School thieves' punishment little more than detention

By Lee Cataluna

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 13, 2011

~~<p>Get caught speeding in a school zone and you face a higher penalty -- a fine of up to $250. A conviction for selling drugs near a school also carries a greater punishment than selling drugs on just any non-school street corner. Break a classroom window and lift a bunch of old computers from a public school and you'll probably get some time in jail. But if you work at a public school and, in the course of your job, steal thousands of dollars that should be going to educate the kids, no worries. Chances are you'll serve less time in jail than Rod Tam.</p>
<p>In the last year, there have been three mind-blowing cases of Department of Education employees accused of stealing large amounts of money from their schools.</p>
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Get caught speeding in a school zone and you face a higher penalty -- a fine of up to $250. A conviction for selling drugs near a school also carries a greater punishment than selling drugs on just any non-school street corner. Break a classroom window and lift a bunch of old computers from a public school and you'll probably get some time in jail. But if you work at a public school and, in the course of your job, steal thousands of dollars that should be going to educate the kids, no worries. Chances are you'll serve less time in jail than Rod Tam.

In the last year, there have been three mind-blowing cases of Department of Education employees accused of stealing large amounts of money from their schools. Login for more...