BARRIERS TO LEARNING: SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND DATING VIOLENCE IN K-12 EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Way back when, in 1972 the United States passed a landmark piece of legislation known as Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments. This was a way to bring about educational equity in schools K-12 and institutions of higher education based on sex. The law states "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." In the 21st century and along with the #metoo movement, school districts and schools have had to become reacquainted with Title IX and the protections afforded staff and students in K-12 public schools. Historically school districts have addressed the areas of Title IX that have dealt with athletics and vocational education. Title IX has successfully been applied to cases of sexual harassment/sexual assault in schools and institutions of higher education since 1990, in not earlier.

Even with the #metoo movement and the attention brought to K-12 and institutions of higher eduction what seems to remain the same is the under reporting of acts of sexual harassment and sexual assault that takes place on and off campus and in conjunction with school activities. The Center for Disease Control in the United States estimates that by age 18, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused (Jacobson, 2018). According to Jacobson (2018) as for incidences of sexual harassment these numbers are higher. In a survey conducted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in 2011, 48 percent of students in grades 7-12 reported having been victims of sexual harassment. In 2014 the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) found the life time effects of sexual harassment were higher, 68 percent for girls and 55 percent for boys in grades 7-12.

When school district and schools are vigilant about implementing Title IX, the school climate can be significantly impacted. When adults and students in schools know what constitutes sexual harassment and dating violence and how Title IX can protect them, you will experience a climate where the fear of reporting goes down. Students and staff knowing that action will be taken upon reporting of incidences of sexual harassment or dating violence, the reporting will increase. The increase of reporting can work towards creating a safer climate for educators and students to work in. One of the requirements of Title IX is for each school district to appoint a Title IX Coordinator who becomes and point person in reporting and moving complaints forward. Along with designating a Title IX Coordinator, the law requires school districts to have in place a set of grievance procedures and policies for addressing complaints that fall under Title IX. A school districts grievance policies and procedures become the blueprint by which complaint of sexual harassment and dating violence can be handled in an efficient and timely manner.

Suffering the trauma of sexual harassment and or assault while attending school is very disruptive for the students. Some of the effects seen by teachers are a rise in absenteeism, school work suffers, they may drop out and there may be changes in appearance. Teachers need to know how help students according to their Title IX policies and procedures.