Schools

Schools play two roles in this universe: they are safe places where children are frequently seen by important mandated reporters like teachers, nurses, guidance counselors, and administrators. This is also where children can be taught best practices to avoid abuse, parents can be trained to spot abuse, and all those working in the schools can be trained to be on the frontlines of child protection. It should be and often is a fortress of protection for the child.

Unfortunately, schools can also be a place where a child can be groomed and sexually abused, as the public has learned over the last 20 years. Private schools, public schools, boarding schools, and universities have seen their share of child sex abuse. From elite private schools like the Solebury School (Bucks County, PA) and The Horace Mann School (New York, NY) to the Los Angeles United School District to Michigan State University and Penn State, educational settings have created the conditions that can endanger children. Sometimes the opportunities are created by the culture of the school and at other times, by programs like summer camps or a laissez faire attitude regarding relationships between teachers and students.

There are many resources out there, many of which are listed below, which is encouraging. But there is a great deal of education still needed about the scourge of child sex abuse in this universe before we will stamp it out. Children, parents, teachers, and everyone else needs to become more knowledgeable about the signs, effects, and costs of child sex abuse.

Please read and view the following with the knowledge that the more you learn, the more hope there will be for children in the future!

— Prof. Marci Hamilton, Founder/CEO of CHILD USA

Books

Our selected books are typically available in public and/or university libraries.

Campus Sexual Assault: College Women Respond

by Lauren J. Germain

An examination of college women’s experiences after assault; the many case studies emphasize the individualized nature of recovery.

Engaging Bystanders in Sexual Violence Prevention

by Joan Tabacknick

A book that emphasizes the importance of bystanders and interfering to prevent sexual abuse.

Great Is the Truth: Secrecy, Scandal, and the Quest for Justice at the Horace Mann School

by Amos Kamil, Sean Elder

A shocking exposé of sexual abuse and the struggle for justice at one of America’s most prestigious schools.

Invisible Target: Breaking the Cycle of Educator Sexual Abuse

by Andrea Clemens

This is a readable and worthwhile book for students, parents, teachers, and administrators that tells the true story of a survivor’s sexual abuse at the hands of her middle school teacher.

Speak

by Laurie Halse Anderson

A moving novel for teens and young adults about a high school girl using art to cope with a sex assault by a fellow student and the lack of support at school.

What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You: Sexual Abuse in Schools

by Denise Skarbek and Patricia Parrish

This book by two professors of education examines the state of sexual abuse in schools and offers potential steps toward a safer environment. It includes a particularly helpful chapter on students in special education settings.

Articles
Documentaries & Videos
Online Resources