their records a secret and finding jobs at other schools.

However, a new report by the State Commission of Investigation says both educators and school districts are not only ignoring the law, but in some cases are purposely manipulating it at the expense of students.

Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris) sponsored the law, which requires an educator who’s been accused of sexual misconduct to report the allegation when looking for a new job. It also requires school districts that are hiring to request any such background files from the sending school district, which in turn must turn over those documents. The SCI found cases where those disclosures broke down at every level.

“I’m pretty sure the state’s a safer place than it was a few years ago when we passed the law, but obviously there are things that we need to improve to make it even safer for our kids,” Webber said.