Stop Sexual Assault in Schools

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Stop Sexual Assault in Schools
Founded2015
Founder Esther Warkov and Joel Levin
Type 501(c)(3)
Headquarters Seattle
Area served
United States
Website stopsexualassaultinschools.org

Stop Sexual Assault in Schools is a United States non-profit organization that advocates for K–12 students’ right to an education free from sexual harassment and sexual assault. Sexual assault and severe or pervasive sexual harassment are types of sex discrimination prohibited under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in any education program that receives federal funding. SSAIS accomplishes its mission by creating and distributing free education programs, filing pro bono civil rights complaints with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), collaborating with national gender equity organizations, supporting legislative and legal initiatives, working with communities and families to bring schools into Title IX compliance, and educating the media about how sexual harassment and sexual violence in K–12 schools can violate students’ rights. [1]

Contents

Founding

SSAIS is the first national nonprofit organization created solely to address sexual harassment and assault in K–12 schools. It was founded in 2015 by two parent educators, Drs. Esther Warkov and Joel Levin, whose daughter was reportedly raped on a Seattle public school field trip in 2012. [2] The parents led a high-profile effort to hold the district accountable for its failure to recognize the victim’s federally mandated Title IX rights. [3] Their Title IX complaint, [4] and the media attention it attracted, [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] resulted in community protests [10] [11] that compelled the Seattle school district to commission a community task force, [12] [13] reform its sexual harassment policy, comply with Title IX directives, and improve its safety procedures on school field trips. [14] [15] [16] After learning how pervasive sexual harassment is in K–12 schools nationwide, Warkov and Levin launched the SSAIS.org website in September 2015 as a comprehensive resource for K–12 families. President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, Fatima Goss Graves, wrote an inaugural blog post for the website launch. [17]

History

Media reports about SSAIS in the Washington Post, [18] Huffington Post, [19] Women’s eNews, [20] Slate, [21] Broadly, [22] NEAToday, [23] and NPR affiliates [24] have increased awareness of the pervasiveness of peer and educator sexual harassment and assault in K–12 schools. In 2016, SSAIS joined the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education and contributed to their comprehensive report Title IX at 45. [25] In March 2016, the Office of the Vice President invited SSAIS to advise on strategies to address K–12 sexual violence. [26] In the same year, SSAIS received an American Association of University Women Community Action Grant to create a free comprehensive video and Action Guide, Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! The video and companion materials were released in November, 2016. [27]

Initiatives

The SSAIS website maintains comprehensive resources for parents and students about sexual harassment and sexual violence occurring in K–12 schools, with free educational materials informing communities about Title IX and how to hold schools accountable for providing safe learning environments for all students.

SSAIS provides families with pro bono support for filing complaints with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. These efforts have resulted in federal investigations of K–12 schools in Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Georgia, and Texas. SSAIS also offers resources to families whose students have experienced sexual harassment and sexual assault in schools.

SSAIS creates advocacy opportunities for youth, sexual assault survivors, and families. It also unites advocates through its Coalition Against Sexual Harassment K12 (CASHK12).

SSAIS has supported legislative initiatives and amicus briefs that uphold students’ civil rights.

In January, 2018, SSAIS launched the MeTooK12 campaign to promote awareness and inspire action to counteract pervasive sexual harassment and sexual violence in K–12 schools. [28] [29] [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Title IX</span> US federal law prohibiting sex discrimination

Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government. This is Public Law No. 92‑318, 86 Stat. 235, codified at 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681–1688.

Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, sexual harassment and/or criminal sexual assault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual assault in the United States military</span> Sexual violence and harassment

Sexual assault in the United States armed forces is an ongoing issue which has received extensive media coverage in the past. A 2012 Pentagon survey found that approximately 26,000 women and men were sexually assaulted that year; of those, only 3,374 cases were reported. In 2013, a new Pentagon report found that 5,061 troops reported cases of assault. Of the reported cases, only 484 cases went to trial; 376 resulted in convictions. Another investigation found that one in five women in the United States Air Force who were sexually assaulted by service members reported it, for one in 15 men.

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Education that is primarily focused on enforcing civil rights laws prohibiting schools from engaging in discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or membership in patriotic youth organizations.

Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) is an American non-profit gender justice/women's rights organization that was founded in 1974. ERA is a legal and advocacy organization for advancing rights and opportunities for women, girls, and people of marginalized gender identities through legal cases and policy advocacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth L. Marcus</span> American attorney, academic, and government official

Kenneth L. Marcus is an American attorney, academic, and government official. He is the founder and leader of the Brandeis Center. He was the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Education from August 6, 2018 through July 9, 2020, after which he resumed his position at the Brandeis Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victim Rights Law Center</span> American non-profit organization

The Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC) is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to victims of rape and sexual assault in Massachusetts and Oregon. Established in 2003, it became the first nonprofit law center in the United States solely dedicated to serving the legal needs of sexual assault victims. The VRLC mission is to "provide legal representation to victims of rape and sexual assault to help rebuild their lives and to promote a national movement committed to seeking justice for every rape and sexual assault victim." VRLC also seeks to transform the legal response to sexual assault in the United States.

Campus sexual assault is the sexual assault, including rape, of a student while attending an institution of higher learning, such as a college or university. The victims of such assaults are more likely to be female, but any gender can be victimized. Estimates of sexual assault, which vary based on definitions and methodology, generally find that somewhere between 19–27% of college women and 6–8% of college men are sexually assaulted during their time in college.

Annie Elizabeth Clark is a women's rights and civil rights activist in the United States. She was one of the lead complainants of the 2013 Title IX and Clery Act charges lodged against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, claiming that the institution violated the law by the way they handled sexual assault complaints. Clark and Andrea Pino, then a fellow UNC student and also a victim of sexual assault, launched a nationwide campaign to use Title IX complaints to force U.S. universities to address sexual assault and related problems more aggressively. Clark is co-founder with Pino of End Rape on Campus, an advocacy group for victims of campus sexual assault.

Andrea Lynn Pino (born February 15, 1992) is an American women's rights and civil rights activist, author, and a public scholar on issues of global gender based violence, media framing of violence, gender and sexuality, and narratives of survivorhood. She is the queer daughter of Cuban refugees and has stated that she is a survivor of sexual assault.

The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault was formed on January 22, 2014, after President Barack Obama directed the Office of the Vice President of the United States and the White House Council on Women and Girls to "strengthen and address compliance issues and provide institutions with additional tools to respond to and address rape and sexual assault". The Task Force is part of a wider federal move to bring awareness to sexual violence on American campuses, which also included the Office for Civil Rights release of a list of American higher education institutions with open Title IX sexual violence investigations and the It's On Us public awareness campaign. The co-chairs of the Task Force are Vice President Joe Biden and Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett.

Sexual assault in the Canadian Armed Forces has been a pervasive issue affecting women, youth, and men in the Canadian Forces and Canadian Cadet Organizations. Canadian Forces sexual assault cases have been extensively reported in national Canadian news media. The scope and depth of the sexual assault problem first came to light in 1998, when Maclean's magazine broke the story. Individual cases continued to be reported. The issue became a national focus again when MacLean's magazine published another exposé exploring the extent of rape culture in Canada's military.

Know Your IX is an American political advocacy group founded in 2013. It aims to inform students of their right to an education free from gender-based violence under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in institutions receiving federal government funding. The organization also seeks to influence legislation and policy to improve federal enforcement of Title IX and treatment of student victims.

Families Advocating for Campus Equality (FACE) is an American advocacy group whose stated goal is to ensure fairness and due process for all parties involved in allegations of sexual misconduct on college and university campuses. FACE was started by Sherry Warner Seefeld and two other mothers who say their sons were falsely accused of sexual misconduct on their college campuses.

The ARC3 Survey is a campus climate survey developed to assess perpetration and victimization of sexual misconduct on college campuses in the United States. In addition to measuring rates of sexual assault on campus, the survey also gathers data on those who are engaging in sexual assault. It was developed by a group of sexual assault researchers and student affairs professionals in response to the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. The survey is free for college campuses to use. The study has been used to assess both graduate and undergraduate students.

In April 2013, Emma Sulkowicz, an American fourth-year visual arts major at Columbia University in New York City, filed a complaint with Columbia University requesting expulsion of fellow fourth-year student and German national, Paul Nungesser, alleging he had raped Sulkowicz in her dorm room on August 27, 2012. Nungesser was found not responsible by a university inquiry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baylor University sexual assault scandal</span> Allegations and convictions of Baylor University students of sexual assault between 2012 and 2016

The Baylor University sexual assault scandal was the result of numerous allegations of and convictions for sexual and non-sexual assaults committed by Baylor University students, mostly players on the Baylor Bears football team. During a period from about 2012 to 2016, school officials suppressed reports of rapes and sexual misconduct. In 2016, Baylor's football team came under fire when it was revealed university officials had failed to take action regarding the alleged rapes and assaults. The scandal led to the ousting of head football coach Art Briles, the demotion and eventual resignation of Baylor president Ken Starr, the resignation of athletic director Ian McCaw, and the firing of two others connected with the football program. It also led to the resignation of Baylor's Title IX Coordinator, Patty Crawford. A plaintiff's attorney, Jim Dunnam, accused Baylor of implementing a ″concerted strategy to get the public to believe this is entirely and only a football-related problem."

Esther Warkov is an American activist and researcher who has authored books and articles on music and ethnomusicology. She and her husband Joel Levin co-founded a national nonprofit Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual harassment in the military</span> Sexual misconduct in the armed forces

Sexual harassment in the military is unwanted sexual behaviour experienced as threatening, offensive, or otherwise upsetting, which occurs in a military setting.

Sofie Karasek is an American advocate for women's rights and the fight against sexual assault. In 2013, she helped launch a national movement to hold universities accountable for sweeping sexual harm under the rug under Title IX, and was a key driver behind California's "Yes Means Yes" law. She co-founded the advocacy organization called End Rape on Campus (EROC) in 2013.

References

  1. ↑ "Our Work in the Media". Stop Sexual Assault in Schools. 2014-11-18. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  2. ↑ "In handling rape, high schools are worse than colleges". Al-Jazeera America. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  3. ↑ "Our Family's Story". Stop Sexual Assault in Schools. 2015-01-13. Archived from the original on 2017-03-10. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2017-12-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ EndPlay (2014-07-25). "Teen's family appeals to U.S. Department of Education to investig". KIRO. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  6. ↑ "Seattle Public Schools Under Federal Investigation After Garfield Parents Allege the District Botched a Sexual Assault Investigation". The Stranger. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  7. ↑ "Radio – KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, AM 770 KTTH, 710 ESPN Seattle". MyNorthwest.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  8. ↑ West, Lindy. "Teen Girl Raped on Field Trip, Treated Horribly by Seattle High School". Jezebel. Archived from the original on 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  9. ↑ EndPlay (2014-08-20). "FBI policy disputes Seattle Schools' version of alleged rape inve". KIRO. Archived from the original on 2016-01-14. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  10. ↑ "Parents, students confront Seattle school leaders over sexual assault case". Q13 FOX News. 2014-08-21. Archived from the original on 2016-05-30. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  11. ↑ Cohen, Lindsay. "Protesters criticize Seattle school's handling of alleged rape". KOMO. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  12. ↑ Stokes, Kyle. "Seattle Schools To Convene Task Force To Review Handling Of Sex Assault Claims". Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2017-12-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2017-12-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ↑ Stokes, Kyle. "Amid Public Outcry, Seattle Schools Changes Handling Of Sex Assault Allegations". Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  16. ↑ "Seattle Schools responds to mistakes made in Garfield High rape investigation". CHS Capitol Hill Seattle. 2014-08-22. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  17. ↑ "Fatima Goss Graves: "Beyond the Campus: Protecting All Students From Sexual Assault"–the SSAIS website inaugural post". Stop Sexual Assault in Schools. 2015-10-07. Archived from the original on 2016-12-29. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  18. ↑ Brown, Emma (2016-01-17). "Sexual violence isn't just a college problem. It happens in K–12 schools, too". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2018-01-09. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  19. ↑ "Activists Take Aim At High Schools For Mishandling Sexual Assault". Huffington Post. 5 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  20. ↑ "Lawmakers Shift Campus Rape Conversation to High Schools". Women's eNews. Archived from the original on 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  21. ↑ Caplan-Bricker, Nora (2016-09-19). ""My School Punished Me"". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339. Archived from the original on 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  22. ↑ "New Report Exposes How Schools Dismiss Rape as 'Hazing' or 'Bullying'". Broadly. 2017-05-08. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  23. ↑ "The Secret of Sexual Assault in Schools – NEA Today". NEA Today. 2017-12-04. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  24. ↑ Young, Chris. "Should San Diego, Carlsbad Schools Have Told Parents About Sex-Assault Investigations?". KPBS Public Media. Archived from the original on 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  25. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2017-12-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ↑ Warkov, Esther (2016-04-14). "What the White House Asked Us About K–12 Sexual Violence". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-01-04. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  27. ↑ "With Trump's Title IX stance unknown, video aims to educate about sexual harassment at school". EdSource. December 4, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  28. ↑ "#MeTooK12 Seeks to Spotlight Problem of Sexual Assault in Schools". Education Week. January 2, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  29. ↑ "#MeTooK12: A new hashtag for students sexually assaulted or harassed in K–12 schools". The Washington Post. January 3, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  30. ↑ "#MeTooK12: New campaign raises awareness about rights at school". Christian Science Monitor. January 18, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
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