Sexual assault is rampant in schools across the country, and it can happen to any student,
regardless of race, gender, or sexuality. Due to the frequency in which we hear about sexual
assault on college campuses, it may be easy to think it only happens in college. In fact, the issues begin much earlier. Under Title [X, schools are required to have anti-harassment and anti-assault policies in place. Typically, school staffs and administrations claim to take sexual assault very seriously and have knowledge of these policies, yet many remain unprepared to deal with real- life incidents. Because of this, school districts Often ignore or deny sexual harassment in their schools (Crisis In Our Schools). Thus, by creating a culture that excuses inappropriate behavior that seems inconsequential, these oversights lead to students who push the limits of lax sexual harassment policies. Among undergraduate college students, 23.10/0 Of female college students and 5 40/0 of male college students are victims of rape or sexual assault. Due to these increasing numbers, It is imperative that schools implement more sexual assault education programs to enlighten students about the topic. These programs must include both an emphasis on awareness o fthe issue, as well as behaviors and actions that will prevent it.
The first Step towards battling sexual assault is making students aware of commonly
unknown realities. Many that most sexual abusers are adults who are unknown to the
victim when actually, about 60% Of abusers are someone the victim knows (NSOPW)_ "My idea
Of rape was someone snatching me up in an alley, a dark alley, not someone that I date, not
someone I trust" said a young woman who survived sexual assault (Balingit). An assaulter can be
someone a young person trusts, which means it is important that they be aware Of the signs.
Students must know that it is Okay to say "no" to an uncomfortable situation.
Though this may be a difficult subject for them, young children should be aware Of the
dangers as well. Since it is unlikely that they are even aware of what behavior is and is not
appropriate, they are especially vulnerable. There are even some college students who do not
understand appropriate sexual behavior. According to a survey by the Washington Post, by the
time high school students arrive on college campuses, many of them have conflicting ideas about
what constitutes sexual consent, and many Of them never learned about it. While some parents
feel that raising this type Of awareness is not the school's responsibility, many parents are in
favor ofthis type Of education. One parent from Fairfax County, Virginia, Andrea Hummel, is in
favor Of it. She says that she hopes girls will learn it is okay to say no, and that boys will learn to
listen (Balingit). Learning about the topic in a formal school setting can make the topic easier for
parents. Unlike most parents, the teachers will be trained on how to discuss the delicate topic.
This will provide well-informed prompts for discussion between the student and parent at home,
without parents having to wonder how to bring it up.
While many awareness programs for sexual assault do exist on college campuses, there is
a growing belief that education should begin sooner, so that it becomes second nature. Fairfax
County Public Schools in Virginia updated its family education curriculum to include lessons on sexual assault and consent. Elizabeth Payne, who oversees this, says that she believes health
educators have a role to play in addressing the problems Of sexual assault (Balingit). Sexual
assault can be a difficult topic for many parents to address with their children, and the reality is
that many parents do not do so. The only way to ensure that young people will acquire this type
Of awareness is if these programs are required by law in schools. Our education system is a State-
by-state System, which can make it difficult to centralize policies. However, States have
taken Steps in the right direction. For example, the Teuch Safe Relationships Act introduced by
senators Claire McCaskill and Tim Kaine (VA), requires that all schools teaching sex education
must also teach students about sexual assault and relationship violence (The Need for Response
When students understand the facets Of sexual assault such as consent, appropriate vs.
inappropriate behavior, and healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, they may feel less vulnerable to
the dangers _
While important and beneficial, awareness programs only cover one side Of the issue.
They acknowledge the reality that sexual assault and rape happen, and alert students Of the
worrisome truths. Prcwcntion programs are an essential addition to these programs. Their goal is
to decrease the number of people who perpetrate sexual violence, as well as the number Of
victims. They strive to reduce risk factors and cover sexual assault at every level. All students,
male and female, must learn about mutual respect and comfort in sexual situations. While most
sexual desires and relationships come later in life, the basic ideas can be taught at a young age.
"If colleges are a hunting ground, as they've been called, for sexual predators, advocates say that
high schools are the breeding ground", says Tcwia Smith, an NPR correspondent Who has done
extensive reporting on sexual abuse (Smith).
According to the CDC Injury Center, three existing prevention programs have proven to
be effective. These programs are Safe Dates, Shifting Boundaries, and RealConsent_ Safe Dates
is a program intended for and Y h grade students to prevent emotional, physical, and sexual
abuse in adolescent dating. The program focuses on changing gender-role norms, dating conflict-
resolution, and the ability to seek help through community resources. Research on this program
found a decrease in sexual dating violence that continued through at least a four-year follow-up
period (Violence Prevention). In 8th and 9th grade, students are at an age where they become
interested in dating. They are just beginning to understand a relationship dynamic, so the
information is extremely relevant. It makes sense that education about healthy relationships
would be particularly successful at that age.
Shifting Boundaries, another program, aims to reduce the prevalence of dating violence
and sexual harassment among adolescents. This program is intended for middle school students
to increase knowledge Of sexual abuse and harassment, promote positive social attitudes and a
negative view Of dating and sexual violence, and to promote nonviolent behaviors. The results
included reductions in sexual harassment, peer sexual violence perpetration and victimization,
and dating sexual violence within 6 months (Violence Prevention). Shifting Boundaries makes
middle school students aware Of problems that many of them probably have not even thought
about, and teaches them the right attitudes right away _ When young students learn the correct
attitudes and behaviors early on, they can calTy them throughout their lives. Also, in middle
school, students are less likely to feel like they are "too cool" to listen to these lessons and think
it does not apply to them.
RealConsent is a program designed for college men to reduce sexually violent behavior
towards women. This web-based program does this by increasing prosocial intervention behaviors, correcting misconceptions about sex and rape, changing harmful attitudes, increasing
knowledge Of what constitutes consent, and affecting male gender roles. The program was
effective in decreasing sexual violence perpetration as well as improving positive bystander
behavior behaviors (Violence Prevention). Bystander intervention education is a valuable part Of
sexual assault prevention, especially for college-age students. Many assaults occur at parties
where alcohol is involved. Peer pressure to have sex and alcohol-related sexual coercion are
proven contributing factors to sexual assault (Sexual Assault Prevention.. nerefore, programs
must aim to change the attitudes Of not only potential perpetrators but their peers as well.
Alcohol does not have to lead to sexually violent behavior. Success Of these programs should
serve as eye-openers for schools around the country who have not implemented such policies.
Schools can take factors from each Of these programs and tailor them to specific ages and
communities
Awareness and prevention is cannot begin at the college By the time students arrive
in college, most Of them have fully-formed attitudes about sexual situations, whether they are
correct or not. Dangerous attitudes about sex can begin as early as kindergarten, where boys are
instinctively excused for any behavior with the commonly used "boys will be boys". Without the
proper education, these dismissive attitudes are cultivated and reinforced. TOO Often, harmful
attitudes and behaviors surrounding sexual violence are Swept under the rug by school
administrations. Schools Cannot be expected to teach students about sex, but ignore sexual
assault and rape as a part Of the curriculum. By neglecting to provide this education, schools do
not fulfill their duty to students. The whole point of getting an education is to prepare you for the
real world. Educators would not be comfortable sending students into the world without teaching
them how to do simple addition, so why are so many schools perfectly comfortable with sending students Off without proper knowledge regarding healthy sexual situations? This knowledge is
just as applicable and practical, if not more so, as any Other grade school lesson.