Sexual Harassment & Abuse

Read more about how schools respond to unwelcome sexual comments, gestures, or actions
School Climate & Safety News in Brief New Student-Protection Office Logs 600-Plus Complaints in Chicago
A new Chicago public schools office created to investigate cases of student-on-student sexual violence has fielded more than 600 allegations so far this school year.
Tribune News Service, December 11, 2018
1 min read
Federal DeVos Rewrites Title IX Guidance on Sexual Assault and Harassment
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' office for civil rights is reversing itself on several key changes to how it investigates civil rights claims that had infuriated the civil rights community.
Alyson Klein & Evie Blad, November 27, 2018
4 min read
Federal What K-12 Educators Need to Know About Trump's Sexual Assault and Harassment Guidance
While most of the debate over Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sexual discrimination in education, has centered on colleges and universities, the new civil rights guidance will affect K-12 schools, too.
Alyson Klein, November 16, 2018
1 min read
Education What New Title IX Guidance on Sexual Assault and Harassment Means for K-12 Schools
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released a long anticipated rewrite of federal Title IX guidance Friday that allows schools to raise the bar on what evidence is needed to prove claims of sexual assault and harassment.
Alyson Klein & Evie Blad, November 16, 2018
5 min read
Mary Pat Cumming, principal at the FAIR School in Minneapolis, is working with a student and parent to create a course on consent for juniors and seniors.
Mary Pat Cumming, principal at the FAIR School in Minneapolis, is working with a student and parent to create a course on consent for juniors and seniors.
Ackerman + Gruber for Education Week
School & District Management Principals Crack Down on Harmful Student Behaviors
Some school leaders are using their leverage to confront students' hazing, drinking, and sexual violence. It's a difficult job.
Arianna Prothero & Sasha Jones, November 12, 2018
10 min read
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Student Well-Being Opinion We Shouldn't Teach Young Men to Fear #MeToo
The Kavanaugh confirmation process demonstrates that schools must offer boys space to understand their emotional responses, writes Jeff Frank.
Jeff Frank, October 12, 2018
4 min read
Student Well-Being Conversations About Sexual Assault Have Roiled the Nation. 6 Takeaways for Educators
The controversial confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has students, teachers, and schools grappling with sensitive issues around men, women, bodies, and power.
Stacey Decker, October 4, 2018
4 min read
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Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP
Student Well-Being Opinion Stop Pretending Sexual Assault Can't Happen in Your School
There are at least three proven steps educators can take to address sexual violence and harassment among teens, write two researchers.
Nan D. Stein & Bruce Taylor, October 4, 2018
5 min read
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School Climate & Safety Teachers Told Me Their Stories of Sexual Assault and Harassment—and Why They Keep Silent
Even in this extraordinary #MeToo era, ordinary women who've experienced harassment or assault at work are often reluctant to share their stories publicly. Arianna Prothero found that to be just as true as she reported on sexual harassment and assaults in schools and other K-12 workplaces.
Arianna Prothero, October 3, 2018
6 min read
Student Well-Being Video Teachers Grapple With Lessons Around Sexual Assault
Allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have led to unavoidable conversations throughout the nation’s schools. Questions around movements like #MeTooK12 and whether or not students should be held accountable for their behavior in high school later in life are now the subject of debate. Education Week reporter Evie Blad discusses how schools are responding to the latest news with PBS NewsHour.
October 3, 2018
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Student Well-Being When Students Say #MeToo, Schools May Be Unprepared to Help
Some researchers and advocates say it's often difficult for students to seek assistance from schools when they want to report a sexual assault, a concern that's become more urgent against the backdrop of the tumultuous Supreme Court confirmation process of Brett Kavanaugh who has been accused of sexual assault by three women.
Evie Blad, September 26, 2018
6 min read
Student Well-Being Teaching Comprehensive Sex Education, From Kindergarten Through High School
Comprehensive sexuality education includes everything from basic anatomy to how to have a healthy relationship. Advocates say it should start as early as kindergarten.
Lisa Stark, August 22, 2018
2 min read
School Climate & Safety Reports Sexual Harassment and Assault in the K-12 Workplace
Education Week Research Center surveyed teachers and administrators about their experiences with workplace sexual harassment and assault.
June 22, 2018
Student Well-Being News in Brief Chicago Schools Failed to Report Cases of Sexual Abuse, Investigation Reveals
Chicago public school officials failed to protect hundreds of students who were sexually abused by school employees, a newspaper investigation finds.
The Associated Press, June 12, 2018
1 min read