California reaches proposed settlement with school district over student sexual harassment claims, state AG says
California has reached a proposed settlement agreement that mandates new oversight measures for the LA County school district and what it says is a widespread history of ignoring student complaints of sexual harassment by staff.
He said. Gen. Rob Bonta announced at a news conference Friday in downtown Los Angeles the El Monte Union High School District’s proposed decision to implement “comprehensive reforms” to prevent and address sexual harassment and assault on the district’s campuses.
The settlement follows the attorney general’s decision to open a Justice Department investigation into the district in 2024 after a 2023 Business Insider headline titled “The Predators’ Playground” reported 40 years of sexual misconduct allegations involving at least 20 teachers at Rosemead High School. The investigation reported that allegations of grooming were so prevalent that, in some cases, more than one teacher targeted the same girl.
“It was my counselor that I turned to, and my counselor turned into my rapist,” said one woman at a 2024 news conference announcing the filing of a lawsuit against the county, alleging a culture that allows and protects sexual abusers. “Our voice should have mattered,” he said.
After Business Insider’s report, more than a dozen female plaintiffs took legal action saying the district covered up years of sexual harassment by employees in the ’90s and 2000s and failed to report their claims to police.
The federal investigation focused on 2018 through the end of 2025 and revealed that the district continues to violate laws intended to prevent and address allegations of sexual harassment. The investigation included a review of 113 complaints, about 200,000 emails and 26 interviews with administrators, staff, former students and witnesses.
“For many years, the District has always mishandled student complaints of sexual abuse, beatings and harassment by District employees and others,” said Bonta in a statement on Friday. “By doing this it jeopardizes the safety and well-being of its students and violates public trust.”
The state ruled the district violated California’s education code and the Child Abuse and Neglect and Reporting Act. The ruling announced Friday permanently enjoins the district from violating these and other anti-sexual harassment laws and requires at least four years of court and attorney general oversight.
“Today’s stability is the beginning, not the end,” said Bonta. “I hope that the District will act quickly to make the changes required by this agreement, and my office will monitor closely to ensure that it is followed.”
According to the agreement — which requires a judge’s approval — the district must appoint a new, federally mandated officer to handle all sexual misconduct complaints, create a single system to track all reports, revise its rules, and share its responses with state officials. It must also provide counseling and educational assistance to victims, train students, parents and staff on how to report abuse, and establish a committee to review safety issues and recommend changes.
“At El Monte Union High School District, student safety and well-being remain our top priorities,” said El Monte Union High School Supt. Edward Zuniga in a press release. “Through improved policies, increased transparency, and expanded training for staff, students, and families, we strengthen our commitment to protect every student and ensure they feel supported, valued and ready to learn.”
The alleged culture of disciplining students and covering up sexual harassment does not exist in the El Monte Union High School District. In 2024, Bonta announced a similar broad settlement with the Redlands Unified School District to address the system’s failure to respond to allegations of student sexual abuse.
Redlands Unified has the most well-documented history of allegations of sexual misconduct by employees in the United States. The CBS Reports book “Pledge of Silence” revealed that 50 students accused more than 25 teachers of sexual misconduct between 1999 and 2022, and 11 teachers were investigated by police and at least nine were arrested.
