Sex Abuse Of Students Within IE School District: DOJ Judgement

REDLANDS, CA — In the wake of a state civil rights investigation into the Redlands Unified School District's handling of allegations and complaints of sexual abuse of students, the California Department of Justice has entered into a proposed stipulated judgment with the district to address its "critical and systemic" policy "shortfalls," Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday.

The investigation followed reports raised in a number of high-profile cases involving sexual abuse of students by the district personnel, several of whom were convicted of related offenses. A 2023 report from CBS titled "Pledge of Silence: Sex Abuse and Cover-Up in America's Schools"reported that from 1999 to 2022, 50 students had come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by 25 RUSD teachers. More than nine RUSD teachers were arrested during that time.

"California law guarantees each and every child the right to a public education free from sexual harassment, assault, and abuse, and today's stipulated judgment holds Redlands Unified accountable for failing to abide by the laws in place to protect our kids. We are committed to working with Redlands Unified as they take these crucial and necessary steps to expediently institute wide-ranging reforms to better protect students," Bonta said.

RUSD Superintendent Juan Cabral commended the DOJ for its investigation and efforts to finalize an agreement.

"The district is fully committed to complying with the terms of the judgment. We take the findings seriously and are dedicated to making necessary improvements to ensure a safe and equitable learning environment for all students and staff as this continues to be our number one priority," Cabral said. "We are actively working with the Department of Justice to implement the agreed-upon measures, as well as continue the many safety practices the district implemented prior to this agreement. We are optimistic about the positive changes these efforts will bring to our students, staff and community."

Cabral was appointed RUSD superintendent on July 1, 2023.

In its investigation, the DOJ found "systemic deficiencies" in the district’s efforts to prevent and respond to notice and allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse of students," according to Bonta's office.

Specifically, the district failed to appoint/hire/properly train a compliance coordinator and/or Title IX coordinator to ensure RUSD’s adherence to laws and regulations related to the sexual abuse of students. The district also failed to appropriately respond to sexual abuse of students, and failed to properly disseminate and post notices of nondiscrimination and written policies on sexual harassment, according to Bonta.

To address the concerns, a lengthy remedy plan was agreed upon, that includes, among other things: proper investigation of any student complaints with details forwarded to the DOJ; a revision of RUSD's policies and procedures for responding to any complaints of sexual harassment, assault or abuse; compensatory education and mental health services for victims; age-appropriate annual training to students and parents on how to report sexual assault, harassment, and abuse; and annual training to staff and investigators regarding their duties to address reports of sexual assault, harassment and abuse.

A copy of the proposed stipulated judgment is available here. A copy of the complaint filed with the court is available here.