El Monte Union High School District sexual abuse claimsConfidential. No fee unless we recover.

You can read this page without contacting anyone. If you reach out, you do not have to give your name. Nothing happens until you say so. The school sexual abuse page explains the law statewide, and the Los Angeles County page lists the county's other districts with a public record.

The record at El Monte Union

In August 2024 the California Department of Justice opened an investigation under Government Code section 11180 into whether the district had complied with the laws on preventing and responding to sexual harassment, assault and abuse of students. The review covered 2018 to the fall of 2025. It took in more than 88,000 documents, 199,000 emails, interviews with 26 administrators, staff, former students and other witnesses, and 113 complaints. On March 20, 2026 Attorney General Bonta announced the result. The DOJ found that the district "systemically violated laws and regulations in place to protect against and address these types of allegations and complaints," including the Education Code and the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act. In the release's words, "Across multiple years, the District consistently mishandled students' complaints of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse by District employees and others."

The DOJ found the district had not complied with laws that require it to:

• Respond in a legally compliant way to notice of sexual harassment, assault or abuse of students.
• Develop, post and distribute a legally adequate notice of nondiscrimination.
• Adopt legally adequate policies and procedures for sexual harassment, assault and abuse.
• Train and oversee a Uniform Complaint Procedures Compliance Officer or Title IX Coordinator to handle, coordinate and track those complaints.
• Create, maintain and retain records of complaints of sexual harassment, assault or abuse.

Status of the cases

The stipulated judgment permanently enjoins the district from violating these laws. It requires a minimum of four years of oversight by the court and the Attorney General. The district must designate a new compliance coordinator approved by the DOJ, build a centralized electronic complaint system, and keep a consolidated list of substitute teachers who are ineligible to work. It must also revise its board policies, provide compensatory education and mental health services, train students, parents and staff every year, and create a School Climate Advisory Committee. This is an enforcement action by the state, not a damages case. It does not resolve any survivor's own claim. A student whose complaint sits inside that record, or whose complaint was never recorded at all, can still bring a civil claim against the district within the deadlines below.

Filing deadlines

The date of the conduct decides the deadline. Conduct on or after January 1, 2024 has no time limit, because AB 452 amended Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1 to remove it. Earlier conduct follows AB 218. A survivor can file until age 40, or within five years of discovering that an adult psychological injury was caused by the assault, whichever is later. Survivors 40 and older file certificates of merit from an attorney and a licensed mental health practitioner.

No government claim is required first, because Government Code section 905(m) exempts these claims. SB 577 passed the Legislature at the end of August 2026 and awaited the Governor as of September 23, 2026. It may change the rules for older claims. Our statute of limitations page tracks it.

District responsibility

A district answers for what its employees do and fail to do within the scope of their work under Government Code section 815.2(a). In C.A. v. William S. Hart Union High School District (2012) 53 Cal.4th 861, the California Supreme Court held that a district can be liable for administrators who negligently hired, kept or supervised an abusive employee. In Doe v. Lawndale Elementary School District (2021), the Second District Court of Appeal held that this duty does not depend on proof that administrators actually knew of an employee's earlier misconduct. Whether they responded reasonably to warning signs is a question for the jury. The reporting duty the DOJ cited is Penal Code section 11166. A school employee who knows or reasonably suspects abuse must report it by telephone immediately or as soon as practicably possible, with a written report within 36 hours.

Treble damages are not available against a public district. Section 340.1(b)(1) allows them when a cover-up is proved, but in Los Angeles Unified School District v. Superior Court, decided June 1, 2023, the California Supreme Court held that Government Code section 818 bars that enhancement against a public entity.

A confidential first step

A first conversation covers only what you choose to share, and you can talk to an attorney in confidence. Many survivors file as Jane Doe or John Doe, courts commonly allow it, and we will ask whether you want that. Survivors do not have to face the abuser to bring a claim. A parent can make the first call for a child who is still a student. No fee unless we recover. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and no case costs.

Records to gather

Nothing here is required before you call. It helps to have the school and the years, the adult's role, yearbooks, report cards, photos, messages, the names of friends who knew, and any earlier complaint to the school. A copy of a complaint, or the name of the person who took it, matters at this district. Do not contact the abuser or the district, and do not post details online. Adult survivors can use our before you call checklist. Parents can use our after your child tells you checklist.

Sources cited

• California Attorney General, March 20, 2026, settlement with El Monte Union High School District
• Penal Code section 11166
• Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1
• California School Boards Association on AB 452
• Government Code section 905
• Government Code section 815.2
• C.A. v. William S. Hart Union High School District (2012), summarized
• Doe v. Lawndale Elementary School District (2021)
• Los Angeles Unified School District v. Superior Court (Cal. June 1, 2023)
• CalMatters on SB 577, August 2026
• SB 577 bill status