(TEXAS SCORECARD) – A shocking new report reveals a pattern of what the researchers call “state-sponsored child abuse” within the Texas public school system. The report documents thousands of complaints of sexual and violent misconduct by teachers and other school employees and shows a majority went uninvestigated by the state.
Parent advocacy group Texas Education 911 released “State-Sponsored Child Abuse: School Employee Misconduct in Texas” this week following two years of research.
The group analyzed school employee misconduct reports submitted to the Texas Education Agency between September 2021 and July 2024.
The researchers found 6,888 reports of physical and sexual offenses by taxpayer-funded school employees perpetrated on students in Texas schools in just 34 months.
Alarming evidence also showed that a majority of those misconduct reports—61 percent—were not investigated by the TEA.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath testified during a September Senate Education Committee hearing that the agency does not have sufficient “administrative resources” to review all the complaints.
“The statistics presented in this report are not just numbers; each represents a child who is a victim of an adult employed by a Texas school—the majority of which were taxpayer-funded schools,” said Aileen Blachowski, a Prosper parent who works with Texas Education 911.
The data showed increasing numbers of misconduct reports were submitted each year, yet few complaints resulted in the TEA following the legal mandate to revoke state-issued educator certificates.
According to the report, among the 1,412 allegations of a school employee’s inappropriate sexual relationship with a student, only 14 percent of the accused faced permanent, mandatory revocation of their teaching certificates.
“The practice of allowing the accused to surrender the educator’s certificate in lieu of facing investigation is far too common, and should never be allowed,” the report states.
The report also notes that 30 percent of new Texas teaching hires are uncertified, and pre-employment screening practices are inadequate.
“The data presents a mandate for stronger preventative measures, responsible and thorough investigations, and serious enforcement and accountability measures to protect students from harm at school,” said Blachowski.
Texas Education 911’s report includes real-world examples of mishandled misconduct and proposes several solutions to the systemic problems revealed by the research.
“We are confident this report will open the eyes of elected leaders to the need for our parent-identified solutions in the 89th Legislative Session,” said Blachowski.
One solution supported by Texas Education 911 is creating an independent Office of Inspector General of Education that is authorized to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse—especially the physical and sexual abuse of students in taxpayer-funded schools.
Blachowski said bills filed to date “do not reflect the group’s goals for such an agency.”
Other changes recommended in the report include:
- Reform educator hiring practices
- Revamp misconduct reporting and investigation systems and processes to the professional level expected from one of the largest enterprises in Texas
- Remove barriers to civil and criminal liability of abusers and those who protect them
- Guarantee transparency, accountability, and due process protections for all
- Close loopholes that allow criminals in Texas schools to walk free
“We rightly recognize that genuine educators are not pedophiles, but we see developing evidence that opportunistic child predators will go to great lengths to find ways to work closely with children,” said Blachowski.
It is well past time to close the loopholes that leave Texas public school children vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse by school employees. It is time we protect Texas children, restore dignity to the teaching profession, and appropriately acknowledge the scope and source of the problem and get about the business of solving it.
“Protecting children is a mandate,” she said. “We must put an end to state-sponsored child abuse.”
The full report “State-Sponsored Child Abuse: School Employee Misconduct in Texas” is available on the Texas Education 911 website.
Texas Scorecard has reported on hundreds of Texas teachers and school employees charged with sex crimes and physical assaults against students.