Public Schools and Sexual Abuse

School boards are elected by popular vote and pulbic school employees are allowed to be married, right?

Millions of children might be victims of sexual misconduct by teachers or other public school employees, according to a draft report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education.

Despite the lack of sufficient data, the scope of the problem appears to far exceed the priest-abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church, according to the report's author, Charol Shakeshaft, professor of educational administration at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

The report, required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, concludes the issue "is woefully understudied," reports Education Week.

Nearly 10 percent of students have been targeted with unwanted sexual attention by school employees, the best available data indicates, according to Shakeshaft.