ProPublicaMay 12, 20262 min read

Help Us Report on Teacher Misconduct in California

This is a call-for-sources article framed as investigative journalism into institutional accountability. The piece centers student and victim voices alongside critical review of government records, signaling a watchdog posture toward the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Language is measured and solution-oriented (providing mental health resources), avoiding inflammatory rhetoric while still establishing premise that the system fails to protect the public.

Primary voices: media outlet, academic or expert, anonymous source

This article does not address the Commission on Teacher Credentialing's reasoning or perspective on license retention decisions
This article does not provide statistical context on the total number of misconduct cases reviewed versus those resulting in license revocation

Framing may shift as investigation progresses and findings are published; initial call-for-sources establishes accountability frame that may strengthen or weaken with evidence.

InvestigationAcademic-sourcedActivist-sourced

KQED has teamed up with ProPublica to report on how California handles cases of alleged teacher misconduct.

The state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing releases few details about cases, leaving the public largely in the dark. From our interviews with former commission members and students, as well as a review of records, we found dozens of cases in which the state did not revoke teachers’ licenses after findings of sexual misconduct.

We know there are other issues with this system, and we need your help to get a full picture. We want to hear about your experience with the disciplinary process, whether you’re a student, parent, teacher, administrator or credentialing commission member, or you have other insight. Your perspective will help guide our reporting, ensuring we understand the issues from all sides.

We’re gathering these stories for our reporting, which can take several weeks or months. We may not be able to follow up with everyone, but we will read everything you submit and it will help guide our project. With your permission, we may share your response with a partner newsroom interested in following up.

As journalists, our role is to write about issues. We cannot provide legal advice or other support. However, there are resources available. We know these cases can stem from painful experiences, and mental health support is available if you need it:

The National Sexual Assault Hotline is available online, by calling 800-656-4673 or by texting “hope” to 64673.
The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available online or by calling or texting 988.
The Trevor Project provides support to LGBTQ+ youth. You can connect online, by calling 866-488-7386 or by texting 678678.

If you would like to reach out about a case outside of California, you can contact ProPublica engagement reporter Asia Fields.

Help Us Report on Teacher Misconduct in California

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