Sexual harassment in school

Sexual harassment isn’t just a corporate problem, it occurs in schools, when teachers harass students in return for high grades or students harass peers with lewd remarks and inappropriate touching.

Schools are legally and financially liable for failing to take action against sexual harassment in accordance with Title IX. Understanding and identifying sexual harassment is the first step in avoiding liability for your school. The next step is taking appropriate action by establishing clear policies for filing complaints and training staff on how they should respond to harassment. Schools should also provide awareness training for students so they understand what sexual harassment is and how to respond to it.

Any instances of sexual harassment should be reported immediately and investigated thoroughly with law enforcement officials notified if criminal activity has occurred. When sexual harassment has been judged to have occurred, schools should take disciplinary action, punish the harassers and provide counseling for the victim.

Bullying

Thirty percent of U.S. students in grades six through ten are involved in moderate or frequent bullying — as bullies, as victims, or as both — according to the results of the first national survey on this subject by the National Institutes of Health.

Bullying, the deliberate and repeated affliction of abuse that can take many forms, including physical, verbal and even cyber, is a severe school violence problem that impacts every grade level.

Eliminating bullying can be achieved training staff to identify signs of victimization, so they can determine who is involved in bullying; intervene to stop bullying and consult privately with the parties involved; and, notify parents and gain their input to resolve the situations.

By training staff and involving parents, schools can stop bullying, which prevents bullies from becoming criminals and protects victims, who suffer from lower esteem and frequently miss school.