Report on sexual misconduct in schools short on details

The task force concluded that a review of existing policies on student safety is needed, and that policies specific to sexual misconduct should be developed.

There are seven recommendations aimed toward ensuring students feel secure at school and are comfortable with reporting incidents.

The report also mentions that sexual misconduct in schools is a product of what’s going on in society in general. In other words, the school system itself isn’t creating an environment that leads to inappropriate behavior.

That’s reassuring, though it doesn’t go into detail.

Every task force is asked to do certain things, and this one was no different. It was asked to “identify the scope of peer-to-peer sexualized violence” in the district, review existing policies and protocols, review “current educational outcomes for students that support healthy relationships,” and report back to the board.

Frankly, some of that’s a bit vague, which might have proven challenging for the task force. Certainly, this is a sensitive subject, and the report reflects that in the way it talks in generalities.

It doesn’t, for example, offer much of an answer to the scope of the problem, saying basically that it exists, and that incidents aren’t always reported.

The 12-page report can be summed up in a very few words: we must do better. All very polite and fuzzy, without the frank analysis and clarity one might have hoped for from such an exercise.

Rather than having clearcut recommendations it can implement quickly, the school board and staff are left to do the heavy lifting.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

by Armchair Mayor

Report on sexual misconduct in schools short on details

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