When Schools Fail To Protect Their Children

The Associated Press made a yearlong investigation that tapped into one of the most under-reported subjects in the US — the sexual assaults of students by students, and the schools’ inability to properly deal with the issue.

Chaz Wing started being bullied by other boys since he was 12 and began school at Brunswick Junior High. At first, there were mean words and an occasional slap, then it got more serious with the “gay test” that he was subjected to by his colleagues, and then things got sick with him being raped three times. Except for the sexual assaults, the kid reported to the school authorities and told his mom about every single bullying experience. The school not only failed to do anything to stop the abuses, but also ended up seeing Chaz as a bit of an overly sensitive teenager.

Aside from giving a detailed account of Chaz’s time spent in school, the legal action taken by him and his parent, what the school authorities did and what could and should have been done, the investigation also shows that Chaz’s case is not singular. 

“Contrary to public perception, data showed that student sexual assaults by peers were far more common than those by teachers. For every adult-on-child sexual attack reported on school property, there were seven assaults by students, AP's analysis of the federal crime data showed.” 

Moreover, the school is the second place, after a home, where kids are most vulnerable to being sexually assaulted by their peers.

So maybe schools and parents alike should give up the “kids will be kids” jolly kind of saying and start dealing with today’s realities and thinking about real ways to protect their children.