In preparing this exhaustive study, OCR reviewed documentation regarding 35 reports of student-to-student and employee-to-student sexual harassment that were made during the Review Period. OCR also interviewed 16 witnesses, including the District’s Title IX Coordinator, four other District-level administrators, and 11 school administrators and staff.
OCR concluded that RUSD violated 8 Title IX policies designed to protect students from sexual harassment and assault, including:
- The District failed to address the effects of known sexual harassment on the targeted student or to take action to prevent further harassment, including retaliatory harassment.
- The District failed to promptly and effectively investigate all reports of possible sexual harassment of which it had notice.
- The District failed to provide adequate notice of investigation outcomes to targeted students and their parents who made complaints of sexual harassment.
- The District did not offer or implement interim measures to support targeted students who reported sexual harassment.
OCR and RUSD entered into resolution agreement which will result in OCR monitoring of RUSD efforts to comply with Title IX.
Morgan Stewart, an attorney for more than 35 victims of sexual abuse in RUSD said “Redlands Unified School District has a sordid history of enabling and ignoring sexual assaults on students by at least 25 predators during the past 20 years and this is the latest example. Male and female students have been groomed and sexually assaulted by both male and female teachers. This abuse took place in elementary, middle and high schools. The exhaustive compliance review by the U.S Department of Education concluded that RUSD failed to address the effects of known sexual harassment on targeted students or student or to take action to prevent further harassment, including retaliatory harassment. This review documents the claims that we have made in many of our lawsuits. RUSD officials repeatedly lied to students and their parents about efforts to reform sexual abuse policies. They engaged in a pattern of victim shaming and harassment. And they repeatedly failed to investigate and intervene when faced with credible reports of sexual harassment and assault of students. It is my hope that this damning report will spur action by state and federal law enforcement against the administrators, teachers and staff who allowed this rampant abuse to continue unchecked for decades.
To date, Manly Stewart & Finaldi has collected more than $45.5 million from the district to settle sixteen sexual abuse lawsuits by former students. Eight additional cases are pending.
