Despite institutional child sexual abuse being a known and alarming issue, most recently highlighted by investigations of the Boy Scouts and USA Gymnastics, little is known about the extent of the problem and best practices for prevention.
Yesterday, PACEs Connection hosted a webinar with Dr. Billie-Jo Grant, COO of McGrath Training Solutions, a faculty member at Cal Poly State University, and a board member of S.E.S.A.M.E., and Terri Miller, President of Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct & Exploitation or S.E.S.A.M.E., Inc.
What is the scope of this problem in the United States?
One of the first questions we get asked by researchers, reporters, and others is “how often does the abuse of students by school personnel happen?” Despite living in a world consumed by data and tracking – we still don’t have a very good answer. No government agency or child-serving organization tracks how often sexual misconduct of children occurs.
The best data we can refer to are the following:
- Based on a survey of 8th-11th grade students in the year 2000, 9.6% of students report experiencing school employee sexual misconduct (contact or non-contact) by the time they graduate from high school (Link to DOE Study).
- From January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2020 there have been 3,790 independent cases documented by google alerts of “teacher arrested” or “educator sexual abuse”. Ranging from 500 to 700 cases a year, sexual misconduct is very much an “everyday” experience in our US schools (see study on 2014 google alerts).
- Other anecdotal studies have been completed by reporters and researchers, but definitions vary and studies are not generalizable to the US population (see By The Numbers).
Further troubling, is that many cases are handled quietly or “swept under the rug” and would not be represented by google alerts. It is estimated that 95% of cases are handled internally and never reported to law enforcement.
Why don’t we collect this data?
While we collect data on bullying, fire drills, and school shootings, sexual misconduct data does not yet exist.
Teachers are trusted community members who act “in loco parentis” and serve in the role of the parents for 7 hours a day or more. If parents, who are mandated to send their children to school, were in fear of their child being abused, it would damage the profession, and instill fear in our educational system.
More resources need to support accurate data collection of this issue. If the numbers don’t exist – the problem doesn’t exist. If legislators have no data to examine the problem – there is no need for legislative changes or improved safety measures.
Why is keeping predators away from child-based work so difficult?
Most states conduct various levels of background checks on their teaching staff. Some conduct a state search, others search nearby states, and some search the FBI database.
But, criminal background checks aren’t enough. They won’t find teachers who committed sexual misconduct that was not reported to law enforcement. They won’t find teachers whose misconduct was an ethical violation but was not against the law. They won’t find teachers who committed misconduct with students over the age of consent (varies by state). Furthermore, when calling references of a potential employee, supervisors may be hesitant to disclose information due to employee protections and union requirements.
There are many reasons for not reporting. School administrators do not want to report an accused teacher to law enforcement because administrators fear that the details of the incident will end up in the newspaper, their school will be forever labeled, and parents will be outraged. Parents are fearful of having their child on the witness stand and their family being shamed for what occurred. It seems like an easier solution to handle the case quietly, ask the offending teacher to leave, and everyone is happy. However, that person may now go on to offend others. This process, known as “passing the trash” and “the lemon dance” occurs frequently. According to a 2014 GAO study, on average, an offending teacher will be passed to 3 different school districts before being reported to law enforcement and can have as many as 73 victims.
What's working in institutional child sexual abuse prevention?
- Have clear policies that comply with state and federal guidance. Include grievance procedures and publicly list your Title IX Coordinator. Include policies regarding boundary crossing behaviors and grooming such as one-on-one meetings, rides home, gift giving, and social media.
- Effective communication from Leadership makes a difference. Have a leader who is not afraid to discuss this issue. Informing employees often that these behaviors are NOT tolerated is essential for setting the tone and culture in a district.
- Make sure all staff, students and parents are trained on what sexual misconduct is, how it happens, and how to make a report. Everyone is the “eyes and ears” for your institution and everyone needs to work together for prevention. Any employee who has notice of sexual harassment triggers “notice.”
- Have effective record keeping. Properly process and investigate all complaints. Record keeping should document minor complaints such as “that was odd” or “that behavior wasn’t right.” Proper record keeping will piece together small warning signs and make sense of a larger issue.
What can you do to help? Keep the conversation going. Talk about it. Discuss prevention. Discuss investigation. Discuss response.
Reach out to www.sesamenet.org if we can be of any assistance.
Dr. Billie-Jo Grant is a research and evaluation consultant, the COO of McGrath Training Solutions, a faculty member at Cal Poly State University, and a board member of S.E.S.A.M.E., a non-profit dedicated to the prevention of school employee sexual misconduct. Her diverse background includes experience in the design, administration and analyses of randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and cases studies involving the evaluation of preschool to higher education curricula, sexual harassment research, and prevention programs funded by organizations such as the Department of Justice, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National School Board Association. She has experience developing and administering training curricula for school districts to effectively respond to sexual harassment and misconduct, discrimination and bullying.
Dr. Grant is a nationally recognized expert in school employee sexual misconduct prevention. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on the prevalence and prevention of school employee sexual misconduct, policy implementation, and implementation of federal and state laws. She has served as an advisor to the Office for Civil Rights regarding school employee sexual misconduct prevalence and Title IX implementation, the Department of Education, Study of State Policies to Prohibit Aiding and Abetting Sexual Misconduct in Schools, and the Ontario College of Teachers, Professional Advisory: Professional Misconduct of a Sexual Nature. She has been integral in providing legislators with evidence to pass state and federal legislation to better protect students from sexual misconduct.
Terri Miller President, Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct & Exploitation (S.E.S.A.M.E., Inc.) As an advocate for the safe education of children, Ms. Miller has been a member of S.E.S.A.M.E. since 1996 and is currently President of the Board of Directors. Her responsibilities include providing support, resource materials and research to survivors, their families, professionals and media. Ms. Miller is a leader in legislative and policy reform to protect students from sexual misconduct in schools. She has educated audiences across the country through numerous appearances on national talk shows, conference presentations and has contributed to countless articles.
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