Safeguarding Schools From Sexual Predators: What Public and Charter School Leaders Should Ask

In recent years, many public and charter schools have faced sexual predator scandals. Some administrators were uninformed about allegations of incidents on their campuses, while others neglected to act. This failure of leadership oversight has many school leaders wondering how to safeguard their communities from similar tragedies.

This report provides schools with key questions principals, district superintendents, and school board members should ask about abuse and suggestions for creating a culture of prevention and reporting.

• Apply school standards and policies impartially and consistently, without exception — including for student-athletes and for employees who bring prestige to your school.
• If possible, give one staff member oversight of all reports of sexual abuse so you can identify trends and repeat offenders or establish a process that looks for these patterns.
• While application and interview questions inquiring into prior actions can reveal conduct that may not otherwise appear on a background check, keep in mind that calls to references are often the best source of information to weed out possible predators.