National Educator Safety and Accountability Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill creates a national database called the National Educator Misconduct and Discipline Registry (NEMDR) to track educators who have been disciplined for sexual misconduct. The goal is to stop people with a history of abuse from getting new jobs working with children in other states or districts.
• Schools and districts would be required to report misconduct findings, terminations, or resignations during investigations within 48 hours. They would also have to check the registry before hiring anyone who will have contact with students.
• The bill bans so-called "passing the trash" agreements, where schools allow staff with misconduct histories to resign quietly without alerting future employers about their behavior.
• A new federal task force would be created to study national trends in educator misconduct and help states improve their prevention and reporting systems. It would include representatives from the Departments of Education and Justice, child protection specialists, and law enforcement.
• Schools or states that fail to comply with reporting requirements could lose eligibility for certain federal education grants or face civil fines. If enacted, reporting requirements take effect after 12 months and the registry must be fully operational within 24 months.