Horror movies are the best, aren't they?  In fact, 5% of movies worldwide are horror movies. Many people watch them because they like the feeling of their blood boiling and the anticipation that comes along with it. In horror movies, the characters aren't real and no one's emotions are getting hurt. Who would want to live in a horror movie? No one would right! Well, this is not the case when it came to sexual harassment in schools because for those kids everyday day was like another horror movie. School policies have been in place for sexual harassment since 1972 but now people are questioning if schools do care about the well-being of students. Stricter legislation is necessary to protect children from sexual abuse in schools because of the misuse of teacher-student boundaries and ensure children are safe at school.

To begin with, no matter a student's age, gender, race, or sexuality they will eventually experience some kind of trauma while attending school. One of the most preventable experiences of trauma among students is sexual harassment. When attending school children should feel protected by teachers, however “ Sexual violence at schools rose from about 9,600 in the 2015-2016 school year to nearly 15,000 in the 2017-2018 school year ”(Balingit 4). At a young age, children are taught to trust the adults around them when needing help in school or at home. But can students trust teachers when they are not providing them with the care and support they need? For example, “In one case a student who reported that she had been assaulted was pressured into recanting and then punished”(Balingit 8). Frequently society blames the victim rather than the perpetrator. This is sending a message that school counselors don't care about the emotional awareness of teens. Furthermore, a large number of children with disabilities get bullied every day by students. But this is not the case in Michigan “in September of 2018 a school police officer handcuffed a boy with autism and left him on the ground for 40 minutes”(Balingit 15). Staff members are now harassing students! There should be multiple staff members to deal with different kids without trying to use restraints or more selective resources.

In addition, each school should have teacher-student boundaries. The government created an amendment that “protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance”(Callahan 1). This amendment was called Title IX it condemned parents and teachers from having sexual relationships with a child. Although, school administrators claim to take sexual harassment seriously through anti-harassment guidelines like title IX they are not often prepared to respond to real situations. For instance, “Francis Reppert Jr. was accused of taking upskirt photos of students at Palisades high school with his school-issued iPad ”(Callahan 17). Technology provides instructors with a simpler way to develop sexual relationships with their students. Snapchat and text messaging make it easier for people to maintain these kinds of interactions while remaining anonymous. Such as a teacher at Bucks County school “who befriended a male student on Snapchat, then began swapping pictures and text messages, which led to sex”(Callahan 2). School administrators are highly ignorant of their Title IX responsibilities. Their ignorance causes many students to get hurt in the process when being groomed by teachers. 

In conclusion, more needs to be done to keep child predators out of schools. Even though it's not too late for schools to correct their mistakes it is too late for the victim. As a result, the government needs to improve upon the law to strengthen claims of sexual harassment. Ultimately, sexual harassment is a violation of an individual's human rights. The best way to tackle the subject is to support healthy discussions about it. Students are just children…. teachers are adults. They should know right from wrong and know when to stop. 

Work Cited

Balingit, Moriah. "Sexual Assault Reports at K-12 Schools Increased." Washington Post, 16 Oct 2020. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2452644955?accountid=68117.

Callahan, Marion. "Setting Student-Teacher Boundaries a Tool to Curb Teacher Sex Crimes." TCA Regional News, 02 Feb 2020. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2423322933?accountid=68117.