By KRWG News
New Mexico – State education officials revoked the licenses of 22 teachers last year 13 of whom were accused of sexual misconduct.
The number has been higher only once since 1997. In 2008, the state Public Education Department yanked the licenses of two dozen teachers.
Department spokeswoman Beverly Friedman tells the Albuquerque Journal in a copyright story Wednesday that the uptick might be due partly to a 2007 reporting law.
The law gives school districts 30 days to report a teacher's firing or resignation after an allegation of ethical misconduct involving a student.
The state has pulled the licenses of 116 teachers since 1997. About half of those cases involved some kind of sexual misconduct.
New Mexico has about 49,000 licensed educators.
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.