Tag: public schools

Trump Education Department Goes on the Warpath Against School Districts Enabling Teacher Sex Crimes

In a move to reduce the epidemic of teacher sexual misconduct, the Trump Administration has launched a nationwide crackdown on school districts that enable these disturbing offenses against children that continue to generate weekly headlines, Breitbart News has learned.

This week alone, three cases made the news:

  • New Jersey special education teacher, 45, a married mother of two, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for having sex with an 8th grader.
  • A 34-year-old Riverside, California teacher and swim coach pled guilty to two counts of sexual penetration and other sex crimes on a 14-year-old child.
  • And, a 26-year-old teacher in the tiny eastern Washington town of Warden was sentenced to 15 years for repeated sex with a 13-year-old and filming the encounters.

The new effort appears particularly focused on what is known as “passing the trash” — the act of concealing sexual offenses and assigning the teacher to another school or recommending him or her as a good hire in another district.

The Department of Education (ED), which is leading the new probe, said in a recent statement:

The Trump Administration has observed a troubling and recurring pattern in schools across the nation of credible reports of sexual abuse and harassment by adults in positions of authority going uninvestigated or of suspected offenders being transferred to new schools or roles in the district.

However, that announcement, like many of Trump’s official actions, was ignored by major news networks and legacy print media.

While incessant Trump critics have accused the president of narrowing investigations and outright killing the federal education department, his administration in fact ramped up “educational sexual misconduct” reporting near the end of his first term.

The new policy meant to get a better handle on the problem had to overcome a court challenge to the reporting rules by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Announcement of the new 2026 crackdown comes following a blistering “Dear Colleague” letter sent out to U.S. school districts by ED Secretary Linda McMahon last month, which has been obtained by Breitbart News.

McMahon cites the epidemic being enabled by “institutional silence and complacency” by school districts and teachers’ unions being committed “to shield their members from disciplinary actions.”

McMahon called such practices a failure of their “moral and legal responsibilities to parents and students.”

Two decades-old laws are in play in the effort, an ED source who asked for anonymity told Breitbart News:

  • A Title IX amendment in 1972 which requires schools with “knowledge of sexual harassment or sexual assault” to “promptly respond in a manner that is not deliberately indifferent.”
  • The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires local districts receiving federal funds to prohibit schools from quietly removing perpetrators by helping them get jobs at other institutions — the practice known as “passing the trash,” the source said.

Secretary McMahon in her letter promised those who fail to follow federal laws will face the loss of federal funding, which virtually all school districts depend on for various local programs.

“This epidemic of nationwide sexual abuse in our schools must end,” she concluded.

In short, though schools are largely controlled by local school boards, the Trump administration and ED appear to be on the warpath.

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New Jersey School District Being Sued for Allowing Students to ‘Gender Transition’ Without Notifying Parents

A school district in the blue state of New Jersey is under fire for allowing students to ‘gender transition’ without notifying parents. The left has indicated that they simply will not let go of this issue, no matter how much the public opposes it.

The U.S. Supreme Court has even ruled on issues directly related to a case like this, and yet the left continues down this road.

Several years ago, Megyn Kelly suggested that the best way to deal with this is through the courts: sue every school and official that participates.

It’s just amazing that public schools would hide something like this from parents. It’s downright evil.

FOX News reports:

Blue state school district accused of defying Supreme Court, hiding gender transitions from parents

A New Jersey school district is being sued over a policy allowing students to change their name and gender identity at school without notifying their parents.

Under the School District of the Chathams’ policy, students are able to change their name in official school records, use the bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity, and the school guidance counselor decides “whether, and to what extent” parents are involved in the decision.

The school’s policy flies in the face of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta in March, which granted an injunction against California over state policies that keep students’ gender identities confidential from parents while the issue works its way through the lower courts, according to Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel for the Thomas More Society, who filed the lawsuit.

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Donald Trump Just Proved the Federal Government Spent $3 Trillion to Make Your Kids Dumber

America spent $3 trillion on a federal education bureaucracy.

But only three in ten kids can read or do math.

That’s why Linda McMahon is doing what Ronald Reagan couldn’t do with education – but Democrats are trying to stop her.

The Numbers Washington, DC Doesn’t Want You to See

The Department of Education was born in 1980 under Jimmy Carter.

Ronald Reagan called it a “bureaucratic boondoggle” from day one.

He pledged to kill it.

He couldn’t.

Then George H.W. Bush came along and declared he wanted to be “the Education President.”

Spending went up.

Achievement stayed flat.

Bill Clinton expanded it.

George W. Bush gave us No Child Left Behind and threw more billions at the problem.

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OUTRAGE: Texas Student’s School Laptop BLOCKS Search for President Trump — But Allows Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Jeffrey Epstein

A Richardson Independent School District parent says her son’s school-issued laptop blocked him from searching for the sitting President of the United States, while searches for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein went through without a hitch.

The district has so far refused to explain why.

According to an exclusive report from The Dallas Express, an anonymous Richardson ISD parent provided video of her son attempting to research President Donald Trump for a school assignment. When he searched “Trump,” the device displayed a blunt message: “WEBSITE BLOCKED BY RICHARDSON ISD.”

The same block did not appear for Biden, Harris, or Epstein.

“My child was researching our current president for a school assignment and discovered that the district’s web content filter had blocked ‘Trump’ from search results,” the parent told The Dallas Express.

“This means students can’t access legitimate educational and news content, including current-events research, government and civics coursework, and basic search results about the sitting U.S. President. This is very concerning, as it amounts to censorship of information about a current public official.”

She then had her son test other names.

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All Christian schools in Jerusalem shut after Israel refuses entry to Palestinian teachers

Christian schools in Jerusalem have been forced to indefinitely delay the start of the new academic year after Israeli authorities failed to renew entry permits for more than 70 teachers and staff living in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians holding West Bank IDs generally require Israeli-issued permits to cross checkpoints into East Jerusalem. But Israeli authorities failed to renew entry permits for more than 70 teachers and staff “suddenly and without prior notice,” the General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem said in a press statement shared with the media on Monday.

“Accordingly… it has been decided to suspend school attendance in the schools of the city of Jerusalem beginning Tuesday morning, 1 September 2026, until the necessary permits for teachers and staff are reissued and renewed,” the Secretariat said.

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Federal court rules teachers’ Pride flag messages to children are not protected by 1st Amendment

A federal appeals court has ruled that teachers’ Pride flags, the pro-LGBT messaging they demanded to use on their public school students, are not protected by the First Amendment.

“Plaintiffs-Appellants Christopher Dolce, Sarah Ecke, and Shinaide McAleavey-Polley allege that the Connetquot Central School District and its officials violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights and Title VII when it ordered them to remove the pride flags and stickers that decorated the walls of their public high school classrooms,” said the opinion from the 2nd U.S Circuit Court of Appeals.

“The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Gonzalez, J.) dismissed their complaint for failure to state a claim, and the teachers appealed. Applying Garcetti v. Ceballos, 547 U.S. 410 (2006), we conclude that the teachers’ classroom wall decorations constituted speech pursuant to their official duties as Government employees. As a result, the District did not violate their First Amendment rights when it ordered the teachers to remove them.

“We also conclude that the teachers have not plausibly pled that the District selectively enforced its policies against them because of an impermissible motivation, or that they suffered any adverse employment actions.”

Then a commentary at Twitchy revealed the surprise: The ruling was from “a Biden appointee who is a lesbian. That’s refreshing common sense.”

This surprise comes in an age when judges appointed by Barack Obama and Joe Biden routinely rule against President Donald Trump no matter the issue, the question or the legal dispute. One Washington-based leftist judge even has defied the U.S. Supreme Court in ruling politically against Trump.

The decision said, “Under Garcetti v. Ceballos … and its progeny, when public employees’ speech ‘owes its existence’ to their ‘professional responsibilities,’ the government – their employer – can control the content of that speech without implicating their Frist Amendment rights. The question in his case is whether that same principle applies to displays hung on the walls of a public high school teacher’s match classroom. We hold that it does.”

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Grand jury indicts former community school superintendent, business partner in $8 million fraud scheme

A federal grand jury has indicted the former superintendent and operator of a local community school and a business partner with wire fraud and other crimes related to an $8 million fraud and kickback scheme.

Leondo Ramone Davenport, 50, of Cincinnati, and Jonathan Larry Ballew, 62, of Phoenix, Arizona, were arrested this morning by federal agents. 

“We’re putting an end to fraudsters exploiting public trust and profiting off of the American taxpayer,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “Offenders should know that my Office will work hard to ensure that those responsible for fraud end up paying the price and come to understand that the juice is not worth the squeeze.”

“This indictment alleges a brazen scheme that stole from both taxpayers and students,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Education dollars exist to support the learning and development of American children—not to fund the lifestyles of unscrupulous school officials. The Fraud Division commends the work of our federal and state partners whose efforts were essential in bringing these charges and ensuring that those who abuse positions of trust are held accountable.”

“Fraud against the government is fraud against every taxpayer and we are all victims of these schemes,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie. “The FBI and Department of Justice are committed to rooting out fraud and holding accountable those who conduct illegal activities.” 

“This was an egregious kickback scheme by individuals using taxpayer resources to enrich themselves,” Auditor Faber said. “Thanks to the good work of the U.S. Attorney, the FBI and our other partners in law enforcement for pursuing justice in this case. Our investigation also continues, and we look forward to working alongside the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office to ensure everyone involved in these crimes is held accountable for their actions.”

Davenport served as the superintendent of Dohn Community High School from 2015 to 2019. Through an  LLC he incorporated, Dohn served as the operator of the school from 2019 until 2024.

Dohn was incorporated in Ohio as a not-for-profit organization around 1999 to serve as an addiction recovery program for high school students. It operated as a community school under Ohio law from approximately 2001 until 2025. In Ohio, a community school created under state law is a public school, independent of any school district.

Ballew incorporated at least four entities allegedly purporting to provide educational services, training, technology, staffing, and school construction and remodeling services to Dohn. 

The eight-count indictment alleges that, from 2021 to 2024, Davenport and Ballew participated in a kickback scheme to defraud the school. Ballew allegedly submitted false and fraudulent invoices to Dohn on behalf of the entities he controlled. Davenport allegedly authorized Dohn to pay the invoices and received a kickback in return. In total, during this time, Davenport allegedly authorized Dohn to pay over $8 million to Ballew and Ballew correspondingly paid over $4 million back to Davenport.

The charging document details that the defendants allegedly spent the money on luxury automobiles and rental properties. For example, in October 2023, Davenport and Ballew both signed a two-year rental agreement for a luxury vacation property near Miami, Florida, for $30,000 per month.

Davenport and Ballew are each charged with wire fraud, a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity, which carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew C. Singer is representing the United States in this case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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Public Schools in Portland, Oregon Welcome Students Back With Message From a DRAG QUEEN

Public schools in Portland, Oregon welcomed students back to school for a new year with a video message from a drag queen, because of course they did.

The far-left city knows this is inappropriate and probably did it just to ‘make a statement’ about how much they despise traditional American values.

What they seem to have forgotten is that this is a ‘public’ school, meaning that their little stunt is connected to a taxpayer-funded institution. If there are any conservatives left in Portland, or even just people who aren’t completely insane, they should consider suing the people responsible for this.

FOX News reports:

Portland Public Schools (PPS) opened an official Facebook welcome-back video for teachers, principals and staff Friday with drag performer Poison Waters, who thanked district employees as the 2026-27 school year began.

Waters, whose legal name is Kevin Cook, appeared first and was identified onscreen as an advocate, educator and host. Waters thanked district employees for their work with students.

“I’m here to wish you all a successful 2026, 2027 school year and to thank all the amazing principals, teachers, and staff for your dedication to your students and their learning,” Waters said. “While we can often get caught up in the hustle and bustle, it’s so important to remember that together we rise with excellence and purpose.”

Heritage Foundation education research fellow Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate, criticized the district’s decision, which was flagged by Libs of Tiktok, in a statement to Fox News Digital Monday and accused PPS of promoting gender ideology.

“Portland Public Schools’ back-to-school video is beyond parody,” DeAngelis said. “The government school system is trying to groom young impressionable minds into gender ideology. They want to brainwash other people’s kids and replace their families. The school system has overstepped their boundaries and needs to stay in its lane. The public school system is rubbing it in that they have control over children whether the parents like it or not. Kids don’t belong to the government. Parents are responsible for passing down values to their children, not government schools.”

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Furious Parents Smash Their Way Into School Bus as Children Crawl Out Windows After Driver Refuses to Release Them for Nearly an Hour — One Parent Arrested

A California school bus ride home turned into a scene out of a third-world country Monday when furious parents smashed their way onto a Calaveras Unified bus and children started climbing out the windows because the driver refused to let the kids off.

The wild scene unfolded along Highway 49 near Russell Road in Calaveras County after students were held on the stopped bus for about an hour.

According to KCRA 3, the trouble began when a student reportedly tried to climb out a window before the bus had come to a stop.

The driver then pulled over, contacted law enforcement, and ordered the students to remain seated and roll up the windows. The children were reportedly kept aboard for nearly an hour while they waited for deputies to arrive.

Video recorded by a student shows the scene rapidly spiraling out of control as students shouted, parents gathered outside, children squeezed through open windows, and at least one adult climbed into the bus.

One 12-year-old student told KCRA that the children had been loud and excited to get off the bus before the situation escalated.

Nichole Wellington said her frightened son called her from inside the bus. She rushed to the scene and demanded that the driver release him.

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For Millions of Kids, Back to School Means Back to Pesticide Exposure

The Capistrano Unified School District in southern California has halted the routine use of pesticides and herbicides on its campuses for 60 days as concerns grow over a cluster of rare childhood cancer cases in Orange County.

The district includes Ladera Ranch, where 12 children and young adults have been diagnosed since 2023 with Ewing sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that develops in the bones or soft tissue, primarily affecting children.

Many families believe the official count doesn’t capture the extent of the health issues affecting children in the area, according to the New York Post. Other children have had rare illnesses and pets have developed early cancer.

The decision to suspend pesticide spraying comes weeks after hundreds of residents packed a Ladera Ranch community meeting demanding answers about the link to possible pesticide exposure and the children’ s illnesses, local news station KTLA 5 reported.

During the pause, the district will review the products currently approved for use and maintain campus landscapes using preventative management practices and manual weed removal. It is considering a resolution that would establish an annual review of the herbicides and pesticides used in the district’s landscape maintenance program and encourage the use of safer alternatives.

It also plans to provide families with a frequently asked questions document explaining the review process and the policy changes being considered.

The possible link between pesticide use and the cancer cluster in Ladera is shining a national spotlight on the use of pesticides in and around schools as tens of millions of children across the country kick off the school year.

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