U.S. Department of Education investigating 20 districts including SPS

The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into Springfield Public Schools – and 19 other districts – to check if they are complying with federal laws for how sexual abuse allegations are investigated and reported.

The inquiry announced by the USDE’s Office for Civil Rights will probe how “credible reports of sexual abuse and harassment by adults in positions of authority” are investigated and if suspected offenders are allowed to transfer to new roles within a district, according to the department’s July 10 news release.

The release does not identify the 20 districts under scrutiny, but the list obtained by ProPublica and KQED, a public media organization based in California, show they are spread across 15 states. SPS is the only one in Missouri.

In the July 10 release, the USDE did not allege wrongdoing by the districts but noted the details they submitted as part of the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection raised questions that warranted further review.

Stephen Hall, chief communications officer for SPS, issued a statement about the Title IX inquiry and the district’s commitment to the “safety and well-being” of students.

“Springfield Public Schools has robust Title IX reporting and investigation procedures in place to support our students,” Hall said in the statement. “On Friday, July 10, SPS learned that we are one of several school districts to receive an inquiry regarding past reporting, policies and procedures. The district will work cooperatively with OCR to address this inquiry.”

The investigations will seek to determine if districts have appropriate policies and procedures in place to ensure accurate data collection, reporting of incidents, and handling of allegations of sexual harassment, including sexual assault by district employees.

Federal laws, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, require public schools to protect students from sexual misconduct by investigating allegations, reporting incidents and not reassigning school employees if there is “knowledge or probable cause to believe they engaged in sexual misconduct involving a student,” the release said.

“Our schools must protect America’s children. Parents should never have to wonder whether their kids’ school employs and protects sexual predators,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, in the release. “Schools that receive federal funding have a duty to protect students, report sexual misconduct honestly and follow the law.”

The USDE action appears to be prompted, at least in part, by reporting by ProPublica and KQED into how California handles alleged misconduct by educators called “Unfit to Teach” that was published in the spring.

In a letter sent to public schools the same day of the release, the USDE said all states required criminal background checks of school employees and designated teachers as “mandatory reporters” of child sexual abuse, including misconduct perpetrated upon students by school staff.

The letter also stated that districts found to be out of compliance may lose federal funding.

Other districts under investigation by USDE were in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virgina and Washington.