WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Schools Deal with Sexual Harassment Complaints Between Students (Bethany-WTNH) _ Should there be a law protecting our kids from sexual harassment at school by other students? A Georgia case involving a fifth grader brought that question to the United States Supreme Court. That student says she was grabbed and verbally taunted by a classmate and the school did nothing about it. It's an issue facing schools around the country and right here in Connecticut. News Channel 8's Jocelyn Sigue reports. Imagine this P.E. class as the fifth grade variation of that corporate board room. Any gesture, or utterance qualifying as sexual harassment here is a violation of the law. If the perpetrator isn't disciplined the school is held liable. That's what the US Supreme Court is considering this session. Alfred Treidel, Principal: "The more specific we become an area such as discipline the less latitude a school has in terms of helping a youngster sometimes." In other words - bad idea. Treidel points to zero-tolerance weapon's policies as an example of how these laws get good kids expelled. Treidel: "A youngster brought a pen knife to school accidentally." But like in-school violence - trends around the nation are prompting a closer look at harassment. Survey's of teenagers show an overwhelming majority of both boys and girls say they've experienced at least one type of sexual harassment in their lives the problem usually begins in middle school. Rob Spino wasn't surprised when one of his 6th graders came to him. Rob Spino, School Psychologist: "The situation that went on I know there's a lot of similar situations going on at the same grade level. "The kids overall tend to be little bit more sophisticated these days and I think a good way to handle it is just educating 'em." Treidel: "Make no mistake about it these things are wrong. However, if the administration had to address every single incident of teasing regardless of how minor or serious it was there wouldn't be very much time left in the course of the day to do much else." Schools also say defending such claims would be impossible to handle financially. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Schools Deal with Sexual Harassment Complaints Between Students
(Bethany-WTNH) _ Should there be a law protecting our kids from sexual harassment at school by other students? A Georgia case involving a fifth grader brought that question to the United States Supreme Court. That student says she was grabbed and verbally taunted by a classmate and the school did nothing about it. It's an issue facing schools around the country and right here in Connecticut.
News Channel 8's Jocelyn Sigue reports.

Imagine this P.E. class as the fifth grade variation of that corporate board room. Any gesture, or utterance qualifying as sexual harassment here is a violation of the law. If the perpetrator isn't disciplined the school is held liable. That's what the US Supreme Court is considering this session.

Alfred Treidel, Principal: "The more specific we become an area such as discipline the less latitude a school has in terms of helping a youngster sometimes."

In other words - bad idea. Treidel points to zero-tolerance weapon's policies as an example of how these laws get good kids expelled.

Treidel: "A youngster brought a pen knife to school accidentally."

But like in-school violence - trends around the nation are prompting a closer look at harassment. Survey's of teenagers show an overwhelming majority of both boys and girls say they've experienced at least one type of sexual harassment in their lives the problem usually begins in middle school.

Rob Spino wasn't surprised when one of his 6th graders came to him.

Rob Spino, School Psychologist: "The situation that went on I know there's a lot of similar situations going on at the same grade level.
"The kids overall tend to be little bit more sophisticated these days and I think a good way to handle it is just educating 'em."

Treidel: "Make no mistake about it these things are wrong. However, if the administration had to address every single incident of teasing regardless of how minor or serious it was there wouldn't be very much time left in the course of the day to do much else."

Schools also say defending such claims would be impossible to handle financially.

Today's News Page.

WTNH Home Page.