Education Secretary Linda McMahon vows crackdown on school sexual abuse

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has vowed a nationwide crackdown on sexual abuse and harassment within government schools. Speaking on CNN, McMahon addressed the issue of sexual misconduct by teachers, staff, and other authority figures, stating, “This epidemic of nationwide sexual abuse in our schools must end.”

McMahon referenced historical data, including the 2004 Shakeshaft Report, which found that approximately one in ten students in grades 8 through 11 reported sexual misconduct by an educator. The discussion also touched upon more recent findings, such as the Newman Report and research by Shakeshaft, which suggest that current figures may significantly understate the scale of the problem, with some estimates indicating that up to 17 percent of students face misconduct from faculty members.