September 4, 2024
“Stronger Together” is our focus as Stop Sexual Assault in Schools enters its tenth year. Youth sexual harassment and violence often seem like insurmountable problems when schools normalize the harassment, and when students and families are uninformed of their rights or are unable to report without fear of retaliation. In a world that promotes sexual objectification, toxic stereotypes, and countless victim-blaming myths, we must implement innovative solutions.
July 17, 2024
In just a few weeks, K-12 students will be returning to school. They may have experienced sexual harassment at summer camp, in social situations, or online. Others will be uneasy about the inevitable barrage of sexual harassment and unwelcomed touch that awaits them.
May 7, 2024
Sexual harassment and assault in K-12 schools are entrenched problems that will persist “unless a school’s administration prioritizes shifting campus culture to one that is intolerant of sexual harm,” writes SSAIS Director Meghan Joyce Tozer.
January 3, 2024
Looking ahead to 2024
Happy New Year!
As SSAIS reflects on our 2023 accomplishments, we’re grateful for allies like you who support our all-volunteer nonprofit. Here’s how we’re tackling widespread K-12 sexual harassment and assault in 2024.
September 27, 2023
New SASH Club website has launched!
Our redesigned SASH Club (Students Against Sexual Harassment) website is live! The new streamlined look encourages everyone to explore and join this innovative peer-education project of Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS).
February 5, 2023
Today Ms. Magazine published “Combating K-12 Sexual Harassment and Violence: How Far Have We Come,” by Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS) co-founder Esther Warkov. This timely article chronicles the growing efforts to address K-12 sexual harassment and violence over the last decade.
November 28, 2022
The new SSAIS.org website is here!
First launched in 2015, our website quickly became the go-to, one-stop resource for students, families, educators, and community advocates to address K-12 sexual harassment and assault. We’ve had over one million visitors!
September 12, 2022
December 28, 2021
As millions of students returned to in-person learning in 2021, back-to-school meant “back to the daily barrage of sexual harassment and assault that compromise their learning and well-being,” as SSAIS wrote in Citizen Ed. This year saw students across the country demonstrating for their right to an education free from sexual harassment and assault, evidence that the #MeTooK12 movement, an SSAIS initiative, is coming to fruition.
Because students can’t wait for top-down change, SSAIS launched SASH Club (Students Against Sexual Harassment). The groundbreaking website resources are designed to empower youth ages 13+ to address the impact of sexual harassment and assault in their schools, communities, and personal lives. SASH Club resources provide ready-to-use, inclusive peer-to-peer education for school clubs, youth-serving organizations, individual use, and more. SASH Club resources were admitted to the American Federation of Teachers Share My Lesson Library.
This year SSAIS also created a new website page with resources in Chinese and English and was spotlighted by Feminist Asian Dad and Bill Howe on Title IX. SSAIS published resources for Title IX Coordinators and co-published in Campus Safety, created an education module on sexual harassment and students of color in collaboration with the National Women’s Law Center, and shared expertise in a podcast with Prevention is Now: Sexual Violence in Our Schools K-12 featuring SSAIS Board Chair Heidi Goldstein.
SSAIS continued its role as a thought leader by contributing opinion pieces and perspectives in several education and news outlets. A sampling:
- How the Biden-Harris Administration Can Boost the National Campaign #MeTooK12 to End Sexual Harassment In K-12 Schools
- Opinion: BUSD still doesn’t understand its obligations to address sexual harassment and assault
- Students Are Walking Out of School to Demand Better Protections From Sexual Harassment and Assault
- 3 Ways to Ensure Better Title IX Protections for K-12 Students
- #MeTooK12 Case Study: A High School Sexual Abuse Scandal
- Change in Schools Starts With Listening to Students
- A New Way to Combat High School Sexual Harassment and Assault
We also provided public comments to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights to revise the 2020 Title IX rule and presented webinars for national and state organizations. SSAIS advisors continue be strong advocates in their own communities while supporting anyone across the country asking for help.
Did you know that all our toolkits and resources are free, that the SSAIS website has received 1 million+ visits over 5 years, and Parts 1 and 2 of our video Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! have been viewed over 68,000 times?
If you believe in the SSAIS mission, please support our all-volunteer nonprofit with a donation in any amount.
From all of us at SSAIS: Happy New Year! We’re here to help!
August 30, 2021
Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) is excited to announce the launch of SASH Club (Students Against Sexual Harassment). The groundbreaking website and resources are designed to empower youth ages 13+ to address the impact of sexual harassment and assault in their schools, communities, and personal lives. SASH Club resources provide ready-to-use inclusive peer-to-peer education for school clubs, youth-serving organizations, individual use, and more.
SASH Clubs are warm, respectful, and supportive environments. Youth come together to learn, ask questions, share opinions, and plan activities appropriate to their school or community. They can choose from free downloadable “Power Topics” presentations designed to inform, stimulate discussion, and inspire action.
“Power Topics” present essential issues such as healthy relationships, boundaries and consent, dating violence, definitions of sexual harassment and assault, what to do if sexually harassed or assaulted, alcohol and date rape drugs, victim blaming, sextortion, confidentiality, Title IX, supporting LGBTQ+ students, activism basics, and more. Look for new “Power Topics” to be released throughout the year.
With the How to Start a SASH Club guide youth can easily start a chapter in their school or community. The guide has downloadable forms, guidance for adult mentors, and suggested activities. Anyone can start a SASH Club chapter or freely download any of the SASH Club materials without starting a chapter.
Share SASH Club information with students and their allies, families, schools, youth serving and community organizations, faith-based groups, scouting organizations, youth leaders, sexual assault crisis organizations, school clubs, teachers, school staff, Title IX Coordinators, influencers, and beyond.
SASH Club offers a powerful antidote to the culture of normalized sexual harassment and assault that plagues students every day. Youth have the potential to drive change, and with SASH Club’s resources and structure they can make all learning spaces safe and equitable for all students.
Please forward this announcement or share it on social media!
For questions or comments please contact SSAIS or SASH Club via info@stopsexualassausltinschools.org or sashclub@ssais.org.
Follow SASH Club social media: Instagram: @sashclubs Facebook: www.facebook.com/sashclubs Twitter: @sashclubs
A year-long pilot of SASH Club at Pine-Richland High School included an impressive four-week campaign during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
March 2, 2021
Today, the national education news site The 74 Million published How the Biden-Harris Administration Can Boost the National Campaign #MeTooK12 to End Sexual Harassment In K-12 Schools, by Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS) co-founder and program director Joel Levin.
Dr. Levin urges that we continue to build on the energy of the MeTooK12 movement to reverse the harmful effects of the U.S. Department of Education’s latest Title IX Rule on sexual harassment, which took effect last August. These regulations erected new barriers for reporting student harassment while reducing schools’ responsibility to respond.
Now that the Senate has confirmed Miguel Cardona as President Biden’s Secretary of Education, it’s a perfect moment for K-12 students and families to join youth and gender equity advocacy organizations in a campaign to reverse the harmful provisions of the latest Title IX regulations, restore rescinded guidance and best practices, and help shape new legislation that protects reporting students. Read letters to the Biden Administration from the National Women’s Law Center, Feminist Majority Foundation, and the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education.
Dr. Levin proposes an advocacy agenda for the year ahead. He calls not only for local sexual harassment policy change but for building a proactive and sustainable framework for student support and safety, establishing a durable climate of respect with mutual trust among students, staff and administrators, and a prompt response to harassment complaints that embraces trauma-informed best practices.
SSAIS Youth Leadership has already made impressive progress towards these goals in school districts in Oregon, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Using SSAIS toolkits, they have investigated schools’ Title IX policies and what happens when students report sexual harassment. They formed Students Against Sexual Harassment (SASH) clubs at their school to promote sexual harassment education and policy reform.
“Ending widespread sexual harassment in K-12 schools requires collective engagement across a wide range of allies and age groups,” says SSAIS Youth Leadership Coordinator Sharlene Cubelo. When K-12 schools employ a multi-pronged approach to address sexual harassment and assault, we can stop the progression of harmful behavior that continues into college and the workplace.
December 28, 2020
Students faced unprecedented challenges in 2020. But despite the harmful impact of Covid-19 and the Department of Education’s new Title IX rule, SSAIS continued undaunted in its advocacy for K-12 students’ rights to an education free from sexual harassment.
We stepped up with new resources for these turbulent times. Our new Title IX Coordinator webpage showcases best practices from experienced K-12 Title IX Coordinators: Megan Farrell on “10 Important Changes for K-12 Districts in the Title IX Final Rule” and “Meeting the Title IX Challenges in Turbulent Times,” and Bill Howe’s call for Coordinators to meet their responsibilities, which was co-published in the national journal Campus Safety.
SSAIS also inaugurated a new Sexual Assault Responders webpage for advocacy organizations. Taryn Gal, executive director of the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH), explains 5 Ways Advocacy Organizations Can Support K-12 Survivors. This blog details why it is essential to address intersectionality and race in light of the BLM movement, an area of increasing SSAIS focus. To achieve this objective, we welcomed experts Wanda Swan and Otis McGresham to our advisory board members.
We’ve ramped up youth engagement by forming the SSAIS Youth Leadership team coordinated by seasoned activist Sharlene Cubelo.
We continue to develop a blueprint for Students Against Sexual Harassment (SASH) Clubs nationwide. A shout out to SSAIS youth leader Ana Baxter who started a SASH club at her high school. Members of Oregon Student Voice have partnered with SSAIS to begin investigating Title IX compliance in school districts across Oregon.
SSAIS continued to speak out against the harmful new Title IX regulations. We were featured in TV media and several national print reports about the widely-criticized regulations, such as 18 States and D.C. Sue DeVos to Block Changes to Title IX Sexual Misconduct Rules.
SSAIS fought the new Title IX rule as a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education. SSAIS youth advisor Minnah Stein took a leading role in the ACLU’s rollout video announcement.
And SSAIS continued to speak out about K-12 violence in media reports, such as the KING5-TV investigative series Eastside Catholic was prepared to suspend high school football stars accused in 2018 sexual assault case.
SSAIS also marked the second anniversary of our #MeTooK12 campaign with publications such as #MeTooK12 at 2 — the Impact of National Campaign to Stop Sexual Assault in Schools, and What Needs to Happen Next and Minnah Stein’s Where #MeTooK12 Meets #RollRedRoll review of the documentary film Roll Red Roll.
For this year’s anniversary of the #MeToo movement, SSAIS Board Member Kate Leehane recounted her tenacious advocacy for student rights at her alma mater in A #MeTooK12 Case Study: Sexual Abuse Scandal at a Catholic High School.
And SSAIS advisors worked for policy change in school districts in California, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Oregon. On the national legislative front, SSAIS contributed to shaping the Supporting Survivors of Sexual Harassment in Schools Act of 2020 (H.R. 8193).
What’s Ahead
SSAIS welcomes the incoming Biden-Harris administration with its promise of reforming the Department of Education and reversing the harmful effects of the DeVos Title IX regulations. We look forward to continuing the work we began in our 2016 meeting with VP Biden’s Office of Violence Against Women.
Here’s just some of what we have lined up for the coming year:
- Empowering communities to investigate their schools’ Title IX compliance with a new toolkit
- Publishing a 10-page youth activism guide
- Creating sample projects and templates for students and allies
- Creating a guide for sexual assault responders and distributing nationally
- Launching new SASH clubs nationwide
- Promoting policy change in selected school districts and private schools
- Creating multi-lingual resources
Did you know that all our toolkits and resources are free, that the SSAIS website has received 1 million+ visits over 5 years, and Parts 1 and 2 of our video Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! have been viewed over 57,000 times?
If you believe in the SSAIS mission, please support our all-volunteer nonprofit with a donation in any amount.
From all of us at SSAIS: Happy New Year! We’re here to help!
September 9, 2020
Rep. Grace Meng (Queens, NY) today introduced legislation (H.R. 8193) to increase oversight and support for victims of sexual harassment that occurs in K-12 schools and online. Stop Sexual Assault in Schools is one of five national nonprofit advocacy organizations endorsing this bill.
This legislation counters Secretary of Education DeVos’s confusing and harmful final Title IX Rule by supporting sexual harassment survivors with needed counseling, mental health, and other health services. The bill also offers accommodations to protect victims’ safety and equal access to education. It further requires K-12 Title IX Coordinators to collect data through climate surveys on sexual harassment and directs the Department of Education to collect and publish data on the prevalence, impact, and response to reports of sexual harassment.
SSAIS helped draft the bill’s provisions. “Sexual harassment in K-12 schools is woefully underreported,” explains SSAIS Director of Programs Joel Levin, “and when students do come forward their schools often ignore or discount their complaints. The Supporting Survivors of Sexual Harassment in Schools Act takes much needed action to ensure schools properly document the prevalence and impact of sexual harassment and protect students who report it.”
Visit the SSAIS Title IX Coordinators webpage to learn how K-12 Title IX administrators face the challenges presented by the new federal regulations and the Covid-19 pandemic.
September 1, 2020
We’re writing to ask you to make a contribution to Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS) – as little as $1 or as much as you can give. But first I want to share why this request is so important to us and we hope to you too.
For far too long, K-12 schools have been the breeding grounds for sexual harassment and assault that is then perpetuated on college campuses and in the workplace. K-12 sexual harassment and assault are community problems that touch all our lives, as this video explains. As we approach the third anniversary of our #MeTooK12 campaign, we are committed to bringing meaningful systemic change to K-12 schools across the country.
We have reached a critical juncture in the fight against K-12 sexual harassment and assault. The U.S. Department of Education’s new Title IX Rule forces students to endure escalating levels of sexual harassment until it is sufficiently “severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive” before the school is required to take action under the Title IX. These confusing and contradictory rules will have a devastating impact on K-12 students.
But our schools have already been in crisis, according to research, media reports, and students who know all too well. In a national survey 81% of students (grades 8-11) reported experiencing sexual harassment during the school day. In addition, children in grades K-12 are particularly vulnerable to sexual assault. Studies show:
- Over 40% of female rape victims were assaulted before age 18
- Girls ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape or sexual assault
- 15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12, according to U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics
- 10% of K-12 students experience abuse by teachers and school staff
Can we count on you to make a $1 donation or more today to help SSAIS advocate for all K-12 students? We cannot take on this pervasive problem alone. We need your help! Donate Now
At SSAIS we’re very fortunate to have a strong network of like-minded supporters, like you, who care very much about the work we do and the change we are trying to bring to K-12 schools. That’s why we don’t often ask for donations. However, to continue to advocate for students and develop free educational materials, we need your help. For as little as a $1 donation or more, you can help us. And, if you share our fundraising appeal with your friends, family, and social media contacts, you can help us extend our reach and harness the power of small-dollar donors to drive meaningful change.
SSAIS has been fighting for K-12 students’ rights since 2015. All of us work as volunteers – no one is paid. We appreciate all you do to help us with our mission and thank you in advance for your contribution to transform K-12 schools in our country, for spreading the word, and encouraging support for our work.
Many thanks,
Cofounders Esther Warkov and Joel Levin and the entire SSAIS team
June 30, 2020
On this day in 1972 Title IX became law. Forty-eight years later, its letter and spirit are under assault by the Trump administration.
SSAIS is determined to uphold K-12 students’ right to an education free from sex discrimination, despite this administration’s latest efforts to erect roadblocks against reporting and investigating sexual harassment. That’s why we’ve joined the ACLU lawsuit challenging harmful provisions of the new Title IX Rule that govern sexual harassment in K-12 schools.
Today we mark the 48th anniversary of Title IX by releasing these new resources:
- 10 Important Changes for K-12 Districts in the Title IX Final Rule. Megan Farrell, the Title IX Coordinator for the Palo Alto USD, provides a brief summary of ten of the changes that will have great impact on how K-12 school districts manage Title IX complaints.
- Sexual Assault Responders webpage. SSAIS spotlights the perspectives of community nonprofit advocacy organizations on educating K-12 students about schools’ Title IX responsibilities to provide a safe learning environment for all.
Use and share the SSAIS resources to ensure students are protected from the devastating impact of sexual harassment and assault on their education.
May 14, 2020
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) today filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS) and three other nonprofit organizations.
The lawsuit asks a federal court to block parts of the new Title IX rule, released last week, which limit K-12 and post-secondary schools’ responsibilities to address sexual harassment and assault.
The new rule directs K-12 schools not to conduct a Title IX investigation of sexual harassment unless the misconduct meets far stricter criteria than under previous Department of Education guidelines.
Schools would be required to hold a student’s sexual harassment complaint to a more stringent standard than would be the case were the harassment based on race, national origin, or disability. As a result, this new requirement will further deter students experiencing sexual harassment from coming forward, undermining their right under Title IX to learn in a safe environment.
“As a civil rights attorney representing sexual assault survivors in K-12 and at the university level,” writes Title IX lawyer Karen Truszkowski, “I am gravely concerned that our young people will be subjected to additional abuse and the educational institutions will have even less accountability once the new rule goes into effect.”
“The timing of the rule’s release is deplorable,” said SSAIS co-founder Joel Levin. “Not only are schools struggling to educate students amidst a pandemic but must scramble to understand and implement this complex rule of over 2,000 pages in the scant time before it goes into effect.”
SSAIS was the first national organization devoted specifically to educating K-12 students, families, and schools about students’ right to an education free from sex discrimination. It joins co-plaintiffs Know Your IX, a project of Advocates for Youth; Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc.; and Girls for Gender Equity in challenging these provisions of the new Title IX rule and their harmful effects on students.
View the ACLU press release.
May 6, 2020
Today, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released new regulations that govern how K-12 schools implement Title IX with respect to reported sexual harassment. In finalizing the new rule, OCR rejected the recommendations of thousands of education and social work professionals, civil rights legal experts, and individual survivors.
As a nationally-recognized advocate for K-12 students’ right to an education free from sexual harassment, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS) opposes the final rule and will undertake a court challenge to ensure that K-12 schools have fair and effective Title IX guidance. As SSAIS Board Director Dani Bostick explains, “These rules will have a devastating impact on K-12 students: they’re obligated to attend school and their schools’ inadequate responses to sexual harassment and assault will create a hostile environment they cannot avoid.”
SSAIS strongly opposed the draft rule that OCR released in November 2018 and advocated vigorously for withdrawing the proposed changes. In its public comment, SSAIS emphasized their harmful effects on K-12 students, such as requiring schools to ignore many reports of sexual harassment and making it harder for students who have experienced sexual assault to come forward.
SSAIS will educate K-12 families and communities about Title IX, advocate for the rights of children in K-12 schools, disseminate resources, and offer support so that all students can learn in an environment that’s safe from sexual harassment and assault.
Founded in 2015, SSAIS was the first national nonprofit dedicated solely to advocating for K-12 students’ rights to an education free from sexual harassment. The SSAIS website (SSAIS.org) is a one-stop destination for comprehensive resources about K-12 students’ Title IX protections, student and parent activism, and expert guidance on reporting sexual misconduct and holding schools accountable.
January 1, 2020
The start of the new decade marks a noteworthy anniversary. As #MeToo founder Tarana Burke released the ball in Times Square marking New Year’s 2018, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) launched its nationwide #MeTooK12 campaign.
We observe this second birthday with a special blog published by Ms. Magazine: Two Years of #MeTooK12: Analyzing the Impact of the Campaign to End Sexual Harassment in Schools. The blog describes how #MeTooK12 harnessed the awareness and urgency generated by the #MeToo movement to spotlight the widespread sexual harassment that students experience before entering college or the workforce.
The blog reports on the campaign’s remarkably broad appeal and its impact among K-12 students, parents, educators, journalists, academics, advocacy groups, and many others. It also looks at where the #MeTooK12 movement is headed in the face of the proposed changes to the Title IX regulations, which promise to sow chaos and hinder enforcement of students’ civil rights.
Celebrate the #MeTooK12 anniversary by visiting Ms. Magazine. For a categorized list of publications and resources referencing the #MeTooK12 campaign, see #MeTooK12: Impact and reach.
Because it’s more important than ever that communities engage in advocacy, SSAIS created two powerful tools for the #MeTooK12 movement:
How to Gather Information about a School District’s Title IX Policy helps communities determine if a school has a Title IX policy, what it says, and if it meets federal guidelines.
Ending K-12 Sexual Harassment toolkit helps communities find out what their schools are doing about sexual harassment. It contains video clips, fact sheets, a checklist, and ways to make positive change.
Meet two advocates who’ve joined the SSAIS #MeTooK12 movement:
Danielle Bostick, SSAIS board chair, is an advocate and survivor of sexual violence who seeks to disrupt the culture of shame and silence surrounding sexual abuse and sexual assault. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Huffington Post, and NBC Opinion, among others. Dani has been recognized as a TED-Ed Innovative Educator and has two TEDx talks related to trauma and sexual violence.
Amani Ward, SSAIS volunteer, is a high school senior whose Girl Scout Gold Award video project Starting the Conversation brings awareness to the issue of teenage sexual peer pressure, harassment, assault and the emotional impact it can have.
September 11, 2019
It’s easy to lose track of the challenges K-12 students face every day in schools where sexual harassment, cyberbullying, and gender discrimination are normalized at the expense of their safety and education.
In these tumultuous times, how can we ensure that students are not casualties of schools that abdicate their responsibility to protect the right to learn free from sexual harassment?
SSAIS is taking a leadership role by re-energizing the #MeTooK12 movement. We’re ramping up awareness and activism with our new Board Chair Danielle (Dani) Bostick, advisor Heidi Goldstein, and attorney Karen Truszkowski.
As an advocate and survivor of sexual violence, Dani seeks to disrupt the culture of shame and silence surrounding sexual abuse and assault. Her writing appeared in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, and NBC Opinion. She has two TEDx talks on trauma and sexual violence.
Heidi is the co-founding adult advisor of the award-winning student activist group Berkeley High School Stop Harassing.
Karen rejoins SSAIS after resolving lawsuits against Michigan State University and Betsy De Vos’s high school alma mater, Holland Christian Schools.
The reality is that K-12 districts have little or no incentive to improve school climate unless communities demand it. That’s why this school year SSAIS plans to:
- Partner with Portland, OR Public Schools and their new Title IX Coordinator to update sexual harassment policies, train staff, and build awareness and transparency.
- Distribute our videos and toolkit to more schools nationwide.
- Disseminate to school administrators the best practices for creating a culture of respect in their districts.
Here’s what you can do:
- Bring our toolkit to your community.
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
- Contact us to volunteer.
April 1, 2019
In a report in today’s New York Times, As DeVos Eases Sexual Assault Rules, Her High School Stands Accused of Breaking Them, Erica L. Green reports on the groundbreaking Title IX lawsuit against Betsy DeVos’s high school alma mater, Holland Christian Schools.
The case is significant because although Holland Christian Schools is a private institution, they receive federal funding as a participant in the National School Lunch Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as this video explains.
Last April, the national nonprofit Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) announced that a family sued the Holland, MI private school following the peer sexual assault of their daughter. The lawsuit ensued after SSAIS informed the family that Holland Christian Schools received federal funds and was therefore required to comply with Title IX. Today, almost a year later, the story is receiving national attention.
This case prompted SSAIS to create a webpage for private school families clarifying that Title IX must be enforced not only by the U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) but by other federal agencies, including USDA. The webpage includes the guide Title IX and K-12 Private Schools, which presents the information that Holland Christian Schools should have known and provided to their families.
“When the U.S. Secretary of Education’s own alma mater flouts its responsibilities under Title IX, we begin to understand the pervasive disregard for Title IX compliance that includes the majority of public schools nationwide,” said SSAIS Co-founder Esther Warkov.
Earlier this year, SSAIS informed the public about the devastating impact on K-12 students of DeVos’s proposed changes to Title IX rules, as reported in Ms. Magazine Blog, Education Post, Bustle, and Seattle’s Child. The SSAIS comment appears on our #HandsOffIX webpage.
April 11, 2018
The national nonprofit Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) announces the filing of a federal lawsuit today against Holland Christian Schools for violating Title IX, the civil rights law that protects students from sex discrimination in federally funded education programs.
One of Holland Christian Schools’ most famous alumni is Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who graduated Holland Christian High School in 1975. Between 1999 and 2014, the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation donated $458,000 to Holland Christian Schools, according to a story published last year.
In May 2017, the family contacted SSAIS to learn how they could hold the private school accountable after their daughter was sexual assaulted by a fellow student. The perpetrator was sentenced to three years’ probation for third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
The family said the school’s Title IX violations severely compromised their daughter’s personal safety, education, and emotional well-being.
“When the U.S. Secretary of Education’s own alma mater flouts its responsibilities under Title IX, we begin to understand the pervasive disregard for Title IX compliance that includes the majority of public schools nationwide,” said SSAIS Co-founder Esther Warkov.
Like many private school families, the parents did not realize that Title IX could apply to their school. After SSAIS informed them that Holland Christian School could receive federal funds, the family filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
OCR declined to review the case because it lacked jurisdiction over a school that did not receive funds from the Department of Education. OCR should have instructed the family to determine whether the school received federal funds from another federal source and to submit a complaint to that agency–in this case, to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since 2012, Holland Christian Schools received over $660,000 from that department.
Clearly, the OCR staff under DeVos is itself not fully trained to communicate correct information to private school parents regarding whether their school receives money from a federal agency and the complaint options.
This lack of guidance from OCR prompted SSAIS to contact all regional OCR offices to determine if they know how to respond factually to private school families who ask about filing complaints.
We asked the OCR offices: If a private school receives funding from the Department of Agriculture, does Title IX apply?
The answers were vague, evasive, or flat-out wrong. One regional OCR office told us, “Title IX applies only to institutions that receive funding from the Department of Education.” This type of misinformation deprives private school families of facts they need to hold their schools accountable under Title IX.
In response to this lack of clear guidance, SSAIS created a webpage for private school families. It includes the guide Title IX and K-12 Private Schools, which presents the information that Holland Christian Schools should have known and provided to their families.
“This case is significant as it involves a private school,” says Michigan attorney Karen Truszkowsi, who is representing the survivor. “Private schools are no different from public schools when it comes to Title IX, if the private school receives federal money. This is a wake-up call for all federally-funded schools to become Title IX compliant.”
SSAIS created a short video to explain the significance of the Holland Christian Schools case for students in both public and private schools nationwide. SSAIS encourages its use in the media. Please contact SSAIS for more information about the lawsuit.
January 9, 2018
Today, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS), in partnership with the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), announces the launch of #MeTooK12, a campaign that promotes awareness and inspires action to counteract pervasive sexual harassment and sexual violence in K-12 schools.
The campaign encourages K-12 victims of sexual harassment and assault by peers or school staff to share their experiences, and urges secondary victims—friends, family, and allies—to tell how sexual harassment negatively impacts them and their communities. People can tweet their written or video accounts by using the hashtag #MeTooK12, post on the #MeTooK12 Facebook page, and visit the #MeTooK12 page of the SSAIS website, which features guest blogs and an action plan.
The #MeTooK12 movement has already been featured in The 74, U.S. News, The Washington Post, Education Week, and Campus Safety Magazine. Youth publications Glam, and Teen Vogue have also taken notice, underscoring the campaign’s timeliness and importance in the current political climate.
#MeTooK12 aims to motivate students, parents, and communities to connect the dots from K-12 schools—where students are afforded ample opportunity to practice sexual harassment and assault in their formative years—to college and the workplace.
Although the #MeToo social media campaign has revealed the extent of workplace sexual harassment, few realize the problem begins much earlier—in our nation’s 100,000 public schools, where rampant sexual harassment and assault remain unchecked, in violation of students’ Title IX rights.
“From our own and others’ research, we know that more than 1 in 5 girls experience sexual assault well before reaching adulthood,” explains Neena Chaudhry, Director of Education and Senior Counsel at the National Women’s Law Center. “Unfortunately, too many students are either ignored or pushed out of school after reporting sexual harassment and assault, which is not only a violation of the law but adds lifelong educational and economic harms to their emotional and physical trauma. #MeToo is a K-12 issue, and we’re eager to work together with SSAIS to center the needs of K-12 students in this important cultural conversation.”
National studies show a glaring discrepancy between the small number of schools reporting incidents of sexual harassment and the large number of students saying they experience it. “Unfortunately, schools don’t want to admit or report that they have a problem with sexual harassment and assault,” says SSAIS executive director Esther Warkov. “That makes it nearly impossible for them to proactively address these issues, which seriously compromise students’ lives and their education. It’s imperative that communities compel their schools to comply with Title IX.”
The #MeTooK12 action plan encourages using free resources, such as the groundbreaking student-led video Sexual Harassment, Not in Our School! This streaming video and Action Guide model a collaborative effort where students work alongside parents and community organizations to create safe schools. As one student concludes, “When we make change at school, we’re changing society too.”
SSAIS invited the NWLC, a champion of the students’ civil rights, to partner in this campaign. Their participation continues a series of collaborative efforts that began with President and CEO Fatima Goss Graves’s inaugural blog for the SSAIS website, and Director of Education Neena Chaudhry’s appearance in Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! The NWLC website recently featured SSAIS in “Why We Need Title IX to Let Her Learn: A Parent’s Perspective.”
December 4, 2017
The three-million member National Education Association today published “The Secret of Sexual Assault in Schools,” which raises awareness of the epidemic of sexual violence in K-12 schools and its connection to the #MeToo social media movement.
The front page story draws on the work and expertise of Stop Sexual Assault in Schools to portray the extent and consequences of the hidden epidemic of student-on-student sexual assault and harassment, which “happens with alarming frequency in school bathrooms, on school playgrounds, and in the backs of school buses.”
“Our schools are in crisis,” explains SSAIS co-founder and Executive Director Esther Warkov. “Not only do the survivors’ emotional and psychological scars endure long after the attack, their social lives, education, and career dreams are shattered.”
Connecting the prevalence of sexual harassment in K-12 schools to the outpouring of survivor stories in the news, the article notes that “sexual harassment and assault is a normalized, commonplace offense that occurs regularly in every facet of U.S. society. When it happens in schools and isn’t addressed, students learn that sexual misconduct is acceptable, even normal.”
With its free education video and action plan, SSAIS spearheaded the movement to inform K-12 students, families, and school staff about the rights of all students to an education free from sexual harassment and violence.
September 26, 2017
Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) is spearheading awareness of the potential negative effects on K-12 students of the Department of Education’s rescinding of Title IX-related guidance and any weakening of the Department’s oversight and enforcement role.
As a member of the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE), SSAIS supports the NCWGE’s strongly worded letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy Devos, opposing “any effort by this administration to repeal, replace, or modify any of Title IX’s regulations or guidance documents” that were open for public comment. The NCWGE letter draws on its comprehensive report Title IX at 45, recently published to mark the 45th anniversary of Title IX.
Contact SSAIS to learn more about how the interim guidance breeds chaos and uncertainty for K-12 and post-secondary students.
Watch Keasara Williams, the Title IX Coordinator of San Francisco Unified School District, help a parent (video).
Watch Adele Kimmel (Public Justice) explain what to do when K-12 schools don’t follow Title IX (video).
Watch Neena Chaudhry (National Women’s Law Center) explain K-12 students’ protections under Title IX (video).
September 6, 2017
With Title IX enforcement at risk, equity organizations are campaigning to inform Education Secretary DeVos about the need to uphold Title IX guidance. Today, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) expanded their #LetHerLearn campaign to include the work and resources of Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org).
In “Why We Need Title IX to Let Her Learn: A Parent’s Perspective” the NWLC interviews SSAIS Executive Director Esther Warkov, who brought a Title IX investigation to Seattle Public Schools after her daughter was raped on a school fieldtrip. Dr. Warkov explains how schools create barriers that compromise or destroy students’ education, and offers insights into the ways schools and the community can work to reverse this alarming situation. “Schools must put students’ rights first—not the school’s reputation,” she says.
School pushout impacts thousands of students, predominately females, each year. In a recently released clip from the video Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School!, nationally known attorney Carrie A Goldberg describes the horrific treatment that girls of color experience after reporting sexual assault.
SSAIS co-founder Joel Levin decribes the devastating impact on families when schools fail to enforce Title IX. In a personal and revealing television interview, he talks about the emotional turmoil his family endured after his daughter was sexually assaulted and about feeling betrayed by the school district.
To combat schools’ failure to enforce Title IX, SSAIS has provided free resources to compel compliance. In addition to the comprehensive video Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! SSAIS has just released a series of video clips on combating K-12 sexual harassment and assault. Featured are national experts Professor and Activist Caroline Heldman, attorney Neena Chaudhry (National Women’s Law Center), Adele P. Kimmel (Public Justice), LGBTQ expert Rebecca Peterson-Fisher, parents, and youth activists. The series includes an informative scenario with a Title IX Coordinator speaking with a parent and advice to parents from civil rights attorney Jeffrey R. Caffee.
Created in September 2015, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools spearheaded the movement to address K-12 sexual violence. Learn more about its mission, work in the media, and educational resources at SSAIS.org.
July 26, 2017
With increasing concerns over Title IX compliance and enforcement in the Trump administration, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS) is doubling down on its effort to educate students, families, and communities about K-12 students’ rights and recourses.
SSAIS co-founder Joel Levin is the featured guest on On Point Talk, a national TV program hosted by Carlette Christmas. In a personal and revealing interview, Levin describes the emotional turmoil his family endured after his daughter was sexually assaulted on a high school field trip. He talks about feeling betrayed by the school district, which was ignorant of its obligations under Title IX, when they failed take necessary steps that would have allowed his daughter to continue her education in safety and free from retaliation. And Levin discusses why he helped form SSAIS—to spare other families from the devastation that results when school districts fail to execute their responsibilities to protect students’ civil rights to an education free from sexual harassment and violence.
In “Combating Sexual harassment and assault in schools” the Jewish Women’s Archive interviews SSAIS Co-Founder Esther Warkov about rampant Title IX violations in K-12 schools. She relates her experience as a parent who successfully held a school district accountable to Title IX and subsequently created new educational resources to help other families. When asked why schools continue to violate Title IX while parents remain in the dark, she said: “Parents don’t hear about this epidemic because it’s underreported by students who believe that sexual harassment—and even forms of sexual assault—are normal and must be endured. When students do report assault or harassment, schools often focus on protecting their reputation; they downplay the report, blame the victim, or worse. Schools also fail to collect data as required. Few parents know that schools have a responsibility to address the impact of off-campus sexual harassment and assault in a student’s education.”
Just released by the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, Title IX at 45: Advancing Opportunity through Equity in Education is a comprehensive national report that lists the SSAIS video Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! This free online video is also featured on the websites of the National Women’s Law Center, Equal Rights Advocates, Girls Inc., National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the San Francisco Unified School District, etc. It includes an Action Guide that can be immediately implemented by K-12 families and their communities to ensure their schools are Title IX compliant.
In Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! Part 2, a high school rape
survivor seeks information on confidentiality and mandatory reporting from national expert Jessica Mindlin of Victim’s Rights Law Center. Because victim’s advocates and sexual assault response teams (SARTs) can be advocates for students’ Title IX rights, SSAIS believes it is important to involve them in this critical education effort.
April 26, 2017
Sexual harassment and violence occur at alarming rates in K-12 schools but are grossly underreported by students who fear retaliation, blame, and a loss of privacy. To ensure that students receive the necessary confidential services to resume their education, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) has today released a new free educational video Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! Part 2.
In Part 1, high school students learn about their rights under Title IX by interviewing nationally known education, legal, and LGBT experts. In Part 2, students learn about the services of a victim’s advocate, confidentiality, and mandated reporting as they watch a high school survivor speak with Jessica Mindlin, an attorney at Victim Rights Law Center.
“With increasing concerns over Title IX compliance and enforcement in the Trump administration, it’s imperative that students, families, and communities are armed with the tools to ensure that students’ civil rights are enforced,” says SSAIS Executive Director and co-founder, Esther Warkov. “Victim’s advocates and SARTs (sexual assault response teams) can be powerful advocates for students’ Title IX rights.”
In the respected education journal EdSource, reporter Jane Adams notes that Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! “informs students that they have a legal right to attend a school where nobody is harassed because of their gender.” She quotes several San Francisco Bay area students who express fears about the recent uptick in sexual harassment and gender bias in their schools since the November election.
Released just four months ago, Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! is now a featured resource on websites such as National Women’s Law Center, Equal Rights Advocates, Futures Without Violence, Girls Inc., National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the San Francisco Unified School District, among others. The comprehensive resource includes an Action Guide that can be immediately implemented by K-12 families and their communities to ensure Title IX compliance.
SSAIS has received national recognition in the Washington Post and other media for spearheading the movement to address sexual assault in K-12 schools, the breeding ground for college sexual violence. The nonprofit was formed by two parent educators who brought a US Department of Education investigation to the Seattle School District after their child reported being raped on a school field trip.
February 6, 2017
In a chilling account, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday on an alleged rape of a high school senior and subsequent mishandling of her case by school officials in a wealthy Bay Area district. The front-page story, Wild parties, an alleged rape, and a high school’s troubling response draws upon the expertise of the national nonprofit Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS).
In the article, SSAIS executive director, Esther Warkov, points out that while the public is more aware of how colleges fail to respond appropriately to campus sexual violence, few realize that the issue is equally prevalent in elementary and secondary schools. “There is an awareness that the problem exists in college, but the public still has not grasped that there’s an epidemic of sexual harassment and assault in K-12 schools. The school environment is the student’s entire world at that point in their life, and when you disrupt that, it can be devastating.”
The Chronicle report also cites Equal Rights Advocates attorney Rebecca Peterson-Fisher, one of several Title IX experts featured in the SSAIS educational video “Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School!” This free video and companion materials help K-12 parents, middle and high school students, schools, and community organizations understand gender equality in education, students’ protections under Title IX, and practical steps families can take to make their schools safe places to learn.
The respected education journal EdSource notes that the video “informs students that they have a legal right to attend a school where nobody is harassed because of their gender.” Reporter Jane Adams quotes several San Francisco Bay area students who express fears about the recent uptick in sexual harassment and gender bias in their schools after the November election.
SSAIS advisory board member, attorney Karen Truszkowski, also contributed her expertise to the Chronicle article. She debunks the Los Altos School District’s claim that no investigation was necessary to determine if there were retaliation against the alleged rape victim.
SSAIS has received national recognition in the Washington Post and other media for spearheading the movement to address sexual assault in K-12 schools, the breeding ground for college sexual violence.
December 5, 2016
Since election day, K-12 schools have seen a shocking increase in incidents of bias and sexual harassment, with fear and anxiety now permeating schools across the country. Today, EdSource reports on the timely release of the free video Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School!
It’s the first comprehensive resource for the K-12 audience that informs students and families about sex discrimination, sexual harassment, students’ protections under Title IX, and practical steps communities can take to ensure that their schools provide safe and equal learning opportunities. Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! is now available online together with companion materials.
EdSource journalist Jane Adams says that the video created by the national nonprofit Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) “informs students that they have a legal right to attend a school where nobody is harassed because of their gender.” The article quotes several San Francisco Bay area students who express fears about the recent uptick in sexual harassment and gender bias in their schools.
Ms. Adams also cites SSAIS executive director Esther Warkov, who explains that the video emphasizes “how detrimental sexual harassment is to students and why schools must take complaints seriously and compassionately.”
Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! integrates urgently needed information into a single, student-centered presentation. It follows a group of high school students as they plan a gender equality club, interviewing nationally known education, legal, and LGBT experts. The students observe a Title IX coordinator properly address a parent’s complaint, and learn how a community-based crisis center offers confidential help to a student survivor. They listen to teen and adult advocates and then brainstorm engaging activities they can use to build awareness of Title IX protections and create safe and equitable learning places for all.
SSAIS is asking media, individuals, and organizations to get the word out immediately about Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! so students, parents, and schools can use the video and action guide to begin building healthy learning climates in their communities.
Sonia Pressman Fuentes, attorney and co-founder of the National Organization of Women, explains that “two of the critical areas in gender discrimination today are sexual harassment and sexual assault. Most of the attention has, however, been focused on college and university campuses. SSAIS is performing a vital service in fighting sexual harassment and assault in an otherwise forgotten area: K-12. Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School!, using experts and student activists, sets forth the applicable law in this area and suggests ways in which families, students, school administrators, faculty, and the community can fight this scourge in grades K-12.”
SSAIS has received national recognition in the Washington Post and other media for spearheading the movement to address sexual assault in K-12 schools, the breeding ground for college sexual violence. The nonprofit was formed by two parent educators who brought a US Department of Education investigation to the Seattle School District after their child reported being raped on a school field trip. Read two pre-launch reports on Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! in the Portland Tribune and Huffington Post.
October 11, 2016
Sexual violence occurs in K-12 schools at alarming rates, bleeding into the lives of our children, co-workers, and friends. Yet no comprehensive educational effort addresses this issue for K-12 students and families–until now.
Today, the Portland Tribune reports on the imminent release of an innovative free education video Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! created by the national nonprofit Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org).
Filmed in ten locations across the country, this unique program informs K-12 students and families about sexual harassment, sex discrimination, protections under Title IX, and much more. It features nationally recognized legal, education, and LGBTQ experts, counselors, victims’ advocates, parents, survivors, and teen activists in engaging dramatized scenarios.
It’s the first educational resource for the K-12 audience that integrates this vitally needed information in a single, comprehensive, and student-centered presentation.
As the video opens, a high school gender equity club plans ways to address sex discrimination in their school. The students watch and interview nationally recognized legal, education, and LGBTQ experts to explore these questions:
- Where does sex discrimination come from and why should students address it? (Professor and Activist Caroline Heldman, Occidental College)
- What is Title IX and why should students know about it? (Neena Chaudhry, National Women’s Law Center)
- What are LGBTQ rights under Title IX? (Rebecca Peterson-Fisher, Equal Rights Advocates)
- How does the school Title IX coordinator answer a parent’s complaint about the sexual harassment her children experience at school? (Keasara Williams, Title IX coordinator, San Francisco Unified School District)
- What recourses do students have when schools mishandle reported sexual harassment/violence? (Adele Kimmel, Public Justice)
- How can community sexual assault resource organizations help students? (Cheryl Ann Graf, ARNP, SANE/SART educator)
The video weaves expert insights with survivor testimonials, provides models for student activism, and offers advice for parents on ensuring that their schools are safe and equitable places to learn.
It also includes companion materials for group presentations and discussion. These materials introduce practical student and parent-led activities to build awareness of Title IX protections, and stimulate community involvement in addressing sex discrimination in local schools.The video can be easily facilitated in group settings or viewed online.
Sexual Harassment: Not in Our School! is scheduled for national distribution later this month. SSAIS invites you to participate in the promotion and rollout of this game-changing education program.
Contact SSAIS to obtain the latest pre-release information.
May 15, 2016
First Six Months Make Immediate National Impact
In its first six months, Stop Sexual Assault in School (SSAIS.org) has spearheaded the movement to address the epidemic of K-12 sexual violence. SSAIS’s efforts quickly reached the front page of the Washington Post, numerous media, and families in dire need of support for their students’ rights. From bringing U.S. Department of Education Title IX investigations to school districts, to advising the White House on K-12 sexual violence, to attracting multi-generational engagement with its mission, SSAIS has demonstrated that the roots of college sexual violence lie unchecked in the K-12 breeding ground.
Highlights
- Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) met with White House staff from the Office of the Vice President to discuss how the Obama administration might best address K-12 sexual violence.
- SSAIS received a funding award from the American Association of University Women to develop an innovative education program for students about the right to an education free from sexual harassment and gender based discrimination.
- SSAIS continues to spotlight The Northeast School Corporation, IN, for its response to reported rapes that earned it a U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigation. SSAIS brought this egregious case (among others) to the attention of the media to raise awareness.
- SSAIS continues to assist families bringing U.S. Dept. of Education complaints and investigations to school districts in WA, TX, GA, MI, IN, VA, AZ, and OR.
- SSAIS Board Chair Jules Irvin-Rooney participated in an important panel discussion alongside “The Godmother of Title IX,” Dr. Bernice Sandler.
- Activists and advocates spanning three generations have found a voice with SSAIS. One remarkable teen survivor expresses gratitude for the opportunity to join SSAIS. Watch videos and PSAs created especially for SSAIS.
The Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) website offers a unique one-stop resource for students, families, and school administrators to educate students about their Title IX right to an education free from sexual harassment and violence. It identifies resources for survivors, makes the reporting process simple, provides sample complaints, and empowers through its engaging toolkit programs. SSAIS was founded by two educators, Drs. Esther Warkov and Joel Levin, who sought accountability from the Seattle Public School District for its failure to respond adequately after their daughter reported being raped on a field trip.
May 5, 2016
PORTLAND, OR
Contact: Esther Warkov, Ph.D, Executive Director esther@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
Joel Levin, Ph.D, Director of Programs joel@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
Innovative Program Addressing K-12 Sexual Violence Gains National Support
Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) has been awarded funding to address rampant gender-based discrimination and sexual violence in our nation’s schools.
The innovative SSAIS education program is designed to provide an engaging, practical, and replicable approach to informing students about the impact of gender-based discrimination and their protections under Title IX. SSAIS will distribute the free program online and also make available companion materials for facilitators to provide community outreach. The program also contains guidelines and best practices for Title IX ambassadors to disseminate this essential information.
There are currently few, if any, opportunities for students and families to learn about Title IX and engage with school Title IX coordinators, who are tasked with implementing gender equity policies. An important goal of this initiative is to increase students’ awareness and understanding of how the pernicious effects of gender-based discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence, undermine equal educational opportunity as mandated by federal law.
In March, SSAIS participated in a White House discussion with senior staff from the Office of the Vice President. They sought advice from SSAIS on how to illuminate and address sexual assault in K-12 schools. The SSAIS project is an important component of the solution.
SSAIS acknowledges the following participants in the project: The National Women’s Law Center, Girls Inc., AAUW (Portland, OR), Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (Richmond), Safe Harbor (Richmond, VA), and the National Organization of Women (Charlottesville, VA).
Jules Irvin-Rooney, JD, SSAIS Board Chair and President of Title IX and Clery Act Consulting, will supervise the project. Participating SSAIS advisory board members include Jeffrey Caffee, attorney; Liz Hume, attorney and Senior Director of Programs and Strategy Alliance for Peacebuilding; and Cheryl Ann Graf, ARNP, MSN, MBA. Dr. Esther Warkov will serve as the Project Director for the AAUW award.
March 22, 2016
PORTLAND, OR
Contact: Esther Warkov, Ph.D, Executive Director esther@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
Joel Levin, Ph.D, Director of Programs joel@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
SSAIS spotlights federal investigation of rapes in Indiana school and confers with White House
On Friday, March 18, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) met with White House staff from the Office of the Vice President to discuss how the Obama administration might best address K-12 sexual violence. The VP’s office has championed the cause of addressing sexual violence at colleges and universities, and now wants to bring the same focus to the K-12 level. The VP’s Office applauded SSAIS for its extensive hands-on work supporting K-12 survivors and their families nationwide. It also requested that SSAIS contribute to national education efforts and provide case studies that help document the impact of K-12 sexual violence on students. Joining SSAIS were representatives from the National Women’s Law Center, American Association of University Women, and Girls Inc.
To raise awareness of the epidemic of K-12 sexual violence, SSAIS is casting a spotlight on The Northeast School Corporation (NESC) in Hymera, IN for its response to reported rapes that earned it a U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigation. SSAIS brought this case to the attention of The Huffington Post, which published a cursory report about this deplorable situation.
“The Northeast School Corporation case merits further media investigation so families understand the lengths school districts will go to silence reports of sexual violence, and why Indiana students are especially at risk,” SSAIS said. According to a recent study, Indiana high schools have the second highest rate of forced sexual intercourse in the nation. “Without intervention by a national organization like SSAIS and media reports, nothing will change,” says Leslie Hawker, the victim’s grandmother who filed the OCR complaint.
The Indiana case warrants a thorough examination because it reveals how school districts foster a culture of sexual violence by enabling male students to engage in repeated sexual assaults. With the cooperation of the victim’s family, SSAIS created a special Facebook page and has collected case documents that include the family’s correspondence with OCR, the school, and SSAIS. These communications detail how the school’s failure to respond appropriately has led to suicide attempts and unhinged the victims’ families. When SSAIS questioned NESC superintendent Dr. Mark Baker about the district’s handling of the reported sexual violence in accordance with Title IX, Dr. Baker appeared poorly informed about both students’ risks and federal law. In a message to Dr. Baker, SSAIS admonished the superintendent to protect all students in accordance with Title IX.
In other reporting, Katie Baker referenced SSAIS resources in her Buzzfeed article Sent Home From Middle School After Reporting A Rape, which describes the struggles of a Brooklyn, NY family due to a school’s ignorance of its Title IX responsibilities.
Middle and high schools have become an unchecked breeding ground for college campus assault. Title IX violations also occur in elementary schools. SSAIS Advisory Board member, attorney Jeffrey Caffee, recently filed a pro bono Title IX complaint against the Oregon Trail School District on behalf of a 5-year-old. OCR has now opened an investigation of this district. SSAIS has assisted bringing several U.S. Dept. of Education complaints and investigations to school districts in WA, TX, GA, MI, IN, AZ, VA, and OR.
The Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) website offers a unique one-stop resource for students, families, and school administrators to educate students about their Title IX right to an education free from sexual harassment and violence. It identifies resources for survivors, makes the reporting process simple, provides sample complaints, and empowers through its engaging toolkit programs. SSAIS was founded by two educators, Drs. Esther Warkov and Joel Levin, who sought accountability from the Seattle Public School District for its failure to respond adequately after their daughter reported being raped on a field trip. Their work was recently featured on the front page of The Washington Post.
January 18, 2016
PORTLAND, OR
Contact: Esther Warkov, Ph.D, Executive Director esther@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
Joel Levin, Ph.D, Director of Programs joel@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
The Washington Post today exposed the growing magnitude of sexual violence in K-12 schools, its impact on the lives of survivors and families, and how Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) is spearheading a national movement to address this epidemic. In Sexual violence isn’t just a college problem. It happens in K-12 schools too. National Education Reporter Emma Brown discusses the groundbreaking work of SSAIS, including a comprehensive education initiative to inform students about their Title IX rights and schools about their federally mandated responsibilities. In a related article, Emma Brown portrays one of the families that benefited from SSAIS’s direct education that led to a federal investigation of their Michigan school district.
“K-12 schools are deficient in addressing issues of sexual violence because the issue has been framed as an adult problem. Most K-12 schools have failed to developed best practices for sexual violence prevention or establish professional support and adjudication systems. This means that most survivors do not report their experiences, and on the rare occasion they do, schools generally do not provide the support they need. Most survivors of sexual violence in K-12 schools suffer in silence,” said Dr. Caroline Heldman, Professor of Politics at Occidental College.
Today’s Washington Post report illustrates how SSAIS is “putting school districts everywhere on notice: drop the ball when a student reports a sexual assault, and we’ll expose it to the world,” as senior reporter Tyler Kingkade wrote in The Huffington Post profile of the national nonprofit. Last week, SSAIS announced the opening of a U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights Title IX investigation of the Northeast School Corporation, Indiana, on behalf of the family whose student reported multiple rapes. SSAIS has already participated in several OCR complaints, including WA, TX, GA, MI, IN, AZ, and OR (on behalf of a five-year-old). SSAIS continues to extend its reach in the media while developing its comprehensive program to end sexual violence in K-12 schools.
Sexual violence and harassment, homophobic name-calling, and unwanted sexual touching are now recognized as public health concerns for adolescents according to the CDC, 2012. In her inaugural post for the SSAIS website, National Women’s Law Center Senior VP of Program Fatima Goss Graves wrote, “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.” The NWLC described itself “energized by a new group doing big work–Stop Sexual Assault in Schools.”
The Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) website offers a unique one-stop resource for students, families, and school administrators to educate students about their Title IX right to an education free from sexual harassment and violence. It identifies resources for survivors, makes the reporting process simple, provides sample complaints, and empowers through its engaging toolkit programs. SSAIS was founded by two educators, Drs. Esther Warkov and Joel Levin, who sought accountability from the Seattle Pubic School District for its failure to respond adequately after a student reported being raped on a field trip.
January 14, 2016
PORTLAND, OR
Contact: Esther Warkov, Ph.D, Executive Director esther@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
Joel Levin, Ph.D, Director of Programs joel@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org nonprofit) announces the opening of a U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights Title IX investigation of the Northeast School Corporation, Indiana, for violating a student’s rights after she reported being raped by two students. It is the 64th school district under OCR investigation.
SSAIS is providing information on behalf of the family who filed the complaint. According to SSAIS Executive Director, Dr. Esther Warkov, “The family’s complaint illustrates the widespread harm caused by school districts ignorant of their Title IX responsibilities. According to documentation and a statement provided by the family, the OCR complaint involves sexual assailants over several years and the districts’ alleged indifference towards the victims.”
“Title IX compliance is essential for the protection of youth in K-12 schools. Lack of adherence to these standards creates unsafe and potentially harmful environments for our children. The family of the survivor in this case filed an OCR complaint and provided a statement related to her sexual assault and subsequent harassment. Though OCR remains a neutral fact-finder, it is important to acknowledge that the lack of support provided by school districts creates dangerous environments for other potential victims and has a silencing effect on those seeking to speak out about their own assaults. I applaud the victim and her family for their courage and willingness to speak out,” said University of Washington Professor of Criminal Justice Alissa Ackerman.
In a recent Huffington Post profile of the SSAIS nonprofit “Activists Take Aim At High Schools For Mishandling Sexual Assault” senior reporter Tyler Kingkade says SSAIS is “putting school districts everywhere on notice: drop the ball when a student reports a sexual assault, and we’ll expose it to the world.” SSAIS has already participated in several OCR complaints, including WA, TX, GA, MI, and OR (on behalf of a five-year-old). “The fear of liability and concerns about public opinion cause schools to downplay, ignore, or deny altogether reports of sexual harassment/assault and subsequent retaliation against survivors,” said Dr. Joel Levin, SSAIS Co-Founder and Director of Programs.
Sexual violence and harassment, homophobic name-calling, and unwanted sexual touching are now recognized as public health concerns for adolescents according to the CDC, 2012. In her inaugural post for the SSAIS website, National Women’s Law Center Senior VP of Program Fatima Goss Graves wrote, “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.” The NWLC described itself “energized by a new group doing big work–Stop Sexual Assault in Schools.”
Feminist Majority Foundation’s Education Equity Director Dr. Sue Klein believes one of the most effective strategies to combat sexual discrimination in education is to reinvigorate the role of the Title IX Coordinator, noting that “SSAIS has created a simple procedure that prompts students, families, educators, and community stakeholders to engage school districts to become Title IX compliant.”
In her recent article, “As the Mother of a Rape Victim I Know Consent Education Is Not Enough” published in The Huffington Post, Dr. Warkov explains why Title IX education is far more efficacious than consent education. She reiterates the need for Title IX education in an article appearing in the December 7th edition of Women’s eNews, “Lawmakers Shift Campus Rape Conversation to High Schools,” and challenges celebrities to be forthcoming about the origins of campus assault in “Why Lady Gaga Should Be Talking to a Rape Victim’s Mother About K-12 Sexual Assault.”
The Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) website offers a unique one-stop resource for students, families, and school administrators to educate students about their Title IX right to an education free from sexual harassment and violence. It identifies resources for survivors, makes the reporting process simple, provides sample complaints, and empowers through its engaging toolkit programs.
SSAIS was founded by two educators, Drs. Esther Warkov and Joel Levin, who sought accountability from the Seattle Pubic School District for its failure to respond adequately after a student reported being raped on a field trip. The launch of its website followed on the heels of a U.S. Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Title IX investigation SSAIS brought to the Seattle Public School District for violating the victim’s rights. The outpouring of national support compelled SSAIS to spearhead a movement to combat the epidemic of sexual harassment and violence in K-12 schools.
January 1, 2016
PORTLAND, OR
Contact: Esther Warkov, Ph.D, Executive Director: esther@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
Joel Levin, Ph.D, Director of Programs: joel@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
New Website Provides Resources on Sexual Assault in Schools and Education Equality
Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) recently announced the launch of its unique website that provides a practical, one-stop resource for students, families, and school administrators. The SSAIS website educates students about their Title IX right to an education free from sexual harassment and violence, identifies resources for survivors, makes the reporting process simple, provides sample complaints, and empowers through its engaging toolkit programs.
Sexual violence and harassment, homophobic name-calling, and unwanted sexual touching are now recognized as public health concerns for adolescents according to the CDC, 2012. In her inaugural post for the SSAIS website, National Women’s Law Center Senior VP of Program Fatima Goss Graves wrote, “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.” The NWLC described itself “energized by a new group doing big work–Stop Sexual Assault in Schools.”
In a recent Huffington Post profile of the new SSAIS nonprofit “Activists Take Aim At High Schools For Mishandling Sexual Assault” senior reporter Tyler Kingkade says SSAIS activism efforts are “putting school districts everywhere on notice: drop the ball when a student reports a sexual assault, and we’ll expose it to the world.” SSAIS has already assisted with several OCR complaints, most recently in IN, TX, GA, MI, and OR (on behalf of a five-year-old). “The fear of liability and concerns about public opinion cause schools to downplay, ignore, or deny altogether reports of sexual harassment/assault and subsequent retaliation against survivors. School districts are harming the very students they are mandated to serve,“ said SSAIS Executive Director, Dr. Esther Warkov. In her recent article, “As the Mother of a Rape Victim I Know Consent Education Is Not Enough” published in the Huffington Post, she explains why Title IX education is far more efficacious than consent education. She reiterates the need for Title IX education in an article appearing in the December 7th edition of Women’s eNews, “Lawmakers Shift Campus Rape Conversation to High Schools,” and challenges celebrities to be forthcoming about the origins of campus assault in “Why Lady Gaga Should Be Talking to a Rape Victim’s Mother About K-12 Sexual Assault.”
Feminist Majority Foundation’s Education Equity Director Dr. Sue Klein believes one of the most effective strategies to combat sexual discrimination in education is to reinvigorate the role of the Title IX Coordinator, noting that “SSAIS has created a simple procedure that prompts students, families, educators, and community stakeholders to engage school districts to become Title IX compliant.”
SSAIS was founded by two educators, Drs. Esther Warkov and Joel Levin, who sought accountability from the Seattle Pubic School District for its failure to respond adequately after a student reported being raped on a field trip. The launch of its website follows on the heels of a U.S. Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Title IX investigation SSAIS brought to the Seattle Public School District for violating the victim’s rights. The outpouring of national support compelled SSAIS to spearhead a movement to combat the epidemic of sexual harassment and violence in K-12 schools. SSAIS leadership includes nationally known activist advocates.
SSAIS’s inclusive approach also addresses male survivors of sexual harassment and violence, LGBTQ+ youth, and sexual assault hazing. SSAIS connects organizations, individuals, advocates, and diverse communities across the nation for a united campaign against the scourge of sexual harassment and violence impacting our nation’s students.
October 27, 2015
PORTLAND, OR
Contact: Esther Warkov, Ph.D, Executive Director esther@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
Joel Levin, Ph.D, Director of Programs joel@stopsexualassaultinschools.org
Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org nonprofit) announces the opening of a U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights Title IX investigation of The Warren Consolidated School District for reported sexual violence. SSAIS assisted the victim’s family filing the OCR complaint. Its Board Chair, Jules Irvin-Rooney, J.D., through Title IX and Clery Act Consulting, acted as an advocate on behalf of the student’s rights after the reported sexual assault. Ms. Irvin-Rooney asserted that this case demonstrates how important Title IX legal and advocacy work in the K-12 system is because “as shown in this case, school systems are failing to protect our students and instead are re-victimizing students and negatively impacting their education. This situation appears to have been terribly mishandled by the school.” SSAIS Executive Director, Dr. Esther Warkov, notes that this is not the first time the district has been under scrutiny for sexual assault.
In a recent Huffington Post profile of the new SSAIS nonprofit “Activists Take Aim At High Schools For Mishandling Sexual Assault” senior reporter Tyler Kingkade says SSAIS activism efforts are “putting school districts everywhere on notice: drop the ball when a student reports a sexual assault, and we’ll expose it to the world.” Earlier this year SSAIS facilitated the opening of an OCR investigation of the Angelton (TX) school district, and more complaints are in progress. The launch of the SSAIS website follows on the heels of a U.S. Dept. of Education, OCR investigation that SSAIS brought to the Seattle Public School District for failing to respond adequately to a reported rape. The outpouring of national support for the complaint compelled SSAIS to spearhead a movement to combat the epidemic of sexual harassment and violence in K-12 schools.
Feminist Majority Foundation’s Education Equity Director Dr. Sue Klein believes one of the most effective strategies to combat sexual discrimination in education is to reinvigorate the role of the Title IX Coordinator, noting that “SSAIS has created a simple procedure that prompts students, families, educators, and community stakeholders to engage school districts to become Title IX compliant.”
Ms. Irvin-Rooney further notes that, “Allowing all interested parties to be involved in combatting sexual discrimination in education and by hiring strong personnel as a Title IX Coordinator, with no conflicts of interest, is imperative.”
With the awareness of sexual assault in college shifting to K-12, schools are touting consent education as the solution when it fails to address the many safeguards that exist only under Title IX. At the forefront of gender equality issues, the National Women’s Law Center recently declared itself “energized by a new group doing big work–Stop Sexual Assault in Schools.” In her inaugural post for the organization, NWLC Senior VP of Program Fatima Goss Graves wrote, “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.”
Sexual violence and harassment, homophobic name-calling, and unwanted sexual touching are now recognized as public health concerns for adolescents according to the CDC, 2012. “Families have no idea how vulnerable their children are to the devastation of sexual harassment and assault in the school environment until it happens. When it does, with alarming frequency, families don’t know where to turn. School administrators are woefully ignorant of their Title IX responsibilities. The fear of liability and concerns about public opinion cause schools to downplay, ignore, or deny altogether reports of sexual harassment/assault and subsequent retaliation against survivors. School districts are harming the very students they are mandated to serve,” said Dr. Joel Levin, Director of SSAIS Programs.
The SSAIS website educates students about their Title IX right to an equal education free from sexual harassment and violence, identifies resources for survivors, makes the reporting process simple, provides sample complaints, and empowers through its engaging toolkit programs. SSAIS’s inclusive approach also addresses male survivors of sexual harassment/violence, LGBTQ+ youth, and sexual assault hazing. SSAIS connects organizations, individuals, advocates, and diverse communities across the nation for a united campaign against the scourge of sexual harassment and violence impacting our nation’s students.
October 5, 2015
Contact: Esther Warkov, Ph.D Executive Director
Joel Levin, Ph.D, Director of Programs
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Huffington Post Profiles New Nonprofit Stop Sexual Assault in Schools
The Huffington Post published today a profile of Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org) “Activists Take Aim At High Schools For Mishandling Sexual Assault.” The new national nonprofit launched its website last week.
HuffPost senior reporter Tyler Kingkade says SSAIS activism efforts are “putting school districts everywhere on notice: drop the ball when a student reports a sexual assault, and we’ll expose it to the world.”
SSAIS launched its website following a US Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Title IX investigation that it brought to the Seattle Public School District. The outpouring of national support compelled SSAIS to spearhead a movement to combat the epidemic of sexual harassment and violence in K-12 schools.
SSAIS offers K-12+ students experiencing sexual harassment and violence practical resources, trainings, and awareness programs. It also connects individuals, advocates, organizations, and diverse communities across the nation for a united campaign against the scourge of sexual harassment and violence impacting our nation’s students.
2015 - Project Start
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Esther Warkov, Ph.D, Executive Director
Joel Levin, Ph.D, Director of Programs
New Website Provides Resources on Sexual Assault in Schools and Education Equality
Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS) has recently announced the launch of its unique website that provides a practical, one-stop resource for students, families, and school administrators. The SSAIS website educates students about their Title IX right to an education free from sexual harassment and violence, identifies resources for survivors, makes the reporting process simple, provides sample complaints, and empowers through its engaging toolkit programs.
“Families have no idea how vulnerable their children are to the devastation of sexual harassment and assault in the school environment until it happens. When it does, with alarming frequency, families don’t know where to turn. School administrators are woefully ignorant of their Title IX responsibilities,” Dr. Warkov, Executive Director of SSAIS said.
SSAIS is a new national non-profit organization founded by two educators who sought accountability from the Seattle Pubic School District for its failure to respond adequately after a student reported being raped on a field trip. The launch of its website follows on the heels of a US Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Title IX investigation SSAIS brought to the Seattle Public School District for violating the victim’s rights. The outpouring of national support compelled SSAIS to spearhead a movement to combat the epidemic of sexual harassment and violence in K-12 schools.
Sexual violence and harassment, homophobic name-calling, and unwanted sexual touching are now recognized as public health concerns for adolescents according to the CDC, 2012. While the Obama administration is visibly engaged in efforts to address sexual assault in schools, the majority of these measures target higher education institutions. These actions must extend to the 55 million students enrolled nationwide in 132,000 K-12 schools. Fatima Goss Graves, Vice President for Education and Employment at the National Women’s Law Center, states, “But what’s missing in the wave of attention on college campuses is that Title IX’s long-standing mandate applies equally to K-to-12 schools” in the March 2015 National Law Journal op-ed “We Must Deal With K-12 Sexual Assault.”
Although Title IX has been law for over 40 years, OCR reports receiving more sex-discrimination complaints in 2014 than ever. The fear of liability and concerns about public opinion cause schools to downplay, ignore, or deny altogether reports of sexual harassment/assault and subsequent retaliation against survivors. School districts are harming the very students they are mandated to serve.
SSAIS offers free prevention programs, trainings, and engagement programs for students, families, and organizations anywhere in the US. Its trainings for school districts illustrate how Title IX applies in complex circumstances; as a result school staff will know how respond in compliance with Title IX and cultivate a school culture free of sexual harassment and violence.
SSAIS’s inclusive approach also addresses male survivors of sexual harassment/violence, LGBTQ+ youth, and sexual assault hazing. SSAIS connects organizations, individuals, advocates, and diverse communities across the nation for a united campaign against the scourge of sexual harassment and violence impacting our nation’s students.