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K-12 Investigations

General counsels and human resources departments of school districts retain PII to conduct complex investigations at all levels of K-12 education. Given the potential impact of these cases on the parties involved and schools’ communities, PII’s investigators employ extreme care and attention to the unique needs of student witnesses, each school’s unique culture and demographics, and privacy concerns of the involved parties.

While PII investigations generally are confidential, the firm has presented detailed findings to public school boards in certain matters, drawing the attention of the community and triggering public debate.

Recent Matters

A high school guidance counselor was accused of touching female students in ways that made them uncomfortable and staring at their breasts and/or bodies while speaking with them.  Some of these incidents happened off school grounds when the teacher met the students at community events, or on field trips. There was considerable evidence supporting the students’ accounts, and the guidance counselor was terminated.
When the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) faced whistle-blower accusations about toxic school sites and other environmental problems, PII was asked to conduct a large-scale investigation of the District’s procedures and practices. PII focused on the controversial Belmont Learning Complex campus to determine if LAUSD complied with laws related to school construction. PII issued a report and presented its recommendations at executive sessions and public meetings, receiving praise from Board of Education members, state legislators, the media, and other stakeholders in the District. PII’s recommendations were incorporated in a District-wide plan to improve LAUSD’s performance in this area.