Sexuality: Harassment

Quid Pro Quo:
Quid Pro Quo sexual harassment comes from Latin for this for that. It is where one thing is offered, or threatened for another. Examples include a teacher, or employee offering a good grade for a sexual favor of some type, or threatening a bad grade for speaking about an advance or favor. (Equal Rights Advocates)

Hostile Environment:
A hostile environment is any type of unwanted advance, comment, or gesture makes someone uncomfortable to where they do not want to participate in their activities in order to avoid the environment. Examples include peers making comments or groping another student, coaches saying something about their own, or a student’s body, and teacher making dirty jokes. (Equal Rights Advocates)

The Law:
Sexual harassment is against the law. Federal law prohibits sexual harassment in school by Title IX of the education amendments of 1972. It prohibits any person, on the basis of sex, to be subjected to the discrimination in an educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. The law applies to anything related to the education organization; academics, research extracurricular, etc. Though Title IX is normally associated with athletics, sexual harassment is covered under it as it applies with the understanding of discrimination based on sex. (TITLE IX)

Advice:
Stay informed, and be aware of who in the school handles these types of grievances. If approached by a student who feels they are being sexually harassed, listen and then advise them to go through the appropriate channels to get the issue resolved. In some cases offering to go with the student, since it can be a difficult situation to talk about with someone they may not know or be as comfortable with can help ease a students anxiety.

If witnessing an incident that may appear to be harassment, pull the student aside and ask if the incident was something that made them uncomfortable. It could be a remark from either another teacher or student, but asking if it bothered them is appropriate. If it doesn’t bother a student, keep an eye out for additional incidents. Talk to the dean or counselor if it appears that there is a situation but are uncomfortable approaching the subject with the student. A counselor may be able to ask a student if there is anything going on that makes them uncomfortable, with out exposing who may have witnessed the incident, and making the student embarrassed.

Be aware of personal behavior. Being in a classroom or school often means needing to be on best behavior. Students are not friends and there for jokes that may be ok in social company are often inappropriate in a school environment. These jokes are often not age appropriate, and can make students uncomfortable even when trying to be funny. Avoid jokes of any sexual nature, as to be sure to not accidentally offend or make a student uncomfortable.

Resources:
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-sex.html
http://www.sexualharassmentsupport.org/
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/ocrshpam.html
http://www.equalrights.org/