The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights launched a Title IX investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School District on Tuesday, alleging one of the nation's largest districts "appears to be protecting sexual predators at the expense of its students," according to an agency announcement.
The investigation was initiated by the Education Department rather than from a civil rights complaint. It was launched over policies the department said "appear to automatically reassign teachers accused of sexual misconduct with students, including engaging in exploitative 'romantic relationships,' to another school."
At the heart of the issue is an agreement the district made in August 2024 with its teachers' union, United Teachers Los Angeles, in response to a grievance filed by the union in 2023.
The agreement reads that LAUSD staff may be "reassigned" in cases of alleged sexual misconduct or abuse, including sexually harassing or having a romantic relationship with a student, communicating with students for non-school related purposes, or if a staff member is under law enforcement investigation for child pornography.
"Upon reassignment of any UTLA member, they will be notified within 5 days of the general nature of the allegations against them," the agreement reads.
Referencing the agreement, the Education Department said on Tuesday that LAUSD staff accused of alleged sexual misconduct or abuse are "not terminated or immediately removed from student-facing roles while officials investigate" and are reassigned to other schools.
"This is not true," a Los Angeles Unified School District spokesperson told K-12 Dive in an email Wednesday. "Confusion seems to center on the meaning of the term 'reassignment.'"
The spokesperson said that "reassignment" typically means "an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation."
"Decisions about reassignment are guided first and foremost by the safety of students, staff, and the workplace," the spokesperson said. "After an investigation concludes, appropriate measures or discipline may be taken, including termination of employment if warranted."
The district's 2023 agreement with UTLA does not specifically mention reassigning staff to another school.
The federal investigation comes on the heels of an announcement by California Attorney General Rob Bonta on April 22, reminding districts of their responsibilities under state law to protect students from sexual assault and harassment in schools. Schools are also obliged under Title IX, a federal statute, to do the same.
According to Bonta's announcement, between 2019 and 2023, California school districts paid approximately between $2 billion and $3 billion to student victims of sexual abuse by employees.
"These incidents of inappropriate behavior are unfortunately highly prevalent, but continue to be underreported and too often, mishandled," said Bonta's office in a press release.
LAUSD also came under the microscope earlier this year after the home and office of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, one of the nation's most prominent education leaders, were searched by federal law enforcement officials in February.
Carvalho was placed on administrative leave following the raid, which is believed to be linked to a probe of AllHere, an artificial intelligence education technology startup founded in 2016 to reduce chronic absenteeism using chatbots.
In 2023, the district entered into a $6.2 million contract with the tech company, whose founder and CEO, Joanna Smith-Griffin, was arrested on charges of identity theft and defrauding investors after filing for bankruptcy, according to The 74. Carvalho remains on indefinite paid administrative leave, according to reports, with Acting Superintendent Andres Chait now leading the district.
