Students and families trust school districts to do more than just notice abuse. They trust them to investigate it, document it, report it, and make sure the person responsible can’t do it again. When that system fails, it fails quietly. Records disappear. Complaints go unanswered. Abusers move to new schools.

In March 2026, the California Attorney General’s office confirmed in a formal legal agreement what students at one Southern California school had been saying for years. According to a CalMatters report, an 18-month investigation into the El Monte Union High School District found “systemic shortfalls” in how the district responded to allegations that staff sexually abused students. The settlement that followed mandates four years of court-supervised reform.

At Easton & Easton, we represent survivors of school sexual abuse across Southern California. The El Monte case is not an isolated failure. It is a documented example of how institutional negligence compounds individual harm, and why civil law exists to hold both the abuser and the institution accountable.

Key Takeaways

  • California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a stipulated judgment with El Monte Union High School District in March 2026 following an 18-month investigation into how the district handled sexual abuse allegations against staff.
  • The investigation reviewed more than 100 complaints and thousands of pages of documents, and found the district “consistently mishandled” students’ reports of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse.
  • The district’s head of human resources acknowledged in a deposition that her office had discarded disciplinary records it was legally required to keep, and that prior administrators failed to properly investigate allegations.
  • The “pass the trash” pattern, in which educators accused of misconduct leave one district and are hired by another, occurred multiple times within El Monte Union and is now addressed by a new state law.
  • At least five civil lawsuits have been filed on behalf of former Rosemead High students. One prior case resulted in a $5 million verdict.
  • The settlement requires four years of court-supervised oversight, a centralized complaint system, grooming prevention curriculum, and a compliance coordinator to handle future misconduct allegations.

What the State Investigation Found at El Monte Union High School District

The attorney general’s investigation, conducted by the California Department of Justice Bureau of Children’s Justice, examined the El Monte Union High School District’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations against school staff dating back to 2018. Investigators reviewed more than 100 complaints and thousands of pages of internal documents, and interviewed more than two dozen employees, former students, and others.

The findings were unambiguous. District administrators had consistently failed to properly respond to complaints, failed to provide adequate reporting procedures, and failed to maintain records of misconduct allegations as required by law. The investigation was initially prompted by a 2023 investigative article in Business Insider that documented decades of sexual misconduct by teachers, coaches, and other staff at Rosemead High School, one of the district’s campuses.

Among the most damaging revelations: the district’s head of human resources, Robin Torres, acknowledged in a deposition that her office had discarded disciplinary records it was legally obligated to retain. She also acknowledged that prior administrators had failed to investigate allegations that staff had sexually harassed students or had sexual contact with former students shortly after they graduated.

Business Insider had to sue the district under the California Public Records Act to obtain those records. That lawsuit settled with the district paying $125,000 in legal fees and agreeing to conduct new document searches, a telling indicator of just how hard the district worked to keep its internal failures out of public view.

What the Stipulated Judgment Requires El Monte Union to Do

The settlement agreement between the attorney general’s office and the El Monte Union High School District is binding and subject to four years of court supervision. Its requirements go beyond symbolic policy changes.

The judgment mandates:

  • Appointment of a designated compliance coordinator responsible for independently investigating complaints of sexual harassment or abuse by district staff
  • Creation of a centralized document storage system for all records related to misconduct investigations
  • Maintenance of a list of substitute teachers found to have violated district policy on appropriate boundaries with students
  • Establishment of an advisory committee to study compliance with the reforms and make further recommendations
  • Mandatory training for students and parents on how to recognize the signs of grooming, a curriculum Rosemead students had been pushing to implement for four years prior to the settlement

Attorney General Bonta characterized the settlement as “a beginning, not an end,” and indicated his office would monitor closely to ensure compliance. The agreement is only the second of its kind in California history, the first having been reached in 2024 with the Redlands Unified School District following sexual abuse and misconduct allegations that cost that district more than $50 million in civil settlements.

“Pass the Trash”: How Accused Educators Move Between Districts and Why California’s New Law Matters

One of the most disturbing patterns documented in the El Monte investigation is what advocates call “pass the trash,” the practice of allowing educators accused of sexual misconduct to quietly leave one school district and be hired by another, without any disclosure of the prior allegations.

This happened multiple times within the El Monte Union High School District. It is not unique to El Monte. Across California and nationally, accused teachers have been permitted to resign rather than face formal discipline, surrendering their credentials quietly while retaining the ability to apply elsewhere. School districts have historically been reluctant to share information about misconduct allegations due to concerns about legal liability, confidentiality, and the complications of incomplete investigations.

California’s newly enacted Safe Learning Environments Act, which took effect earlier in 2026, directly targets this gap. Authored by State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez of Alhambra, whose district includes Rosemead High, the law establishes a non-public database of alleged staff misconduct that school administrators are required to check before hiring new employees. Similar databases exist in other states as part of a broader national effort to close the pass-the-trash pipeline.

For survivors and their families, the significance of this reform is real but limited. The database helps prevent future harm. It does not undo the harm caused when institutions that knew, or should have known, about prior misconduct failed to act. That accountability, financial and institutional, falls to the civil courts.

What “Systemic Failures” Mean for Survivors’ Civil Claims

The attorney general’s finding of systemic failures is significant beyond its policy implications. For survivors considering civil claims, a state investigation that formally documents institutional negligence provides a powerful foundation.

California law permits civil claims against school districts for negligent hiring, negligent supervision, and failure to report known or suspected abuse to law enforcement or child protective services. Under California Penal Code Section 11165.7, school employees, including administrators, are mandated reporters. When they fail to report or actively conceal what they know, the institution’s legal exposure grows significantly.

Under Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218), enacted in 2020, courts may award up to three times the compensatory damages when a covered entity, such as a school district, engaged in a cover-up or concealment of a childhood sexual abuse claim. The El Monte district’s documented destruction of disciplinary records and failure to investigate complaints fits squarely within the conduct AB 218 was designed to address.

What does a school district’s civil liability look like in practice?

At least five civil lawsuits have already been filed on behalf of former Rosemead High students. One prior case against the district resulted in a $5 million verdict in favor of a former student who said she was abused by a teacher the district allowed to continue teaching even after he was accused of fondling students. That verdict reflects what happens when a jury evaluates not just the individual abuser’s conduct, but the institution’s decision to look away.

Civil litigation also serves a disclosure function that neither criminal prosecution nor state investigations always reach. The discovery process in a civil lawsuit allows survivors’ attorneys to compel the production of internal records, emails, HR files, and complaint histories. In the El Monte case, it was a media outlet’s public records lawsuit that first forced the district to acknowledge the records it had concealed.

What Former El Monte Union Students, and Other California School Abuse Survivors, Should Know

The El Monte investigation focused on conduct since 2018, but the documented pattern of abuse at Rosemead High goes back decades. Former students who were harassed or abused by district staff at any point may have civil options worth exploring.

California’s extended statute of limitations for school sexual abuse

AB 218 eliminated the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims that had not already expired, allowing survivors to file even many years after the abuse occurred. The law also created a three-year lookback window for certain previously barred claims. Separate provisions govern claims against public entities, and the rules around government claims presentation have been significantly modified for childhood sexual abuse cases. An attorney can assess your specific timeline.

What to do if you were abused by a teacher, coach, or staff member in a California school

If you experienced sexual abuse, harassment, or assault by a school employee and have not yet reported it, you can contact the California Department of Education’s complaint office or your local law enforcement agency. The RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) and can connect you with local support resources. Documenting what you remember now, including dates, names, locations, and the identities of anyone who may have witnessed concerning behavior, preserves important evidence.

What to do if you have records or information about El Monte Union misconduct

The attorney general’s office and the LA Sheriff’s Department have both conducted investigations connected to Rosemead High. If you have information that may be relevant to ongoing investigations or civil claims, speaking with an attorney before making public disclosures helps protect your interests and ensures your information is used effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still file a civil claim against El Monte Union High School District for past abuse?

Possibly, yes. AB 218 removed the civil statute of limitations for many childhood sexual abuse claims. Whether your specific situation falls within the law’s coverage depends on the timing of the abuse, whether your claim had already been time-barred before AB 218 took effect, and whether the district qualifies as a covered entity under the statute. An attorney can assess this quickly in a confidential consultation.

Does the attorney general settlement help me in a civil lawsuit?

The settlement itself doesn’t resolve individual civil claims, but the findings behind it matter. A state investigation that formally documents systemic failures, destroyed records, and a pattern of ignoring complaints provides context and supporting evidence that strengthens institutional liability arguments in a civil case. It also signals that the district’s conduct has been verified by a government authority, not just alleged.

What is AB 218 and how does it apply to school district cases?

AB 218 is a California law enacted in 2020 that eliminated the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims and created a three-year revival window for previously time-barred claims. For claims against public entities like school districts, it modified the government claims presentation requirement in significant ways. It also allows treble damages when a covered entity engaged in cover-up or concealment of known abuse.

What is “pass the trash” and why does it matter for my claim?

Pass the trash refers to the practice of allowing an educator accused of misconduct to quietly resign and be rehired elsewhere without disclosure of prior allegations. When a district knowingly allowed this to happen, it can strengthen a negligent hiring or negligent supervision claim against the district in addition to any claim against the individual abuser. Evidence that the district facilitated an abuser’s continued access to students is directly relevant to institutional liability.

What damages can survivors of school sexual abuse recover in California?

Recoverable damages in school sexual abuse civil cases can include therapy and mental health treatment costs, lost income or diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Under AB 218, courts may also award up to three times compensatory damages when the school district engaged in cover-up or concealment. Each case turns on its specific facts, so speaking with an attorney about the value of your individual claim is important.

Easton & Easton’s Commitment to Survivors of School District Sexual Abuse

At Easton & Easton, we are deeply committed to supporting survivors of childhood sexual abuse, particularly in cases where school districts and other institutions entrusted with children’s safety failed to prevent, report, or stop ongoing abuse. The El Monte case is a rare public confirmation of what survivors and their families have known for years: that institutional silence is a choice, and that it has consequences.

Our approach combines compassionate, trauma-informed advocacy with thorough investigation of institutional practices and failures. We understand that the legal process is one part of a survivor’s longer journey, and we work to connect clients with therapeutic professionals, victim-support services, and community resources that provide ongoing support throughout and beyond the legal process.

Attorney Saul Wolf has extensive experience handling civil claims related to school sexual abuse across a wide range of settings, including public school districts such as the Los Angeles Unified School District, private schools, and youth-serving organizations throughout Orange County, Los Angeles County, and across California.

Easton & Easton remains dedicated to helping survivors seek accountability, clarity, and justice while advocating for stronger institutional responsibility within the organizations that serve children throughout Southern California.

If you or someone you know may have been affected by abuse at a school in the El Monte Union High School District, Rosemead High School, or any other Southern California school district, we invite you to contact Easton & Easton for a confidential consultation. Our team is here to listen, answer your questions, and help you understand your options.