Hawaii man's opinions on sex keep him from becoming teacher

HONOLULU (AP) — The University of Hawaii didn't violate First Amendment rights when it denied a teaching certificate for a Caltech-educated aspiring high school teacher who expressed views condoning adults having sex with minors, a panel of federal appeals court judges ruled Tuesday.

In 2010, he enrolled in the secondary education certification program at the University of Hawaii's Manoa campus, which is the state's only nationally accredited institution that recommends students for certification as secondary school teachers.

The comments were relevant in determining whether he should be allowed to work as a public school teacher, the panel concluded, and the university's decision was "directly related to defined and established professional standards" at state and national levels.

"[...] the university's decision was, by necessity, prospective in nature," the ruling said.

Oyama, a graduate of prestigious Honolulu prep school Iolani, wanted to help fill Hawaii's shortage of public school teachers, especially in science and math, Seitz said.