Secretary of Education Linda McMahon pledged Sunday that the federal government will intensify efforts to address sexual misconduct by teachers and other school staff.

Following an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” McMahon stated that research was conducted using “general education statistics afforded to her department” to back her claim.

Citing a 2004 Department of Education literature review, McMahon indicated that about one in 10 students in eighth through 11th grade reported some form of sexual misconduct by an educator, using a broad definition that includes physical, verbal, and visual conduct.

“This stat will probably blow your mind. It did mine,” McMahon said. “Statistics show 1 in 10 children before they finish high school will have been sexually molested in school.”

McMahon criticized school districts that reassign rather than terminate educators accused of misconduct, allowing problems to persist without documentation in their records.

McMahon described the issue as an epidemic that must end.

According to data gathered by the Teacher Accountability System (TAS), since 2021, 19,217 cases of educators accused of student sexual assault or misconduct across the country, including both criminal and non‑criminal cases.

The website ranks Texas as the state with the highest number of cases, accounting for 39.2% (7,528) of cases nationally. Florida placed second, hitting 16.9% (3,252) of cases.

McMahon will guide her department's efforts by using the Office for Civil Rights to investigate school districts suspected of mishandling reports of staff-on-student sexual misconduct and by reminding federally funded schools of their obligations under Title IX and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Her issue stems from how teachers accused of sexual misconduct are circulated into a different state’s school system rather than having appropriate disciplinary action taken on them via a process often referred to as "passing the trash."

The Department of Education has opened 20 directed investigations based on 2023-24 civil rights data submissions that raised concerns about responses to such allegations.

McMahon stated that schools receiving federal funds have a duty to protect students, report incidents accurately, and follow the law. Parents should not have to question whether their children's schools employ or shield sexual predators, she added.

The initiative builds on prior reporting that highlighted gaps in state licensing systems, including cases in California in which educators found to have committed misconduct retained their credentials and secured new positions.

McMahon stressed in a letter to schools that failure to comply with federal requirements may result in termination of applicable federal assistance.

"Make no mistake, the Department will fully enforce federal law and employ every resource at its disposal to protect children from sexual predators," McMahon wrote. "Those schools that allow sexual misconduct to occur risk the termination of applicable federal assistance provided by the federal government."