U.S. Department of Education
Study of ESSA Section 8546 and State Policies to Prohibit Aiding and Abetting Sexual Misconduct in Schools
For the Department, PSA partnered with Magnolia Consulting and SRI International to explore the systems that SEAs developed and implemented in response to Section 8546 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), which prohibits aiding and abetting sexual misconduct in schools, and which was reauthorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).
The study involved telephone interviews with knowledgeable staff in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. about the extent to which states have laws or policies that respond to the requirements of ESSA Section 8546. In preparation for these interviews, the study team conducted a systematic review of publicly available documents related to Section 8546, including state statutes, pending legislation, regulations, and codes of ethics. The report, fact sheet, and blog post (from the Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education) are below.
Report: Study of State Policies to Prohibit Aiding and Abetting Sexual Misconduct in Schools (ed.gov) Fact sheet: Elementary and Secondary Education Act Provisions Prohibiting Aiding and Abetting of Sexual Misconduct in Schools Blog post: https://blog.ed.gov/2022/06/new-ed-commissioned-study-on-esea-provisions-that-protect-students/