Sexual assault has become a prevalent issue and at least one out of every five girls has experienced sexual harassment. In schools, young girls have become victims of sexual misconduct as witnessed at Some Middle School. According to () it is estimated that at least 10% of K-12 students experience sexual harassment before the graduate high school. As a result these students are left with lifelong psychological and physical traumas that affect their academic performance. Therefore, it is important for the federal government to implement laws and policies that the faculty in these schools such as Some Middle School should adhere to. The school district is expected to issue guidelines that advocate for prevention efforts and respond to the school’s employee sexual misconduct.
Multi-dimensional Action Plan
Students at Some Middle School are vulnerable as they do not have responsible adults in their lives to protect them. As a result, the school employees take advantage of this situation and exploit these students. Therefore, the school district should enact guidelines for prevention that consist of comprehensive policies and procedures that govern how the faculty and other staff members conduct themselves. The students, parents and staff should be trained on proper conduct and victims of sexual harassment should be provided with an effective reporting and response plan. Additionally, a thorough and coordinated investigation should be done whenever a complaint has been launched against the school staff. These approaches by the school district are expected to reduce the risk of sexual harassment in schools as well as eradicate the mismanagement of the cases reported to authorities, when misconduct occurs.
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The social norms in the community influence how the students and school employees conduct themselves. Therefore, in order to effectively eradicate sexual misconduct in Some Middle School it is important define sexual misconduct as a social problem. Thus, the acceptable interventions must seek to alter the social values and morals of the community to create a safe and secure environment in which students recognize when they are being sexually harassed and report to the relevant authorities without fear. Similarly, the school district should hold any faculty member accountable if they are found to have acted against the code of conduct governing their profession and the school. Neglecting the school and overlooking the social injustices against the students creates a society that is unruly and subjects the young people to social risks.
Some Middle School is located in a community that is underprivileged; hence the school district is responsible in eliminating the disadvantages that the school, its students and faculty are exposed to. The discriminative policies contribute to the increased turnover of teachers, which leaves the students without proper role models to guide and protect them. As a result, the staff members left take advantage of the students and their vulnerability, as witnessed in the case of Some Middle School where the principle was responsible for sexual misconduct. This implies that the leadership and governing authority within the district is weak since staff members are abusing their power and influence. Thus, any school employee that is accused of sexual misconduct should be suspended, the matter investigated and charges brought against them if they are found to be a suspect of guilty. It is unfair for the students and the community for a principle to continue leading a school if they have been accused of sexual misconduct.
The state at Some Middle School is an indication that the educational governing system in the district is broken and the federal and state authorities should intervene. Teachers need to be trained in how to identify and address cases and victims of sexual harassment. For instance, in Some Middle School none of the teachers would suspect the new principle to be a pedophile; therefore, when a student seemed distracted they would assume they were facing problems at home. Therefore, if the teachers have access to proper training and relevant resources, they are in a better position to provide effective and reliable assistance to students by ensuring that cases of sexual misconduct are reported to the relevant authorities. Moreover, the teachers should partner up with the authorities from the school district and law enforcement to ensure that cases of sexual misconduct are reported and addressed in a timely manner.
The culture and organizational climate at the school should be changed through legal and policy engagement. Engaging the leadership in the school to endorse a culture of safety and respect is mandatory as it ensures that the school staff does not abuse their positions of power and influence. As witnessed at Some Middle School, sexual misconduct is not simply an issue of individual problem. Cases of sexual harassment are reinforced by the culture and environment within a school and the community. In Some Middle School the principle was comfortable enough to make sexual advances towards the students since the parents, students and teachers trusted him and could not believe that he would be capable of such behaviors. Since the school is in a disadvantaged community people in authority use their influence and power to abuse their victims. In addition to this, the lack of stringent policies to govern employee behaviors in the school, create a climate that facilitates and enables sexual harassment. The shared perceptions by teachers, students and parents on how people conduct themselves is creates an environment whereby it is hard to detect when a student is a victim of sexual harassment. Additionally, when both teachers and parents are trained on how to address issues of sexual misconduct, they will not be quick to assume that a student is acting out due to problems at home, but will be quick to respond and investigate why a student’s behavior has drastically changed.
A qualified school counselor is required within the school to create and provide a safe environment whereby students can report whenever a staff member makes sexual advances towards them. This will ensure that students do not feel trapped or scared of their perpetrator as they have someone they can speak with to address their cases. Furthermore, this will ensure that students receive the right psychological and physical attention in order to assist them in leading a healthy lifestyle even after the incidents.
Conclusion
Addressing the norms related to sexual violence in the school is a priority for the school and the community. The multi-dimensional plan proposed to address the issue targets parents, teachers, students and the entire community of Some Middle School. Each of this stakeholders has the responsibility in ensuring addressing and eradicating the cases of sexual misconduct in the school.
