Education Department Releases Guidance on Staff Sexual Misconduct, Initiates K-12 Probes

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a "Dear Colleague Letter" to federally funded institutions, reiterating their obligation to protect students from sexual misconduct by adults in authority. OCR also launched 20 investigations into K-12 school districts nationwide, based on data suggesting inadequate responses to staff-on-student sexual misconduct. This emphasizes federal oversight on student safety.