Stop Sexual Assault in Schools launched its website on September 28th. Within 24 hours a grandmother contacted SSAIS seeking help after her school district showed deliberate indifference to reports of sexual assault upon her five-year-old granddaughter. A Title IX complaint is now in the works.
Next, The Huffington Post featured our activism history and unique website. Organizations quickly added links to the SSAIS resource on their websites, among them the Title IX blog (Prof. Erin Buzuvis), Culture of Respect, EROC, UnSlut Project, and the IHH film. The ACLU of WA posted our work as did education activists in Seattle, where the school district’s inappropriate response to a reported rape led to the formation of SSAIS.
Ten days after our launch, the National Women’s Law Center Senior Vice President for Program, Fatima Goss Graves wrote a powerful blog created for SSAIS, “Beyond the Campus: Protecting All Students From Sexual Assault,” in which she concluded:
Moreover, if we do not bring a serious focus to the problem of sexual harassment and assault in elementary and secondary schools, it will be nearly impossible to make real progress at any other level of education. Too often the story of sexual violence in K-12 schools shows administrators who are poorly informed about their Title IX obligations or avoid taking the necessary steps required by Title IX to end and prevent future harassment.
In just 10 days, the national media recognition and immediate support from organizations, Title IX experts, and allied organizations, such as Culture of Respect, EROC, and others, reveals a far-reaching validation of the SSAIS mission.