Suspension, visa revocation, deportation could be in Red Bank teacher’s future

The state Education Department is looking into a Red Bank Elementary School teacher’s certification and, in cases like this one, where he’s accused of sexually assaulting a student, certification often is suspended, a state agency spokesman said Monday.

Suspension is only one of the contraints that can be applied in situations similar to kindergarten Spanish teacher Hianlucas Isturiz Rodriguez, 40, Education Department spokesman Ryan Brown said. Agency policy prohibits him from discussing a specific case, he said.

Rodriguez, who is on a visa from Venezuela, was charged last week with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department announced. He is accused of assaulting a student “multiple times” while on duty at school.

Rodriguez remained at large Monday, and sheriff’s department officials are saying little about where they think he is. Deputies continue to ask for the public’s help in locating Rodriguez. No new charges have been filed, said Capt. Adam Myrick.

The U.S. State Department, which oversees foreign teacher programs that allow participants to teach here for up to five years, also can revoke a visa that permits teachers to enter the country, notify immigration officials or restrict passports, Brown said.

The education agency in some cases can move to issue a “summary suspension,” which bars a teacher from a classroom immediately, Brown said. That action by agency staff is then turned over to the board, which can take more permanent disciplinary action.

Rodriguez was hired through a North Carolina company, Educational Partners International, based in Black Mountain. The company’s managing partner, Debra Martin, on Monday would say only that Rodriguez is “formerly associated” with the firm.

“Due to the ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide further comment,” Martin wrote in an email to The State newspaper.

Educational Partners International is among five companies that provide foreign-born teachers in South Carolina, Brown said. It has operated here for at least four years, and Brown said he’s unaware of any other of its teachers running afoul of the law during those years.

“They are a well-regarded company,” he said. “They have been good partners.”

Companies that bring foreign-born teachers to the United States require applicants to undergo criminal background checks in their native lands, Brown said. Their educational backgrounds also are examined.

Rodriguez has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in preschool and elementary education as well as education evaluation from the Central University of Venezuela, said Lexington 1 school district spokeswoman Mary Beth Hill. He taught in Venezuelan schools for three years before being hired at Red Bank Elementary.

The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security also screen those seeking to come to this country to teach, Brown said. Further, the state Education Department conducts FBI and State Law Enforcement Division checks before applicants can be certified to teach here, he said.

Such teachers are hired to work and are paid by school districts. Rodriguez’s salary was $42,873, Hill said. He was hired in August 2014 to teach at Red Bank Elementary, which has about 550 students, she said.

If a teacher hired by any of the five companies wants to move to another school, the company and the state education agency are notified, Brown said.

In extreme cases, state officials can revoke a company’s acceptance to provide foreign-born teachers in South Carolina.

“Based on our relationship (with Educational Partners International), we don’t see that happening,” Brown said.

This story was originally published May 1, 2017 at 5:50 PM.