The Trump administration announced Friday that it is moving to crack down on adult sexual predators in K-12 schools across the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The move comes after the administration recently saw multiple \u201ccredible reports of sexual abuse and harassment by adults in positions of authority\u201d at schools \u201cgoing uninvestigated or of suspected offenders being transferred to new schools or roles in the district,\u201d according to the news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cThrough this initiative, we are holding school districts accountable because every child deserves to learn in a safe environment free from sexual abuse and harassment,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ED did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sexual predators in U.S. schools<\/a> \u201cdepend on institutional silence and complacency,\u201d McMahon wrote<\/a> Friday in a guidance letter sent to educational institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSuch silence is not only a moral failure but also violates federal law designed to protect our most defenseless class of citizens\u2014our children,\u201d the letter states. \u201cTeachers\u2019 unions\u2019 demonstrated commitment to shield their members from disciplinary action for gross misconduct cannot trump basic moral and legal responsibilities to students and families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n [snip]<\/p>\n\n\n\n In May, ED announced<\/a> it had opened a Title IX probe into the Los Angeles Unified School District, alleging that the district \u201cappears to be protecting sexual predators at the expense of its students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 2023 report<\/a> from the Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI) alleges that local education agencies (LEAs) in the U.S. \u201coften\u201d act \u201cin concert with the local teacher union leaders, conceals sexual abuse by permitting accused employees to resign and move to a new school or district rather than face investigation and possible punishment\u2014a practice called \u2018passing the trash.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLEAs and unions use collective bargaining and nondisclosure agreements to conceal the records of abusive employees, and union leaders wield their powerful influence in many state legislatures to stymie legislation that would hold public employees accountable for their sexual misconduct in schools,\u201d according to DFI\u2019s report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a 55% surge in sexual violence incidents in U.S. K-12 public schools from the 2015-2016 school year to the 2017-2018 academic year, according to a 2024 report<\/a> published in Taylor & Francis Online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n