Education Secretary McMahon vows federal crackdown on school sexual misconduct

WASHINGTON - Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Sunday the federal government is committed to cracking down on sexual misconduct by teachers, staff, and other adults in authority at schools, Fox News reported from her CNN interview.

McMahon criticized districts that reassign accused employees instead of firing them or documenting the conduct clearly. She said such moves can leave gaps in a worker's record when the person seeks another school job.

She cited a 2004 Education Department literature review that estimated about one in 10 students in grades 8 through 11 reported some form of educator sexual misconduct under a broad definition that included physical, verbal, and visual behavior. The department has long cautioned that the broad survey definition is not the same as the narrower legal category of sexual abuse.

Reporting by ProPublica and KQED found California's Commission on Teacher Credentialing did not revoke licenses for at least 67 educators after districts concluded they committed sexual misconduct against students from 2019 through 2025. At least 14 later found work in other districts, and at least 12 were still in education roles as of May, those reports said.

In May the Education Department opened a Title IX investigation into Los Angeles Unified School District over an agreement with United Teachers Los Angeles. The department said the pact appeared to require reassignment of teachers credibly accused of serious misconduct, including sexual or romantic relationships with students, rather than immediate removal from student-facing roles. LAUSD and the union disputed that characterization, saying reassignment in practice means sending the employee home and away from students while an investigation runs, with termination still possible if claims are proven.

McMahon said schools that take federal money must protect students, report misconduct honestly, and follow Title IX and related education law. She warned that failure can bring enforcement and the possible loss of federal assistance. "This epidemic of nationwide sexual abuse in our schools must end," she said.