The Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights on July 10 launched an initiative cracking down on sexual predators in K–12 schools.
“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 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.’”
In a July 10 guidance letter issued to educational institutions receiving federal funding, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon reminded schools of their legal obligation to safeguard children and appropriately respond to sexual misconduct allegations in line with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
In the letter, McMahon cited a 2003 study that found that 9.6 percent of students in grades eight to 11 reported some sexual misconduct involving an educator. McMahon pointed out that such a stat would have led to a national outcry in “any other setting.”
McMahon said the department will “vigorously enforce” Title IX and ESEA obligations to all applicable institutions. Her letter asked schools to ensure their policies comply with these regulations.
Officials with authority to take corrective actions on sexual misconduct allegations should be trained to identify and respond to such incidents. Schools must make sure that investigations are “thorough, timely, and genuinely responsive,” she wrote.
Institutions that fail to comply with these federal laws risk losing funding from the Trump administration, McMahon warned.