Virginia Beach City Public Schools has signed a resolution agreement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the Department announced on September 17, 2026. The Office had found that the district violated Title IX by failing to properly investigate and record reports of sexual misconduct against students. Those findings covered three school years, from 2017 through 2020.
What the Office for Civil Rights found
The Office for Civil Rights enforces Title IX, the federal law that bars sex discrimination in schools that receive federal money. According to the Department’s announcement, district records for the three school years from 2017 through 2020 showed many reports of sexual misconduct. They included 8 incidents of inappropriate touching by an employee or sexual intercourse between an employee and a student. For that whole period, the district could produce only 12 investigation reports.
The Office said the district treated reports of sexual misconduct only as discipline matters at the school level. There was no grievance process, and outcomes were not shared with both sides. The Office also found that when a teacher or other employee accused of sexual misconduct resigned, the district stopped investigating the complaint.
These are findings by a federal agency in an administrative process. They are not a court judgment. The announcement does not identify any student or employee, and it does not say whether any individual accusation was proven.
What the agreement requires
Under the agreement, as summarized by the Department, the district must:
- Update its Title IX policies so there are fair grievance procedures for both student-on-student and employee-on-student allegations.
- Send the Office an updated nondiscrimination statement for approval and share it widely.
- Tell students, parents and employees who its Title IX coordinator is.
- Build a district-wide record-keeping system, approved by the Office, that keeps interview notes, witness statements, supportive measures and notices of outcomes.
- Train all employees, including on their duty to report sexual harassment by students or staff.
- Explain to students and parents how the district defines sexual harassment and what help is available.
- Respond to every report of sexual harassment, including by employees, as Title IX requires, even if the accused employee resigns.
Why resignations and records matter
Two parts of this agreement touch on common problems in school abuse cases. The first is resignation. When an investigation stops because an employee leaves, no finding is made. The school may keep little record of what happened. The person may later seek work at another school.
The second is records. Under the 2020 Title IX rules, a school must keep records of each sexual harassment investigation for seven years. In a later civil case, the questions of what a school was told, and what it did, often depend on those records.
A report that is never investigated can leave no record behind.
The Department linked this agreement to a national effort it announced in July 2026 on sexual misconduct by adults in K-12 schools. That effort included a letter to schools and 20 directed investigations of other districts.
What this means for survivors
A resolution agreement is about how a school system must fix its practices going forward. It does not pay money to students or families, and it does not decide any individual’s legal claim. A survivor’s own case depends on the facts, the state’s law and the deadlines that apply. Those deadlines vary by state and by age, and claims against a public school system may require an early notice. A lawyer can help sort out what applies. You can learn more about school sexual abuse claims or visit our sexual assault and abuse page.
This article is general information about how these cases work. It is not legal advice, it does not create an attorney-client relationship, and no two claims are alike. If something here sounds like your situation, the useful next step is a conversation about the facts.
