Bronwyn Blake

Texas Advocacy Project

National Council for
Victims of Crime (www.ncvc.org)
Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual behavior. It may take
different forms, including:
Physical contact, like grabbing, pinching, touching your breast
or butt or other body parts, or kissing you against your will;
Sexual comments, like name-calling (slut, whore, fag), starting
rumors about you, making sexual jokes at your expense, or
making sexual gestures at or about you;
Sexual propositions, like asking you for sex or repeatedly asking
you out when you have said no;
Unwanted communication, like phone calls, letters, or e-mails.
These can be mean, nasty, or threatening, or they can seem
flattering or nice but still make you uncomfortable.
Work? School?
In the US, the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 prohibits
employment
discrimination based on
race, sex, color, national
origin or religion.  
Two kinds:
1) Quid Pro Quo
2) Hostile
Environment
SEXUAL HARASSMENT =
A form of sex discrimination under Title IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972
Title IX (1972)
“No person…shall, on the basis of sex be excluded
from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
subjected to discrimination under any education
program or activity receiving federal financial
assistance…”
Despite the Sexual Harassment
Panda…
Title IX applies to all public and private
educational institutions that receive Federal
funds, including elementary and secondary
schools, school districts, proprietary
schools, colleges, and universities.
Department of Education Office of
Civil Rights:
SEXUAL HARASSMENT GUIDANCE: HARASSMENT
OF STUDENTS1 BY SCHOOL EMPLOYEES, OTHER
STUDENTS, OR THIRD PARTIES
In contrast to the variety of situations in which a school
may be liable for sexual harassment by its employees,
a school will be liable under Title IX if its students
sexually harass other students if (i) a hostile
environment exists in the school's programs or
activities, (ii) the school knows or should have known
of the harassment, and (iii) the school fails to take
immediate and appropriate corrective action28
HISD- FFH
Sexual harassment of students is conduct that is so
severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it can
be said to deprive the victim of access to the
educational opportunities or benefits provided by the
school. Sexual harassment does not include simple
acts of teasing and name-calling among school
children, however, even when the comments target
differences in gender. Davis v. Monroe County Bd. of
Educ., 526 U.S. 629 (1999)
Magic Words:

“I’d like to file a Title IX Complaint”

Davis VS Monroe County
Board of Education (1999)
"deliberate indifference“
"known" acts of sexual
harassment.
 Ortralla Mosley

20/20: Violence and Dating: 4/1/05

http://abcnewsstore.go.com/ www.ortrallafoundation.org
Components of the Austin school district policy
 Definition of sexual harassment, dating violence and
bullying
 Interventions by school staff
 Safety planning
 Complaint form
 Stay away agreement
 Parent involvement
 Support services for victims and perpetrators
Hostile Hallways
Eight in 10 students (81
percent) experience
some form of sexual
harassment during their
school lives
Girls are more likely
than boys to experience
sexual harassment ever
(83 percent vs. 79
percent)
AAUW.org
How common is sexual harassment?
 58% report physical harassment
 35% were first harassed in K-5 grades
 7% were harassed by a teacher
 Over 1 in 4 experience it often
 One of the most common and most distressing
forms of sexual harassment was being called gay or
lesbian

Bullying, Teasing, and Sexual Harassment in School

(AAUW, 2001)
The Public Performance of Gendered Violence
(Stein, Classrooms & Courtrooms, 1999)

“Sexual harassment has become

normalized as its public performance is
tolerated, even expected, and allowed to
flourish. A school culture has been created
that gives, in effect, permission to proceed,
potentially turning schools into practice
fields and training grounds for
dating/domestic violence and other forms
of interpersonal gender violence.”
Bronwyn Blake
Founder and Senior Attorney, Teen Justice Initiative
Texas Advocacy Project

bblake@TexasAdvocacyProject.org
1-800-374-HOPE