Schools were once a place where children could safely learn while making lifelong friends. Teachers were once invested in students’ education and partnered with parents to ensure children’s academic success. While this may still be the case, some bad actors have stolen the spotlight and have given public schools a bad name.

From “Drag Queen Story Hour” to pedophilia, public schools have become a cesspool of some of the worst adults having the easiest access to children. Headlines of public school teachers arrested for sexually abusing students have become popular.

Two public school educators recently made headlines in a California school district for their crimes against children. According to journalist Andy Ngo, an LGBT-identifying teacher was arrested on suspicion of 17 felony child sex crimes, and an associate high school principal was arrested for possessing and distributing child sex abuse content.

In February, a Tennessee teacher was indicted on several sex crimes including incest and rape, according to Fox 17 Nashville. Another Tennessee teacher in Tipton County was indicted for sexual misconduct against two dozen children, according to Fox 13 Memphis.

A Seattle high school teacher was arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student, according to KIRO 7.

In Harlem, ABC 7 reported that an after-school employee was accused of sexually abusing an eight-year-old child.

A simple Google search will result in numerous cases of public school teachers being arrested for, accused of, or indicted for crimes against children.

With such horrific cases being reported nationwide, one would think that the Department of Education or local school districts would make it a priority to protect children from such abuse, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Instead, school districts continue to spend tax dollars on pet projects and initiatives that won’t address the concern of adults with nefarious intentions having easy access to children.

Ultimately, parents and the community hold the power to affect change within their local school district. Parents and community members can petition their school board and elect school board members to make the safety of their children a priority. Parents can and should make it a point to know who is teaching their child and make time to sit in their child’s classroom to observe.

Adults with nefarious intentions are less likely to abuse children when they know that the parents are heavily involved in their kids’ lives.

Unfortunately, we no longer live in a culture where we can leave our children with teachers or caretakers and assume they will be safe. It is up to vigilant adults to protect children from other adults with bad intentions.

The protection of children is a hill we should all be willing to die on.