San Francisco Conservatory of Music Changes Policies after Mishandling Student Sexual Assault and Harassment Case

December 22. 2025

For Immediate Release
Dec 22, 2025

Media Contact
Nazirah Ahmad
[email protected]

Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), which fights for gender justice in schools and workplaces nationwide, and the Law Offices of Wendy Musell PC, settled a lawsuit with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music over Title IX missteps 

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 23, 2025 — Equal Rights Advocates and the Law Offices of Wendy Musell PC have settled a lawsuit against the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) for mishandling a sexual assault, harassment, and stalking case involving an undergraduate student. The settlement for an undisclosed amount requires SFCM to make significant changes to its sexual harassment policies to protect future students.

The settlement follows a 2024 investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that found the Conservatory “violated Title IX at every stage,” was “clearly unreasonable in light of known circumstances,” and was “deliberately indifferent” to the student’s complaints.

“At a time when students’ rights are under attack, our client’s bravery shows that students are still able to change their schools from the inside.”

SFCM was found to have systematically ignored or mishandled the student’s multiple reports of sexual assault, harassment, and stalking by a Conservatory classmate. As alleged in the complaint, despite clear and ongoing Title IX violations that were repeatedly brought to the school’s attention, SFCM failed to take appropriate action to ensure the student’s safety and equal access to education.

The resolution agreement with SFCM announced by the San Francisco Regional Office for the Office for Civil Rights (which has since been decimated under the Trump Administration) required the institution to improve and strengthen its policies, train employees, provide information about other potential Title IX violations, and submit to monitoring to ensure compliance. While the resolution agreement is still in place, the Trump administration’s actions to systemically dismantle the Department of Education severely limits federal enforcement capacity regarding resolution agreements achieved by now-gutted OCR Offices.

“When our educational institutions disregard California laws that are required to keep students safe, they will be held accountable.”

The survivor client’s bravery, combined with action from activists and the legal community, shows that strong civil rights enforcement on campuses is still possible through private action and student resilience and activism, even as federal protections are jeopardized.  

The settlement requires the Conservatory to: 

• Explicitly incorporate into their school policies, and train staff on, California’s education anti-discrimination, gender equity, and sexual harassment laws
• Conduct campus climate surveys at least once a year for at least 5 years, with explicit questions asking students about gender equity and school safety, and publicly publish the results for the campus community at least once every 2 years
• Create a student advisory committee on gender equity, sexual harassment, and school climate and maintain it for at least 5 years

“When an educational institution ignores federal and state law and its own policies in responding to sexual misconduct, it doesn’t just fail one student. It puts the entire student body at risk,” said Maha Ibrahim, Managing Attorney of the Ending Sexual Violence in Education program at Equal Rights Advocates, who represented the survivor. “At a time when students’ rights are under attack, our client’s bravery shows that students are still able to change their schools from the inside. Because of this brave musician, we are now able to move forward with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in a spirit of collaboration to ensure women and all students have equal access to the historically gatekept world of elite professional music education.” 

“No student should have to choose between their safety and their education…”

“We expect our schools to be places of learning, not places that foster and enable harassment,” said co-counsel Katherine Smith of the Law Offices of Wendy Musell PC. “Despite widespread attacks on students’ civil rights, there are lawyers out here still fighting for equal access to education and finding ways to create major change at the institutional level. When our educational institutions disregard California laws that are required to keep students safe, they will be held accountable.”

The settlement underscores the critical importance of educational institutions properly handling reports of sexual misconduct to ensure all students have safe and equal access to education.

“No student should have to choose between their safety and their education, especially at an institution dedicated to nurturing young artists,” said Ibrahim. “This student body of specialized world-class musicians deserves better, and, thanks to this settlement and the changes it requires, they will have better circumstances for learning and practice at SFCM.”

For additional information or to request an interview with Maha Ibrahim of Equal Rights Advocates and/or Katherine Smith of the Law Offices of Wendy Musell, please contact Blake Case at [email protected] or 601-832-6079.

###

About Equal Rights Advocates

Equal Rights Advocates fights for gender justice in workplaces and schools across the country. Since 1974, they have been fighting on the front lines of social justice to protect and advance rights and opportunities for women, girls, and people of all gender identities through groundbreaking legal cases and bold legislation that sets the stage for the rest of the nation.

About the Law Offices of Wendy Musell

Collectively, The Law Offices of Wendy Musell PC, has 70 years of experience representing employees in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and whistleblower actions. The firm also represents victims of sexual harassment and sexual abuse, whether it be in employment or education.