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Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced Sunday that the federal government will intensify its enforcement efforts against sexual misconduct involving educators and school personnel. Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” McMahon criticized school districts that reassign rather than terminate teachers accused of inappropriate conduct with students, stating such practices prevent misconduct from appearing in personnel records.
McMahon referenced a 2004 Education Department literature review indicating approximately one in 10 students in grades eight through 11 reported experiencing sexual misconduct by an educator. The review employed a comprehensive definition encompassing physical, verbal and visual conduct, though the department noted this should not be conflated with the legal definition of sexual abuse.
An investigation by ProPublica and KQED revealed that California’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing declined to revoke licenses for at least 67 educators between 2019 and 2025, despite school district determinations of sexual misconduct. At least 14 of those educators subsequently found employment at other school districts, with at least 12 still working in education as of May.
The Department of Education opened a Title IX investigation into Los Angeles Unified School District in May, examining what officials characterized as an agreement with United Teachers of Los Angeles requiring reassignment rather than termination for teachers credibly accused of sexual or romantic relationships with students or other serious misconduct. LAUSD and UTLA disputed this characterization, stating reassignment means removing employees from student contact during investigations, with termination remaining possible after substantiation.
McMahon warned that schools receiving federal funding and failing to comply with Title IX requirements risk losing applicable federal assistance. “This epidemic of nationwide sexual abuse in our schools must end,” McMahon stated, pledging comprehensive federal enforcement action to protect students from adults in positions of authority.
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