I was talking to a student today--a Iraq War vet, 32 years old, really nice single father with a somewhat troublesome son--who told me that he had decided not to go into a teacher certification program here in PA because he had had a DUI conviction back when he was a youngster, and that in PA, if you have a DUI on your record, you can't get a teaching certificate.

So the question: does that rule make sense to you?

no more than all the bullshirt busts for small
quantities that wreak kids entire lives, only
moreso since it's not even a controlled substance

I don't know about DUIs.. but you can work at getting certain convictions expunged.

2 words - FOC NO !!
Hell everyone has done stupid things in their youth... ask W and he was POTUS !!
Coke is a lot worse than EtOH.
So a DUI can't be a teacher... when they're so short of good ones ! double

He might be a great example to reach kids who are tempted since he's "Been there" !!
Encourage him to go for it and if they ask... write it off as the 'testosterone factor' !

I agree makes no sense.

Maybe I am wrong ? but certain things get taken off your record after so many years. Only felonies stay on forever. Well here they do.

So have him check his record if its not there , then great and don't even bring it up at interview time.

Yeah, you can get it expunged, but I'm told that it's not cheap. I asked the chair of our ed. dept., who had been superintendent of a local school district for about 20 years, and he says that someone with a DUI on the record won't even be admitted into the ed. program. So it has to be expunged early--at whatever cost.

It's right up there with the case of a student in a university not too far from here, who uploaded up to her MySpace (a couple of years ago!) page a picture of herself holding two of those big red cups with amber-colored liquid in them. She got immediately dropped from the ed. program.

Only if it's a driving instructor gig.

Illinois will not issue you a teaching certificate with a DUI on record.
Strangely, if you are 'certificated'/ teaching and happen to get a DUI, you may get a 'reprimand' from your employer (district), or you may get nothing at all, it depends.
In one of our neighboring districts a driver education/PE high school teacher received a DUI. He was taken off his driver ed duties and given PE classes full time. No other disciplinary actions were taken by the school board.

That is not fair at all.To crucify someone years ago stinks to me.