Redlands Unified agrees to California Department of Justice oversight following sexual abuse investigation

The Redlands Unified School District agreed to a monitoring protocol with the California Department of Justice on Wednesday after being accused of failing to Student complaints about sexual assault.

“The Redlands Unified School District commends the Department of Justice for its thorough review and cooperation in finalizing this agreement,” said Superintendent Juan Cabral. “The district is fully committed to complying with the terms of the ruling.”

The settlement came after the Justice Department in October 2022 expanded its investigation into the district’s policies and practices to determine whether they protect students from sexual assault, harassment and abuse. The investigation uncovered enormous deficiencies in the way the district prevents and responds to allegations of sexual misconduct against students.

The California Department of Justice outlined the laws and regulations the district failed to follow to protect children. First, it failed to hire, train and supervise a coordinator whose job is to ensure the district follows laws and regulations designed to protect students from this type of abuse. Second, RUSD failed to handle the allegations in a legally appropriate manner. Next, administrators failed to establish and announce procedures and policies dictating the district’s response to student sexual misconduct and abuse. Finally, it failed to publicize its nondiscrimination notice and its written sexual harassment policies.

“As a parent and as Attorney General, protecting our children is my most important responsibility,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “It is absolutely unacceptable that a child should be at risk of sexual harassment or abuse at school when they should have the freedom to learn and grow in a safe and supportive environment.”

Under the agreement, RUSD will correct the problems discovered by investigators while also forwarding all verbal and written complaints of sexual harassment, assault and abuse to the Department of Justice. The district is also required to send its responses to all complaints to state authorities.

In addition, the state required RUSD to provide students and parents with annual age-appropriate training on reporting sexual misconduct.

“California law guarantees every child the right to a public school education free from sexual harassment, assault and abuse, and today’s ruling holds Redlands Unified accountable for failing to comply with the laws designed to protect our children,” Bonta said.

Outrage over the district’s shortcomings emerged after a CBS News documentary revealed that 50 students had accused more than 25 teachers of sexual misconduct between 1999 and 2022. Of those cases, two of which occurred in 2022, 11 were investigated by police, resulting in the arrest of nine teachers.