Don't Hate the Messenger: Educator Sexual Misconduct...Myth or Epidemic?

Dr. Tanya Yerigan Professor Department of Education 1998‐Present

EDUCATION

Professor-19th Yr. •K-12 School Social Worker •Social Studies Teacher •Researcher & Author (articles and books) •SMSU

BUSINESS •Center

for Scholastic Inquiry •Academic

Research Conference •Publication of Refereed Journals (3) •Reclaimed Treasures •Rental

Properties •Furniture Design & Restoration

Educator Sexual Misconduct Something to Think About

Video…

video

CAUTION… Controversial Not popular—can make educators

angry! Remember…

99% of Teachers are GREAT!

ESM Educator Sexual Misconduct Why the word MISCONDUCT

rather than abuse, rape, etc.? Not to alienate our own! Not illegal but unwanted in Ed.

ESM Nearly all data comes from the

students. Little to no data comes from teachers.

Statistics…  1 in 10 (9.6%) of students have

experienced unwanted sexual behavior by a school employee.  4.5 Million Students  3 million of these were sexual touching

or assault.

U.S. Department of Ed

 In 2014, there was an average of 15

new cases every week ‐‐‐sexually victimized by an educator.

Washington Post

Statistics… Educator Sexual

Misconduct Offenders 57% Male  43% Female

All School Employees



AAUW

25% Male 75% Female

Statistics…  Order of Incidents  Male to Female  Male to Male  Female to Male  Female to Female

Shakeshaft

Educator Sexual Misconduct Offender

Age 21‐75  Average offender is 28 

Hendrie

Statistics… Teacher Sexual Misconduct Victims

56% Female  44% Male 

AAUW

Statistics…  In

20 states, sex between a 16 year old and a school employee is legal.

 At

age 17, three additional states make it legal.

Education week, 2003

Educator Sexual Misconduct (ESM) – or – Teacher Sexual Misconduct (TSM)

Statistics… 

38% of ESM offenders target/abuse ELEMENTARY students.



56% of ESM offenders target/abuse MIDDLE SCHOOL or HIGH SCHOOL students.



6% of ESM offenders target/abuse K‐12.

Statistics…

Most ESM (sexual abuse) happens right within the school.



Examples include the hallways, store rooms, empty classrooms and rooms attached to the classroom.



Statistics…

Research shows ESM abusers have a good chance of not being discovered.



If a ESM abuser is discovered, there are minimal sanctions, if any.



Statistics…  ESM costs the public!

 Over the course of a 5 year period, NYC

Schools spent 18.7 million in settlements 

There are currently hundreds of active cases remaining.

Statistics…

Only 6% of ESM victims tell someone who can help them.



94% do not tell or they tell a friend after swearing them to secrecy.



Statistics…

Of cases that do get reported to a superintendent, 90% are physically sexual.



Statistics…

The majority of cases are ignored or disbelieved.



Statistics…

Even when abuse is alleged, few students, families and districts report the crime to law enforcement.





Instead, it is handled internally!

Statistics… 

Of an earlier study of 225 cases (all admitted physical sexual abuse)  1% lost their license  35% had a negative consequence  

15% were fired, not tenured/not renewed 20% had a formal reprimand

 25% had no consequence  39% left the district with a positive

recommendation or through retirement.

Statistics…

Of those who were terminated, not renewed or left the district…



16% ‐ teaching elsewhere  84% ‐ no idea where they are 

Remember the magnitude of the catholic church child sexual abuse scandal?

Over the course of 52 years…

(1950 – 2002)

Catholic Church Scandal

10,667 VICTIMS U.S. Conference of Catholic Church

In the schools over only 9 years…

(1991 – 2000)

Educator Sexual Misconduct

290,000 VICTIMS AAUW

Educator Sexual Misconduct Problem or Not?

Incidents of sexual abuse by teachers in public schools has been estimated to be more than 100 times that of the Catholic priests.

So, what has the church done?

Aggressive response record including:  Instituted zero tolerance policy – any credibly accused priest is immediately removed and LE notified  Trained over 5 million children giving skills to protect from abuse  Trained over 2 million adults (mainly priests) in recognizing signs of abuse  Victim Assistance Coordinators in every diocese  Annual independent audits of all diocese to monitor compliance with the new charter for protection

So, what have our schools done?  Zero tolerance policy –

No Mandate  Training children – No Mandate  Training adults (teachers) – No Mandate  Victim Assist. Coord./every district – No Mandate  Annual independent audits of all schools – No Mandate

IN SHORT, THERE IS NO UNIVERSAL MANDATED RESPONSE!

PERPLEXING… Why is the nation in an outrage about the scandal within the Catholic Church but IGNORES the far larger issue within our school system?

THIS MUST CHANGE!

MY RESEARCH 2015 Surveyed 77 Practicing K‐12

Teachers 95% Survey Return Rate

#1. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE TERM EDUCATOR SEXUAL MISCONDUCT? 81% YES 19% SLIGHTLY 0% NOT AT ALL

2. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN CASES IN THE MEDIA WHERE AN EDUCATOR HAS BEEN INAPPROPRIATE WITH A STUDENT? 99% YES 1% NO

3. WITHIN A DISTRICT YOU HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED, ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY TEACHER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT CASES OR SITUATIONS? 30% YES 70% NO

3. COMMENTS‐‐Samples  Staff member and Facebook instances with a

female student  Teacher watching porn at school  Male teacher spanking high school girls on their b‐day.  Making female students bend over a chair and touch the ground on the other side.  Male high school teacher having sex with female junior.  Male coach pinching female athletes on the butt.  Male teacher “sexting” with junior high female.

4. AS A STUDENT, WERE YOU THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATOR SEXUAL MISCONDUCT? 23% YES 77% NO

5. IF YOU SAID “YES” TO THE PROCEEDING QUESTION, DESCRIBE THE EVENT(S) BY SELECTING FROM THE LIST BELOW. 75% 42% 17% 32%

Overly Friendly Physically Inappropriate Emotionally Inappropriate Sexually Inappropriate

(Respondents were allowed to select more than one.)

5. COMMENTS‐‐Samples  

      

Male teacher would rub my ears.

Male teacher invited us girls to his home and took pictures of us promising we’d be models. The pics were inappropriate.

I got pregnant by my teacher. My mom was a teacher so it was hush‐hush.

My PE teacher slept with a guy from our freshman year through senior year. She was never reprimanded.

My science teacher would rub my shoulders all the time.

My superintendent sexually harassed me for a year. I finally went to law enforcement and the school board.

Flirty teachers  Sexual comments to me by a teacher and sometimes innuendos.

My elementary teacher made me sit on his lap. As a female, this always felt icky to me.

6. AS AN EDUCATOR, HAVE YOU EVER FELT THAT YOU’VE CROSSED A LINE WITH A STUDENT? 2% YES 94% NO 4% NOT SURE

6. COMMENT‐‐Samples  Getting too close as a friend and not

authority figure.  I asked a student to dance on a class cruise.

She ended up with a crush on me. It was horrible.  In my mind, I think sexual things but it has never gotten physical.

7. AS PART OF YOUR TEACHER PREP PROGRAM (UNDERGRAD), DID YOU EVER HAVE ANY TRAINING(S) ON THE TOPIC OF EDUCATOR SEXUAL MISCONDUCT? 15% YES 85% NO

8. AS PART OF YOUR EDUCATION (BEYOND YOUR TEACHER PREP PROGRAM OR BACHELORS) HAVE YOU HAD ANY TRAINING ON THE TOPIC OF EDUCATOR SEXUAL MISCONDUCT? 14% YES 86% NO

9. HAVE YOU EVER HAD TRAINING REGARDING THE NEED TO ESTABLISH STRONG BOUNDARIES (PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SEXUAL) WITH STUDENTS? 15% YES 85% NO

COMMENTS 

All comments in 8 and 9 involved teachers who worked and received training within the catholic school system (post crisis).

REFLECT In general, what is going through your mind?  What suggestions do you have for addressing the ESM issue? 

NOW… BACK TO THE STUDY

POST SURVEY FOCUS GROUPS  After the surveys were administered, the teachers

were given an overview of the ESM topic.  Following the 30 minute presentation, the teachers were divided into 10 focus groups.  There were roughly 7 teachers in each group.  Teachers were asked to discuss two questions.  1. After taking the survey and hearing the ESM

presentation, what is going through your mind?  2. What suggestions do you have to address the ESM issue?

FOCUS GROUP Q1: What is going through your mind?  Lack Information  Common Sense Mentality  Uncomfortable Situations ‐‐

Who do you tell?  Catholic Church Issues & Education’s Issues  No Training  Taboo Topic – How do you talk about it?  Inappropriate Actions Leading to Relationships

FOCUS GROUP Q2: What suggestions do you have to address the ESM issue?  Undergraduate Course on ESM Topic  Facebook/Social Media Guides/Rules  District Trainings—ALL Educators (not just teachers)  District Trainings ‐‐‐ALL Students  Licensure & Relicensure

Training

Requirements/Mandates  Address False Accusations  Make Laws Tougher ‐‐‐ Punish “Bad” Teachers!  Learn “WHY”

WHAT CAN WE DO?  Create Specific

Policy—not general

 Supervise   

Listen to rumor and gossip Move around the building and classrooms Add before and after school to your supervision routine

 Educate Staff  Remind Staff HOW to Behave—don’t assume  Educate Students  Change Laws

WHAT AM I DOING?  Researching “Why”?  Social Media  Lack of Boundaries

 Writing Undergraduate Course  Training Graduate‐Level Educators (M.Ed

Prog)  District‐Wide Staff Development Trainings  Individual Staff Member– Boundary Development Plan & Trainings

QUESTIONS?