Memphis Shelby County Schools Violated Federal Law by Failing to Report Years of Sexual Assault and Harassment

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The Staff of Tennessee Conservatives –

Memphis Shelby County Schools violated Title IX regulations by failing to address and report numerous incidents of sexual abuse and harassment involving staff and students.

The finding was made by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) following an investigation that revealed a number of incidents of sexual abuse and sexual harassment at MSCS schools over a three-year period, from 2017 to 2020.

The report cited seven cases of teachers or substitutes at all school levels sexually abusing students during that period. In addition, 53 cases of staff-on-student sexual harassment and 88 student-on-student cases were reported during the same period.

One specific case involved an elementary school teacher who was later convicted of soliciting the sexual exploitation of a minor, who allegedly encouraged inappropriate touching between students during class. The district’s Title IX coordinator failed to investigate the case, and the district failed to provide support to the students affected.

OCR found that MSCS generally treated reports of staff-student incidents as human resources matters rather than potential Title IX violations. The review cited several violations, including:

1. The lack of a designated Title IX coordinator for extended periods

2. Failure to coordinate responses through the Title IX Coordinator

3. Minimal involvement of the Title IX Coordinator in cases of sexual harassment

4. Non-compliant non-discrimination statements and harassment policies

5. Insufficient registration for compliance provisions

To resolve these issues, OCR has mandated MCSC to take the following steps:

• Adopt and publish a compliant non-discrimination notice

• Appoint and train Title IX coordinator(s)

• Revise policies to ensure compliance with Title IX

• View recent complaints about sexual abuse for a proper solution

• Provide staff training on Title IX procedures

• Improve documentation and tracking of sexual abuse complaints

• Survey students and parents to assess additional needs

• Develop a plan for accurate and timely submission of data to the Civil Rights Data Collection

MSCS has acknowledged the findings, proverb they are “committed to ensuring the safety, dignity, and equal educational opportunity for all students.” The district said it is committed to addressing the issues while “actively working together to take corrective action regarding past reports.”