The Department of Education on Tuesday announced it’s launching a federal investigation into allegations of widespread “staff-on-student” sexual misconduct at New York City public schools.
The investigation, led by the department’s Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey, will seek to determine whether the district’s handling of sexual harassment and assault claims against teachers, administrators, and other school personnel violated federal Title IX rules – including by being swept under the rug.
“Some of the reports indicate that there have been almost 2,000 instances in New York City where school staff have engaged in sexual misconduct with students,” Richey said in an interview with “Cats and Cosby Show” hosts John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby.
“We are just not going to allow school staff to engage in this type of abuse,” the assistant secretary continued. “We are taking a hard stance against this.“
Richey called the allegations against New York City’s Department of Education “systemic and disturbing” and suggested the district may be “enabling child abuse in schools.”
The Trump administration official said many of the complaints have come from “scared parents,” who believe “something may be going on with their child,” while others have been leveled by school staff.
The Department of Education aims to find out whether New York City allowed district employees suspected of sexual misconduct to evade punishment and resign, or possibly remain on the job amid complaints.
“What do New York City public schools know? Are they handling these complaints appropriately? Are they doing what they are legally required to do to protect students in New York City public schools?” Richey said of the questions her office is seeking answers from the district.
“We are going to hold the school district accountable for any misconduct and for any failure to respond the way that they are required to respond under federal law.“
Richey warned that if the district is not in compliance with Title IX rules, it risks losing federal funding.
“We will make a determination about whether New York City public schools have complied with federal law,” she explained, “and if they haven’t, we will come up with specific steps that they have to take in order to come into compliance.
“And then, New York public schools have a decision to make. They either come to compliance or they risk losing federal funds for failure to comply.”
The New York City Department of Education did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
