GREAT FALLS — Montana schools have come under increased scrutiny from parents following an increase in reported educator misconduct incidents last year.
According to the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI), 15 teacher licenses were suspended or revoked statewide in 2025 for various forms of misconduct. These figures have raised concerns about how such cases are managed and what safeguards are in place.
Quentin Shores talks with Susan Hedalen - watch:
“There is an opportunity for the Superintendent of Public instruction, so I can immediately suspend a license. And then I do a recommendation to the Board of Public Education on what should take place after that,” said Susan Hedalen, Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Once the superintendent notifies the Board of Public Education, board members can reprimand, suspend, or permanently revoke an educator's license based on the case.
However, gaps in oversight still exist. Currently, not all Montana school districts are required by law to report personnel issues to the state. The state Attorney General’s office is now working with OPI to strengthen these reporting requirements and close loopholes.
“A lot of times we need to let them do their work. But a lot of times we, you know, if it's egregious, we're going to suspend right away, and then we do investigations. The district does investigations, sometimes law enforcement,” Hedalen explained.
To improve oversight, OPI helped pass House Bill 745, which strengthens mandatory background checks for all school employees. The new law requires fingerprint-based background checks and makes certain criminal offenses automatic disqualifiers for employment in Montana schools.
“Right when I got into office, we did have some major concerns. And some of the calls that I got were regarding people moving to Montana and working in our schools that may have had questionable behavior or conduct in the past,” Hedalen said.
While incidents involving teacher-student altercations or code of ethics violations often make headlines, Hedalen and OPI stress the importance of recognizing the vast majority of Montana educators who uphold high professional standards.
“Unfortunately, some of those things have happened. Take away from the great work, going on in our schools across the state of Montana. But, teachers do sign a code of ethics, and we do expect them to maintain a standard of professionalism across Montana,” Hedalen said.
OPI says it will continue working to implement stronger safeguards, protect children, and reinforce standards of professionalism in schools statewide.
