Getting Past a Criminal Record

For a cautionary tale with a properly upbeat ending, consider the saga of Natividad Alvarado Jr., a vocational education teacher for the regional occupational program in San Juan Capistrano.

Alvarado got his teaching credential back this month, but it was a close-run thing. Not surprisingly, state officials were properly concerned about a record of 14 convictions.

However, of greater weight were Alvarado’s references and the fact that all the convictions were for misdemeanors, the last one for drunken driving in 1989.

In the years since, Alvarado has married and become a part-time teacher of carpentry at the Los Pinos Conservation Camp. The facility is run by the county Probation Department and was established to steer youths in trouble with the law onto a trouble-free path.

After Alex del Thomas, a school janitor with a felony record, was charged with committing a campus murder, the state last year required that applicants for teaching credentials submit their fingerprints. That is understandable. Schools need to be careful about who is teaching children.

Alvarado disclosed his criminal record and was given a temporary teaching credential. But when the extent of his offenses became known to the state Justice Department, he was removed from the classroom. His absence turned out to be only temporary.

A Santa Ana police captain and the county’s public defender wrote recommendations on Alvarado’s behalf and also solicited support from others.

Although he has the credential restored, Alvarado said he was uncertain he would try to return to his old teaching job. He is trying to develop a program for at-risk youth in Santa Ana and has discussed his proposal with city and school officials. That’s a worthwhile goal, especially in a city with a large number of gangs and young people who unfortunately are attracted to them.

Whether at Los Pinos or in Santa Ana, Alvarado can show students that American lives sometimes do have second acts. But the temporary loss of his credential also demonstrates that actions have consequences and bad decisions made as a youth can be obstacles years later.