The Los Angeles Unified School District is under investigation by the federal government over its soft handling of teachers accused of sexually abusing children.
The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday launched an investigation into LAUSD into rules that allegedly protected predatory teachers — such as keeping them in classrooms or quietly transferring them instead of expelling them.
“The Los Angeles Unified School District…appears to be protecting sexual predators at the expense of its students,” the announcement from the Department of Education said.
The department’s Office of Civil Rights is looking into LAUSD policies “that appear to automatically reassign teachers accused of sexual misconduct with students, including engaging in exploitative ‘romantic relationships,’ to another school,” the memo continues.
LAUSD’s protections for delinquent teachers accused in… deal “With the teachers union seeming to ensure teachers are reassigned, not immediately terminated or removed from student-facing roles.”
The feds say the district’s agreement with the union keeps alleged predatory teachers on the payroll and working with LAUSD’s 400,000 children, even when they are “credibly accused” of wrongdoing including:
- Sexual harassment of a female student;
- Behavior with a student motivated by sexual interest;
- Maintaining a sexual or romantic relationship with another student or minor;
- Create, sell or use child pornography;
- Unnecessary physical contact with the student; and,
- Failure to report suspected child abuse.
“Under Title IX, schools must appropriately respond to and address allegations of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment and assault, in a timely manner,” Kimberly Ritchie, assistant secretary of education for civil rights, said in a statement.
“but [LAUSD] “This appears to place the continued employment of sexual predators above the safety of students,” Ritchie added.
An LAUSD spokeswoman said in a statement that the district “takes all allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment very seriously.”
The district “follows established Title IX procedures and other applicable laws and regulations, which are designed to ensure a fair, inclusive, and impartial process for all parties,” the spokeswoman added.
Representatives of the city’s teachers union did not respond to a request for comment.
The new federal investigation is just the latest problem for the nation’s second-largest school district, which this year was forced to take its superintendent Alberto Carvalho to court after the FBI raided Carvalho’s home and office over a deal he made for the district with a corrupt artificial intelligence company.
Another LAUSD official was indicted this year in an alleged $22 million bribery scheme with a Texas technology company.
The federal government is actively investigating the district’s 2019 policy that directed teachers and staff not to disclose a student’s “gender identity” as much as possible.
LAUSD is controversial “Black Student Achievement Program” Which provides race-based programming to black students and is not open to students of other races, also faces an investigation by the Ed Department’s Office of Civil Rights.
Despite these problems, LAUSD in April reached a last-minute agreement to increase teacher pay by nearly 14% under the threat of a teachers union strike. School support staff posted raises of up to 24% under a separate contract settled last month.