Project Safe Schools

Project Safe Schools 

Launched by United States Attorney Ryan Raybould on Aug.18, Project Safe Schools is a federal initiative aimed at protecting students, enforcing accountability and restoring transparency in public schools across North Texas. Project Safe Schools directly targets failures in mandatory reporting of educator misconduct and combats the practice known as “passing the trash,” where educators with known misconduct are moved between schools without disclosure of their prior wrongdoing.

Project Safe Schools’ goals are to:

• Enforce mandatory reporting requirements tied to federal education programs.
• Hold school districts, administrators, and teachers accountable through civil and criminal enforcement.
• Increase transparency in educator misconduct investigations.
• Strengthen student safety across schools in North Texas.          

Enforcement Actions Under Project Safe Schools

Voluntary Disclosure From North Texas School Districts

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is urging all North Texas public school districts to proactively review their reporting practices and come forward if they identify past failures that occurred within the last five years. Districts that knowingly concealed educator misconduct, failed to submit mandatory reports, or certified compliance inaccurately when receiving federal education funds should self‑report through the Project Safe Schools Voluntary Disclosure pathway. 

Voluntary and timely disclosure will be considered in accordance with Department of Justice guidance and may lead to significantly different outcomes than misconduct uncovered through enforcement actions. Coming forward demonstrates a district’s commitment to compliance and to protecting students. 

School districts should submit disclosures to: USATXN.ProjectSafeSchools@usdoj.gov