And the Right to Feel Safe in School
- Julia
Ever since kindergarten, my school system has had to teach me every single rule and right I had in school that the state of Virginia creates. Although I can't rattle off section 235345465 code 354646 or whatnot of our Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) book, I can remember one of the most prominent rights: the right to feel safe in school.
However, with rising school sexual assault, this right is becoming harder to maintain. Teachers, coaches, bus drivers, and other school staff are so trusted in the care of these children that people don't necessarily believe that they'd do such a thing. However, many do, and some of it goes undetected.
The first place in school where this can occur is with teachers, in the classroom. In the famous Mary Kay Letourneau case, where Ms. Letourneau sexually abused a 6th grader of hers (Note: said abused boy insisted throughout his teens that he did consent and that he loved her, the two are now actually married). People were shocked that such a thing could happen in an elementary school classroom. Carnie David Sokol, indicted on several accounts, shattered a 14-year-old boy's self-esteem by not only sexually abusing him, but telling the honor student that none of the other teachers liked him, and generally taunted the boy. His grades dropped and he stopped hanging out with friends. Beth Friedman, a teacher, gave Donald Vaden tons of money, clothes, drugs, and a car to stay in the abusive relationship she had with him.
It's not that all teachers do this. It's a very small minority of teachers that abuse students. However, school systems prefer to keep this quiet, and many continue teaching in other states and counties.
Another place this can happen is in sports. In Washington State , 159 coaches were fired for sexual misconduct with students, yet 98 continued to teach in other schools. Not only that, but it takes an average of two years before they started the case. However, in Washington, promise is high, because the 159 firings are out of 20,000 coaches in the state. Still, the process is getting harder and harder for coaches to be convicted.
The last place sexual assault can occur is on the school buses. Now, this form of assault isn't by administrators, but by the children themselves. Rules are usually put in place so that unless it is a major emergency, the bus drivers should not distract themselves from driving. In Richmond, Virginia , an 11-year-old girl was cornered by a group of preteens who assaulted her by grabbing her and forcing objects into her. Other similar actions have happened all over the country. The problem with reporting and disciplining the students is that under the No Child Left Behind Act, any school that is deemed unsafe will lose funding and it's reputation. Also, the bus driver usually ignores such things. (Not my bus driver, though. He pulls over if you throw an Altoid out the window.)
If we are required by law to go to school and get an education, and we are told we will be safe in school, then we must be able to report and stop sexual abuse before any more adolescents are traumatized.
Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/13/AR2005061301642_2.html
http://www.karisable.com/sash2.htm
| <-- Cheap Toliet Paper is the Cause of Many Bad things | Animal Testing --> |