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Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on Sunday said the federal government is committed to “cracking down” on sexual misconduct involving teachers, staff and other adults in positions of authority in schools across the country.
In an interview, McMahon denounced what she described as school districts reassigning, rather than firing, teachers accused of misconduct involving students.
“And it’s not part of their record or anything, so we have really been cracking down on that as well,” she said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
McMahon, citing a 2004 Education Department literature review, said about one in 10 eighth- through 11th-grade students reported sexual misconduct by an educator. The review used a broad definition that included physical, verbal and visual conduct; the department cautioned that sexual misconduct should not be equated with the narrower legal definition of sexual abuse.
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California officials at the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing did not revoke the licenses of at least 67 educators after school districts determined they committed sexual misconduct against students from 2019 through 2025, according to ProPublica and KQED.
At least 14 of those educators were later hired by other school districts and at least 12 of those were still working in education as of May, according to the reports.
Separately, the Department of Education in May opened a Title IX investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“Our schools must protect America’s children. Parents should never have to wonder whether their kids’ school employs and protects sexual predators,” McMahon said in a previous statement. “Schools that receive federal funding have a duty to protect students, report sexual misconduct honestly, and follow the law.”
The department said it was investigating an agreement with the United Teachers of Los Angeles that it said appeared to require teachers credibly accused of certain misconduct to be reassigned, rather than terminated or immediately removed from student-facing roles, while officials investigated allegations they engaged in conduct including having a sexual or romantic relationship with a student, creating child pornography or failing to report suspected child abuse.
LAUSD and UTLA disputed the department’s characterization, saying reassignment means an employee is sent home and kept away from students while an investigation proceeds, not transferred to another classroom or school. They said termination remains possible when allegations are substantiated.
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McMahon said in the letter that schools that fail to comply with federal requirements under Title IX and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act risk enforcement action, including the potential termination of applicable federal assistance, pledging a nationwide effort to “crack down” on sexual misconduct by adults in positions of authority.
“Make no mistake, the Department will fully enforce federal law and employ every resource at its disposal to protect children from sexual predators,” she wrote at the time. “Those schools that allow sexual misconduct to occur risk the termination of applicable federal assistance provided by the federal government.”
“This epidemic of nationwide sexual abuse in our schools must end,” McMahon added.