The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it is opening a federal investigation into allegations of widespread sexual misconduct by staff members involving students in New York City public schools.
The inquiry, led by Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey, will examine whether the New York City Department of Education properly handled accusations of sexual harassment and assault against teachers, administrators and other school employees. Investigators will also determine whether complaints were ignored or concealed in violation of federal Title IX requirements.
“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 during 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,” Richey said. “We are taking a hard stance against this.”
Richey described the allegations involving the New York City school system as “systemic and disturbing,” suggesting that the district could be “enabling child abuse in schools.”
The Trump administration official said many of the complaints came from “scared parents” who feared that “something may be going on with their child.” Other allegations, she said, were made by school employees.
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Federal investigators will seek to determine whether New York City allowed employees accused of sexual misconduct to avoid discipline by resigning—or, in some cases, remain employed while complaints against them were pending.
“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, outlining the questions her office intends to answer.
“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 cautioned that New York City could jeopardize its federal funding if the school district is found to be out of compliance with Title IX.
“We will make a determination about whether New York City public schools have complied with federal law,” she said. “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.
