©2004
The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON - More than 4.5 million children currently
in the public school system are subject so sexual misconduct by school
employees, from inappropriate comments to physical abuse, according
to an exhaustive review of research.
The est estimate is that almost one in 10 children, sometime between
kindergarten and 12th grade, is a target of behavior ranging from unprofessional
to criminal, says the reports by Charlo Shakeshaft, a professor at
Hofstra University's School of Education in New York. The report, required
under the No Child Left Behind law, is the first to analyze the field
of research about sexual misconduct at school.
"Most people just don't think this can really happen," said
Ms. Shakeshaft, hired by the Education Department to study the prevalence
of sexual abuse in sschools. "We imagine that all teachers are
like most teachers, in that they've gone into teaching to help children.
Most do, but not all. We need to acknowledge that's the case and do
something to stop it."
Some educators immediately took issue with the study's approach, mainly
the combining of sexual abuse with other behavior, such as gestures
or notes, into one broad misconduct category. Spokesman Michael Pons
of the National Education Association, a union of 2.7 million education
workers, said. "Lumping harassment together with serious sexual
misconduct does more harm than good by creating unjustified alarm and
undermining confidence in public schools."
The NEA, he added, takes any sexually imappropriate behavior
seriously, training teachers and working with the Education Department
in rules banning harassment in schools.
But another prominent researcher supported the findings,
suggesting as Ms. Shakeshaft did, that they may even understate the
problem. And the American Association of University Women, whose surveys
were at the core of the new report, stood by its research. There have
been no nationally financed data collections of how common sexual misconduct
is in school, one of many areas Ms. Shakeshaft suggests must be addressed.
Douglas E. Fierberg is a trial lawyer and partner
in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Bode & Grenier, L.L.P. Mr.
Fierberg represents victims of hazing, personal injury and other
campus crimes, and serves as counsel for certain national sororities
which have committed to end hazing.
