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The Trump Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced Friday its launch of a “crack down” on sexual predators in K-12 government schools across the nation.
“The Trump Administration has observed a troubling and recurring pattern in schools across the nation of credible reports of sexual abuse and harassment by adults in positions of authority going uninvestigated or of suspected offenders being transferred to new schools or roles in the district,” the department said in a press statement. “When school administrators protect adults accused of assaulting or harassing children from meaningful consequences, enabling them to continue harming kids in another environment, it is referred to as ‘passing the trash.’”
According to the announcement, the Trump administration issued “guidance” to remind all “federally funded educational institutions of their legal obligations to safeguard children and appropriately respond to incidents of sexual misconduct under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX).”
The guidance letter observes that sexual predators in schools often rely on “institutional silence and complacency” to be shielded from investigation.
“Such silence is not only a moral failure but also violates federal law designed to protect our most defenseless class of citizens—our children,” the letter continues, adding that “[t]eachers’ unions’ demonstrated commitment to shield their members from disciplinary action for gross misconduct cannot trump basic moral and legal responsibilities to students and families.”
OCR, the letter notes, is launching 20 “directed investigations” into school districts that may not be addressing the issue of adult sexual predators of children as evidenced by civil rights data from year 2023-24.
In particular, the guidance observes that “[r]ecent reporting found at least 67 cases in California where the State has not revoked the professional licenses of educators after school districts determined they had sexually harassed students or committed other types of sexual misconduct.”
“According to the reporting, 12 of those teachers remain working in education,” the letter asserts.
“Our schools must protect America’s children,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Parents should never have to wonder whether their kids’ school employs and protects sexual predators. Schools that receive federal funding have a duty to protect students, report sexual misconduct honestly, and follow the law.”
All schools that receive federal funding are instructed to “respond promptly and appropriately to allegations of sexual harassment,” the statement says, adding that their policies must also “prevent employees who have been credibly accused of sexual assault from being transferred to new schools or into different roles to avoid accountability.”
According to the guidance, all education institutions must:
Schools are also pointedly instructed not to “rely solely on referrals to law enforcement to satisfy their obligations under Title IX.”
“Nor may they suspend or terminate their investigation once law enforcement gets involved, unless so required by other pertinent federal law,” the education department asserts. “Institutions must ensure their grievance procedures are timely, thorough, and genuinely responsive.”
In interviews this week, McMahon emphasized that “schools will be in jeopardy of losing their federal funding” if they fail to comply with these directives.
“1 out of 10 school students across the country have some sort of sexual misconduct perpetrated on them by teachers or school staff,” the secretary said. “No action is taken except these teachers through support of unions are moved to schools, or maybe they get counseling; but they’re not removed from their positions.”
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