The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is currently being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) over claims that their teachers were accused of sexual misconduct. But instead of the band-aid rip that would be termination, they were simply relocated.

The DOE began investigating LAUSD following an alleged violation of Title IX, which prohibits public schools from sexual discrimination. As they put it, “LAUSD seems to be putting the continued employment of sexual predators above the safety of students.”

This has become a fundamental disagreement between LAUSD and the teachers union (UTLA) over the validity of the claims being made.

On one hand, LAUSD assures that teachers are removed from the classrooms during the investigations, but concerns have arisen as to whether or not the district is really doing enough to protect their students.

On the other hand, UTLA has also come under the fire of parents. Though unions are fundamentally supposed to protect their workers and employees, some people think that the union should also put student safety at the forefront of their priorities, particularly when it’s their own teachers being accused.

But this investigation has stakes. Stakes that go beyond what is predicted. Depending on the outcome, the investigation could lead to changes in schools nationwide.

If the federal government finds that the district has failed to protect students, schools across the country may start to change how they handle these types of situations, and also how much enforcement and probing districts will receive from the DOE.

Parents want to know that their children are safe everyday in school, and constant surveillance of campuses and staff investigations doesn’t portray that sentiment. And then trust is lost. Parents need to trust sending their children to school everyday without fear that something will happen and only be covered up instead of addressed.

At the same time, teachers should also be treated fairly. Being accused of something does not always mean the person is guilty. Teachers deserve investigations that are fair and honestly judged. But in a setting like a school, safety must come first, and relocating doesn’t ensure that protection.

The Office for Civil Rights will now decide if LAUSD’s policies violated federal law. No matter what the final decision is, this situation shows how important student safety really is. Schools should always focus on protecting students first, being honest with families and making sure serious accusations are handled the right way.