Students say schools should respond to sexual assault, harassment better

Jasper Winterton
Feature/Video Editor

“It feels like the school cares more about their public image than the safety of their students,” an anonymous sophomore said.

The students preferred to remain anonymous due to the severity of the topic. According to the Center for Public Integrity Journalism, “Using anonymous sources can help to protect the source themselves.” With the sources and alleged perpetrators being minors, the anonymous sources chose to stay anonymous in regards to safety concerns.

Students have said that the Hixson and high school administrations have allegedly not handled sexual assault and harassment accusations appropriately or have allegedly minimized and invalidated the alleged victims’ experiences.

An anonymous freshman said that when she was in eighth grade at Hixson, she was sexually assaulted during school by a classmate, and when the victim’s family reported the alleged assault, the administration allegedly said she was likely misunderstanding the situation.

“I am lucky enough to have not experienced any of those things at the high school; however, I have experienced it multiple times in middle school. In PE at Hixson, a boy walked up to me with white stuff all over his hand and asked for a high five. When I declined, he wiped it all over my chest while I was wearing a tank top,” the freshman said.

She added that after declining to the high five, she tried running away from him, but he caught her and wiped his hand and the substance across her chest. Her teacher allegedly told her to clean up and then go to the office. The first person she talked to was Officer Cameron McCullough, school resource officer, and she said he helped her feel better and had her write out a statement along with the other alleged victim.

McCullough did not respond to requests for comment.

“[The alleged perpetrator] told me that he had jacked off in the bathroom beforehand and that that was what he wiped on me. He did it to another girl, and when we contacted the school administration, the administrators said it probably wasn’t what we thought it was,” the freshman added. She said that she hasn’t worn a tank top to school since the occurrence.

“[An administrator] told my mom that it was going to permanently be in my records that [the perpetrator] couldn’t be in a class with me, but he still wasn’t taken out [of my class],” the freshman said.

The administrator no longer works for the district and could not be reached for comment.

The freshman felt “his whole thing was about protecting the kid who hurt me. He said he couldn’t tell [my mom] what would happen to the kid,” in reference to another administrator her family talked to.

The freshman’s mom confirmed this, and the other administrator did not comment on it.

“A teacher told me that the student was suspended for one day, and even though I was told he would permanently be removed from my class, he wasn’t,” the freshman said.

“I feel very lucky to go to school in this district. I just wish things were taken more seriously,” the freshman said.

Three of the students interviewed agreed that sexual harassment and assault is much more prominent at Hixson than the high school, but there have also been situations at the high school that were allegedly overlooked.

According to Equal Rights Advocates, if someone reports a sexual assault or harassment, the school legally can not ignore or blame them, and the school has to respond in a quick and appropriate manner.

The freshman said that she felt repeatedly invalidated by the Hixson administration.

According to the American Association of University Women, harassment and assault in schools contributes to an unsafe and hostile environment at the school or institution, and a majority of schools fail to properly report sexual harassment, assault or violence when it occurs.

“I think a lot of administrators have been telling students that it’s okay to come forward, but when what the student experiences inconveniences the school in any way, they will try to silence the student or try and convince the student that it’s not as big as they’re making it out to be or imply that they’re being overdramatic,” a sophomore said.

Another anonymous sophomore also came forward about the way the middle school and high school handles sexual assault and harassment.

“I feel like they do the bare minimum because they don’t want to get involved in such a sensitive topic,” the sophomore said.

“At Hixson, [my counselor] tried to get me to be friends with him again after it all. They were like, ‘Well, you’re a really important thing in his life, and he needs you,’” the sophomore added, in reference to a situation he brought to the administration after allegedly being sexually assaulted and harassed by another student.

The counselor did not respond to requests for comment.

“And even [at the high school], they refused to let me switch out of the only class I had with him, even though I said I can’t handle seeing him everyday, and I was leaving class just to avoid seeing him. They just said, ‘Well, maybe just try to keep a distance from him in class,’” the sophomore said.

Matt Irvin, high school principal, said he was unaware of the situation the sophomore reported and that there are important factors that go into handling situations like it.

“Depending on the pervasiveness or severity, we have different processes,” Irvin said. The processes can include involving law enforcement and discussing disciplinary actions with the school board.

In regards to involving law enforcement, Irvin said that if the administration thinks a crime has been committed, they will communicate with the authorities.

Ken Winningham, counselor, said, “It goes two different ways. So let’s say student A says student B assaulted them. We can move student A’s schedule around to avoid student B. If there are legal proceedings and charges are brought, then we can move student B, but we can’t really move student B unless there is an actual restraining order or legal proceedings.”

“Any sexual violence against a minor has to be hotlined,” Anne Gibbs, social worker, said.

According to Gibbs, no matter who or how old the alleged perpetrator is, any case of sexual violence against a minor must be reported by a mandated reporter to the Children’s Division hotline. Depending on the report, the Children’s Division will do its own investigation and include authorities if it feels necessary.

Neither the freshman nor the sophomore believe their cases were reported to the hotline.

In response to an FOIA request, the school district said it does not keep a record of the number of hotline reports that are made by district employees.

According to Gibbs, some resources for survivors of sexual assault include Safe Connections, Children’s Advocacy Center, Children’s Division Hotline and the YWCA.

Winningham said the high school has a specific protocol for sexual harassment and sexual assault cases.

“We, by law, are required to complete a hotline [report] … because that would entail child abuse. Whether it’s the same aged child or not who did it, sexual assault is always going to be child abuse,” Winningham said.

Winningham added that the high school has specific steps it has to take regardless of the details of the situation.

“We notify our school resource officer and our head principal, and then we usually call the parent,” Winningham said.

“I don’t know what [Hixson’s] protocol is … but the law about calling children’s services, and I assume law enforcement- those are there still- like I would lose my license if I don’t do that,” Winningham said.

Dr. John Simpson, superintendent, said via email, “We each want to stress that we take any allegations of sexual assault or harassment quite seriously, and always prioritize the needs of the students, families and staff involved – especially those who are victims.”

Simpson said the school district policies which include AC, ACA and JHG guide the district’s responses for all levels- preK-12th grade.

According to policy AC, “Any person suspected of abusing or neglecting a child will be reported immediately to the CD [Children’s Division].” According to Eskew Law, minors can be charged with sexual abuse, meaning that a child-on-child sexual assault case is considered child abuse and should be immediately reported to the Children’s Division hotline.

The Office of Justice Programs said that minors account for an estimated 25.8% of known sex offenders.

Policy JHG states that “Mandated reporters acting in their official capacities who know or have reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect or is being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would reasonably result in abuse or neglect must directly and immediately make a report to the CD.”

School district policy ACA says that the district will maintain records of each sexual harassment investigation under Title IX for seven years. However, when sent an FOIA request for the number of investigations that occurred during two school years within that time frame, a representative for the district said via email: “I do not have a record of the number of student-on-student sexual harassment investigations under Title IX at Hixson and WGHS for the school years 2021-22 and 2022-23.”