California schools withhold teacher misconduct records amid transparency lawsuits
Journalists from KQED and ProPublica obtained over 350 complaints through public records requests, exposing how districts delay disclosure while the Department of General Services provides quicker access to disciplinary outcomes.
An investigation by KQED and ProPublica has uncovered widespread teacher misconduct complaints in California, revealing that educators accused of inappropriate behaviour, including sexual misconduct, often continued teaching at new schools despite prior complaints or disciplinary actions. The report highlights systemic failures in the state’s regulatory framework, where bureaucratic obstacles and legal delays have allowed potentially dangerous educators to remain in classrooms.
Reporter Holly McDede, formerly of KQED, filed public records requests with the 300 largest school districts in California to obtain complaints of teacher sexual misconduct made in the five previous years. By the time she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2024, McDede had received more than 350 complaints after filing requests over a year prior. The investigation underscores the difficulty of accessing these records, as many districts dragged their feet or cited legal hurdles to avoid disclosure.
The Los Angeles Unified School District has not released any records pertaining to teacher misconduct cases reported to the state, instead citing a potential $8,000 fee for processing the request. The First Amendment Coalition is representing McDede in a lawsuit filed in May, arguing that Los Angeles Unified is violating public records laws. A district spokesperson stated that its policies balance the public’s right to access records with the responsible stewardship of public resources.
In contrast, records from the Department of General Services provided quicker access to disciplinary outcomes. This state agency houses the Office of Administrative Hearings, which convenes hearings for public employees. McDede obtained five years’ worth of decisions about other teachers in less than a week, including details on Jason Agan, a math teacher fired for sexually harassing students but deemed fit to teach by an independent panel.
The report details specific cases where safeguards failed. Former elementary teacher Joseph Brian Houg was sentenced to more than three decades in prison for sexually abusing 10 students, despite parents complaining to administrators for years about inappropriate touching. Another former Benicia teacher resigned due to misconduct accusations, was hired by another school, and had his license remain in good standing until he was criminally charged in 2024.
