California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday announced a proposed stipulated judgment with the El Monte Union High School District over inadequate handling of student’s abuse allegations.
The District systemically violated laws and regulations in place to protect against and address these types of allegations and complaints, including the California Education Code and the Child Abuse and Neglect and Reporting Act, according to investigators from the California Department of Justice.
The stipulated judgment permanently prohibits the EMUHSD from violating these and other sexual-assault laws. The settlement also requires a minimum of four years of oversight by the court and Attorney General’s Office, and it includes wide-ranging reforms to prevent, stop and remedy sexual harassment, assault, or abuse on the District’s seven El Monte campuses.
“Every child deserves to learn and grow in a safe and supportive school environment. Unfortunately, our investigation found that this has not always been the case for students enrolled in El Monte Union High School District,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Across multiple years, the District consistently mishandled students’ complaints of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse by District employees and others. In doing so, it jeopardized the safety and well-being of its students and violated the community’s trust. Today’s settlement marks a beginning, not an end. I am hopeful that the District will move swiftly to implement the reforms required by this settlement, and my office will be monitoring closely to ensure its compliance.”
Superintendent Edward Zuniga said in a statement, “At El Monte Union High School District, student safety and well-being remain our highest priorities. This agreement reflects our continued commitment to strengthening systems that support safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environments. Through enhanced protocols, increased transparency, and expanded training for staff,students, and families, we are reinforcing our responsibility to protect every student and ensure they feel supported, valued, and ready to learn.”
In August 2024, the DOJ began investigating to determine whether the District had complied with laws and regulations requiring school officials to try to prevent and respond to students’ allegations of sexual harassment, assault or abuse. Investigators focused on the time period between 2018 and fall 2025, reviewing over 88,000 documents and 199,000 emails, conducting interviews with 26 administrators, staff, former students and other witnesses and reviewing 113 complaints, according to Bonta’s office.
The investigation concluded that the District had not complied with laws and regulations that require it to:
- respond in a legally compliant manner to notice of sexual harassment, assault, or abuse of students;
- develop, post, and distribute a legally adequate notice of nondiscrimination;
- publicly communicate the District’s procedures and policies for sexual harassment, assault and abuse cases;
- train and provide oversight to a “uniform complaint procedures compliance officer or Title IX coordinator” to respond to abuse complaints; and
- create, maintain and retain records documenting allegations.
Officials said the DOJ and the District collaborated on developing a four-year plan as part of the settlement that permanently enjoins the District from violating all laws and regulations related to sexual harassment, assault and abuse, and among other requirements requires the District to:
- select a new compliance coordinator with DOJ approval to investigate and resolve allegations of sex offenses;
- create an electronic centralized system to archive verbal and written complaints and corresponding documents;
- maintain a consolidated list of substitutes who will not be reappointed based on sustained findings of “boundary policy” violations or sexual harassment — boundary policies are actions by employees or individuals that go against established rules of behavior designed for professional, safe and appropriate interactions, usually in educational, health care or workplace settings;
- revise school board policies and administrative regulations to ensure the District is in compliance with state and federal laws;
- provide the Department of Justice with sex-offense complaints and the District’s response to ensure legal compliance;
- offer compensatory education and mental health services to students who file complaints;
- “provide age-appropriate annual training to students and parents on how to report sexual assault, harassment, and abuse and their right to a prompt and effective response and a discrimination-free school environment and to staff on their duties to prevent and address reports of sexual assault, harassment, and abuse,” according to the DOJ; and
- establish a School Climate Advisory Committee that will monitor the District’s efforts to prevent and respond to allegations and make additional recommendations toward improving such efforts.
In 2024, Bonta secured a wide-ranging settlement with Redlands Unified School District to address shortfalls in how the district responded to sex-offense allegations.
Copies of the stipulated judgment the complaint filed Friday in LA County Superior Court are available on the DOJ website.