Federal Crackdown Targets School Districts Over Teacher Misconduct Handling
The Trump administration has initiated a national review of how schools manage allegations of staff sexual misconduct, following reporting that revealed failures to revoke credentials for dozens of educators in California.
The Trump administration has launched a national crackdown on the handling of sexual misconduct allegations by teachers, following a KQED-ProPublica investigation into California’s disciplinary systems. Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued guidance citing findings that California had not revoked the professional credentials of at least 67 educators identified by school districts as having sexually harassed students or committed other misconduct. At least 14 of those educators were subsequently rehired by other schools.
McMahon threatened to withhold federal funding from public schools that fail to protect children from teacher sexual misconduct. She called on states and school districts to scrutinise their laws and regulations to prevent educators with misconduct histories from obtaining new positions elsewhere. Citing previous reports by the Government Accountability Office and other studies, McMahon said the Department of Education has observed a “troubling and recurring pattern” of credible reports of sexual abuse and harassment by school employees going uninvestigated.
The department is investigating 20 school districts over their data collection practices and handling of allegations of staff sexual harassment of students. Two of the districts, Tulare City and Wilsona, are in California. Wilsona Superintendent Steve Doyle stated the district will cooperate fully with the federal review. The list, which the administration said was built on 2023-24 civil rights data, also includes districts in Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Connecticut, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
Critics characterised McMahon’s guidance as political rhetoric. Heidi Goldstein, a personnel commissioner of the Berkeley Unified School District, described the letter as a “wedge issue” to weaken union power. Maggie Sisco, a spokesperson for the California Teachers Association, said the administration was “weaponizing and distorting an issue for political purposes while also systematically dismantling the very offices of the Department of Education that were established to protect the safety and civil rights of students across the nation.”
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond was not available to comment on the administration’s letter. A spokesperson for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing stated that state law prevents the agency from formally reviewing allegations unless it receives an affidavit from alleged victims. Los Angeles Unified School District spokesperson Christy Hagen clarified that “reassignment” means employees are assigned away from students during investigations, and the district maintains it takes all allegations with utmost seriousness.
