ED448248 2000-12-00 Preventing

Student Sexual Harassment. ERIC

Digest Number 160.

ERIC Development Team

www.eric.ed.gov

Table of Contents

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Preventing Student Sexual Harassment. ERIC Digest Number 160...... 1

PEER SEXUAL HARASSMENT............................................. 2

SCHOOL INITIATIVES ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT................... 2

CONCLUSION.................................................................. 5

REFERENCES.................................................................. 6

ERIC Identifier: ED448248

Publication Date: 2000-12-00

Author: Schwartz, Wendy

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education New York NY.

Preventing Student Sexual Harassment. ERIC

Digest Number 160.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

Peer sexual harassment among students is a complex, and widespread, problem with

significant effects on the perpetrator, the victim, and the school environment. While

most targets do not report harassment, surveys indicate that well over half of all

students have been harassed, with females, youth of color, and gays most frequently

ED448248 2000-12-00 Preventing Student Sexual Harassment. ERIC Digest Number

160.

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targeted (American Association of University Women, AAUW, 1993; Gustavsson, &

MacEachron, 1998; Shoop & Hayhow, 1994). Schools, under both social and legal

pressure, are developing policies for keeping their environment safe for all students and

procedures for dealing appropriately with harassment when it occurs. This digest

reviews effective anti-harassment strategies currently employed by schools.

PEER SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Sexual harassment is considered any "unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that

interferes with" the life of the target(s); it is "unsolicited and nonreciprocal" (Shoop &

Edwards, 1994, p. 17). Harassment includes use of sexist terms, comments about body

parts, sexual advances, unwanted touching, gestures, taunting, sexual graffiti, and

rumor mongering about a classmate's sexual identity or activity. Generally, any behavior

of a sexual nature that provokes undesirable, uncomfortable feelings in a target can be

considered harassment. Repeated harassment is bullying (Sexual Harassment

Guidance, 1997; Stein & Sjostrom, 1994).

Experts agree that sexual harassment is about power, not sex. The deeply ingrained

societal beliefs that women should be subservient to men, and that "real men" are

macho, foster boys' convictions that harassment is an acceptable way to communicate

with girls. The advertising and entertainment media perpetuate these prejudices and

stereotypes, and family behaviors may do so as well (Shoop & Edwards, 1994). Further,

the current practice of integrating girls into classes and activities previously dominated

by boys can threaten boys' self-concept of superiority, and cause them to act out alone

or in groups (Shoop & Edwards, 1994).

The lives of girls targeted for harassment are often severely compromised. Targets may

become truant and less academically successful. They may feel self-conscious, and

even develop psychopathologies and physical symptoms (AAUW, 1993; Shoop &

Hayhow, 1994).

Legally, sexual harassment is considered a form of sex discrimination, and is

specifically prohibited by several Federal laws and an array of state laws. Title VII of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 has been extended by some courts to include peer harassment

in school. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 has been used to financially

compensate victims of harassment in schools. Another Federal civil rights law, 42

U.S.C. 1983, has also been used successfully to sue schools that failed to protect

students from peer harassment (Sexual Harassment Guidance, 1997).

SCHOOL INITIATIVES ON SEXUAL

HARASSMENT

A serious effort keep a school free of sexual harassment involves the commitment of

the whole school (and district) community and requires a systemic, multidimensional

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Page 2 of 7 ED448248 2000-12-00 Preventing Student Sexual Harassment. ERIC Digest Number

160.
approach and long-term educational strategies. The goals are to maintain an

environment that fosters appropriate and respectful behavior and cooperative

interactions among students; to employ only non-sexist curriculum and teaching

methods; to promote staff modeling of non-sexist behavior; and to indicate clearly that

harassment will not be tolerated (Brandenburg, 1997; Protecting Students, 1999; Shoop

& Edwards, 1994).

Student Education about Harassmenet

All education about harassment needs to be age and grade appropriate. It should

describe what types of conduct constitute harassment; but, to reduce the possibility of

establishing a climate of fear, the curriculum should help students distinguish between

contact perceived as menacing (and a violation of the target's privacy) and flirting, which

can be desired, feels good, makes the recipient happy, and increases self-esteem

(Shoop & Hayhow, 1994; Steineger, 1997).

A curriculum on human sexuality can easily cover harassment, but the problem can also

be discussed in other courses: history, social studies, contemporary issues, English,

and health education. Co-teaching by males and females sends "a powerful

message...about the relevance of sexual harassment to both sexes" (Stein & Sjostrom,

1994, p. 3). Classes should include both male and female students so they can gain an

understanding of each other's perceptions. It is critical not to make the males feel

threatened (Brandenburg, 1997).

Because empowerment is one of the best ways to prevent harassment, schools need to

build students' self-esteem. Girls can be taught "assertiveness skills" to enable them to

express their feelings clearly and help them stop harassment should it occur. Boys can

be taught how to communicate with girls in positive ways. Discussions of sex roles and

gender stereotypes can provide valuable information about both sexes. Guest speakers,

videos, printed materials, and web sites can enliven discussions. Finally, curricula

should help students understand that engaging in harassment is a choice that someone

makes (Brandenburg, 1997; Protecting Students, 1999; Shoop & Edwards, 1994).

Anti-Harassment Policy

Every school (and district) should have a policy that prohibits all forms of sexual

harassment and mandates equitable treatment for all students. It should be

comprehensive, clearly written, and sufficiently explicit so that students and parents, as

well as educators, know what is expected of everyone. It should also be reevaluated

and reissued annually.

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED448248 2000-12-00 Preventing Student Sexual Harassment. ERIC Digest Number

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The policy should urge the targets of sexual harassment to report their victimization

promptly. It should announce that all complaints will be full heeded, and that retaliation

against complainants will be not tolerated. The policy should state that unbiased

investigators, who are named, will conduct a full hearing. It should also indicate that

complainants' statements will be kept as confidential as is possible, that complainants

do not have to face their harassers, and that complainants can end the school's informal

practice at any time and make a formal criminal complaint. It should also state that the

goal of the investigation will be a fair resolution that includes, if warranted, appropriate

and corrective action. Possible consequences for harassment should be specified

(Shoop & Hayhow, 1994; Steineger, 1997).

A school's anti-harassment policy must be well-publicized throughout the school and

community, through public posting and age-appropriate discussion. It should also be

provided to families (Protecting Students, 1999; Shoop & Edwards, 1994).

Responses to Harassment

Attempts to elicit information should give everyone involved (including witnesses) the

opportunity to describe the harassment and convey relevant information in their own

words. The targets should be asked about the effects of the harassment on them

personally and the solution to the problem that they desire, such as cessation of the

offensive behavior, an apology, a transfer out of the class or activity where the

harassment occurred, counseling for the harasser, school punishment of the harasser,

or the filing of criminal charges. They should be given support, including counseling if

warranted (Shoop & Edwards, 1994; Shoop & Hayhow, 1994).

The consequences for harassers should include re-mediation as well as punishment;

they need to appreciate that their actions are harmful and to learn more acceptable

behavior (Protecting Students, 1999). Punishment should fit the offense in severity, both

because that is fair and because under- or over-reactions diminish respect for the

problem of harassment (Stein, 1999).

Schools can also choose to use the "student empowerment approach," whereby targets

confront their harassers. This strategy, which prevents accused harassers from claiming

their behavior was welcomed, can be effective; one-third stop their offensive behavior

when directly confronted (Shoop & Edwards, 1994). Meetings should occur only in the

presence of the school investigator. Alternatively, targets can write their harassers a

letter, fully stating what they believe happened, how they feel about it, and what they

want to happen next. Targets should never be coerced into attending a meeting or

writing a letter; and the accused should not be forced into a meeting (Protecting

Students, 1999; Stein, 1999).

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Professional Development

Schools should schedule a half to a full day of interactive training on sexual harassment

and violence, facilitated by an expert in the field, for all staff members. Training should

cover the nature of harassment, ways to spot it and changes in students which suggest

they are being targeted, procedures for reporting harassment, and strategies for dealing

with the claimants and the accused. Staff designated as investigators and teachers

whose curricula contain information about harassment should receive additional training

(Protecting Students, 1999; Shoop & Edwards, 1994; Stein, 1999; Steineger, 1997).

Family Involvement

Children learn how to view, and respond to, the world from a variety of sources,

especially their families, who provide a de facto education through their own conduct.

Parents can also help their children make judgments about what they see and hear in

the media and community, build self-esteem that deflects negative emotions resulting

from victimization, and develop skills to resist personal impulses and peer pressure to

behave badly. They can respond to the targeting of their children by believing what they

say and helping them report incidents (Shoop & Hayhow, 1994).

Schools can educate parents about sexual harassment through meetings and

workshops that explain their anti-harassment policy and enlist their support and

suggestions. They can also describe gender-fair child-rearing strategies and offer

suggestions for parent-child discussions on related issues: sex education, sex equity,

and sexism (Brandenburg, 1997; Stein, 1999).

Parents who believe that their children's school does not have a comprehensive policy,

or that its staff does not understand the relationship between sexual stereotyping,

sexism, and sexual harassment, have an obligation to seek a response to their

concerns.

CONCLUSION

While the overall climate of tolerance has been increasing in the U.S., hostility--and

even exhortations to violence--toward groups prone to verbal and physical victimization

expressed in some popular music and films have become more pronounced. Youth are

most susceptible to these messages, and unchecked verbal and physical sexual

harassment in children can lead to even more destructive behavior when they become

adults, such as domestic violence and hate crime (Shoop & Hayhow, 1994). Thus, the

need for schools and families to deliver a strong and effective anti-harassment message

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ED448248 2000-12-00 Preventing Student Sexual Harassment. ERIC Digest Number

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has become even more necessary.

REFERENCES

American Association of University Women. (1993). Hostile hallways: The AAUW

survey on sexual harassment in America's schools. Washington, DC: Author. (ED 356

186)

Brandenburg, J.B. (1997). Confronting sexual harassment: What schools and colleges

can do. New York: Teachers College Press. Gustavsson, N.S., & MacEachron, A.E.

(1998).Violence and lesbian and gay youth. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services,

8(3), 41-50. (EJ 574 642)

Protecting students from harassment and hate crime: A guide for schools (Revised).

(1999, September). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil

Rights. (ED 431 246)

Sexual harassment guidance: Harassment of students by school employees, other

students, or third parties. (1997, March). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of

Education Office for Civil Rights. (ED 405 645)

Shoop, R.J., & Edwards, D.L. (1994). How to stop sexual harassment in our schools: A

handbook and curriculum guide for administrators and teachers. Boston: Allyn and

Bacon. (ED 386 794)

Shoop, R.J., & Hayhow, J.W., Jr. (1994). Sexual harassment in our schools: What

parents and teachers need to know to spot it and stop it. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Stein, N. (1999). Classrooms & courtrooms: Facing sexual harassment in K-12 schools.

New York: Teachers College Press. (ED 438 617)

Stein, N., & Sjostrom, L. (1994). Flirting or hurting? A teacher's guide to

student-to-student sexual harassment in schools (Grades 6 through 12). Washington,

DC: National Education Association. (ED 380 415)

Steineger, M. (1997). Preventing and countering school-based harassment: A resource

guide for K-12 educators. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

(ED 420 113)

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This Digest was developed by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, with

funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of

Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0035. The opinions in this Digest do not

necessarily reflect the position or policies of OERI or the Department of Education

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 6 of 7 ED448248 2000-12-00 Preventing Student Sexual Harassment. ERIC Digest Number

160.
Title: Preventing Student Sexual Harassment. ERIC Digest Number 160.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, Institute for Urban and

Minority Education, Box 40, Teacher College, Columbia University, New York, NY

10027. Tel: 800-601-4868 (Toll Free). For full text: http://eric-web.tc.columbia.edu.

Descriptors: Bullying, Educational Environment, Elementary Secondary Education,

Prevention, School Safety, Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Teaching Methods

Identifiers: ERIC Digests

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