Sexual Harassment in Schools

    PHOENIX, AZ, September 09, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- An educational environment should never be a threat to your child's safety. The trust that a parent puts into their children's well-being can be lost in an instant when a parent finds out that their child has been sexually harassed at school. In a survey done by the American Association of University Women on 2064 students in 8th to 11th grade 83% of girls have been sexually assaulted and 78% of boys. Many parents want to believe that sexual harassment could never happen to their child but unfortunately they occur more frequently than any parent would like to think. In the Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale and surrounding areas there are many harassment cases involving local schools and children.

The offenders of sexual harassment against children include: teachers, coaches, janitors, fellow classmates, principal, counselor, and mentor. Depending on the situation, your child may be entitled to compensation from the school district or from the individual responsible. In some cases there was obvious neglect from school officials to take appropriate action when a situation was brought to their attention. One example of the type of carelessness that the school can be held responsible for is neglecting to do a proper background check when hiring school employees.

There are many different factors that need to be taken into consideration in order for an Arizona personal injury attorney to develop a strong case on the individual who sexually harassed your child.

Some factors include:

Factors in a sexual harassment case

• How often the incident occurred
• Where the incident took place
• How many students have been affected
• Witnesses to the incident or reports of suspicious behavior
• Number of incidents that have occurred at the school
• How the incident has negatively affected the child academically and emotionally

In an article in the New York Times by Tara Parker Pope reports that more than a third of middle and high school students are sexually assaulted by a fellow classmate. Abuse by fellow peers can not only be physical by also verbal. Some examples of the types of scenarios of sexual harassment that can occur between peers include:

Sexual abuse between peers

• Humiliation - pulling another peers pants down, making fun of physical attributes of another classmate.
• Name calling
• Inappropriate sexual contact
• Sexually charged comments or jokes
• Bullying
• There can also be sexual harassment via web and phone, text messages and e-mail situations have been known to occur between classmates.

Contact an Arizona personal injury attorney

When your child is a victim of sexual harassment at school taking action against the parties responsible can be a complicated and difficult manner. Your child may be experiencing peer backlash, and emotional trauma due to this experience and may even have to compromise their academic performance. If you live in or around Maricopa County then an Arizona personal injury attorney can help you receive compensation for your child's unfortunate sexual harassment. For more information please contact: www.solomonrelihan.com

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