AFPI Commends New National K-12 Initiative to Protect Students from Adult Sexual Predators in Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) has released the following statements from its experts in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will ensure that K-12 schools that are federally funded will protect their students from sexual exploitation.

Erika Donalds, chair of Education Opportunity at AFPI, welcomed this announcement and highlighted the importance of protecting students:

“I thank Secretary McMahon and the Department of Education for addressing this issue head on and ensuring students can attend school and focus on what’s important: getting an education. Schools across the country have failed to keep students safe from sexual predators, and this new initiative demonstrates the Administration’s commitment to holding these schools, and their administrators, accountable. Families should be focused on their child’s academic outcomes, not potential victimization by sexual predators lurking on school grounds.”

Kayleigh Kozak, AFPI senior manager of the America Combats Child Exploitation Initiative, shared her personal experience as a victim of sexual exploitation by her teacher in middle school:

“For two years, I was repeatedly sexually assaulted on school grounds by my PE teacher. I know firsthand the devastating impact of the failures of school administrators to protect the children who are in their care for over 1,000 hours each year. Many school districts have failed to protect their students and chose to instead protect staff that they should be holding accountable. Nearly 5 million K-12 students have been sexually abused by a teacher—this is a national crisis. I applaud Secretary McMahon and the U.S. Department of Education for tackling this issue head on. Our students deserve to feel and be safe, especially at school.”