Share Your Story

Few families can imagine the life-scarring impact of sexual harassment/assault on students’ mental health, education, and long-term success. Entire families and friends are affected. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to reporting because they fear blame, retaliation, and other consequences. To inform families, we provide real-life accounts to show how sexual harassment/assault impacts students’ right to an equal education. By hearing personal accounts, we begin to understand the devastation caused by hostile school environments.

Students’ rights are violated across the nation, in “good” schools, in “rough” schools, and in private schools. While the media has provided accounts of sexual assaults on college students, the public needs first-hand accounts from younger students. Have you or someone you know faced sexual harassment/assault, bullying, cyberbullying, hazing, or discrimination on the basis of gender/orientation while a student? Do you know of schools that failed to protect students’ rights or retaliated for reporting? We would like to hear from you – share your story to increase our advocacy efforts. We’ll only use your story with permission. Please contact us!

Trigger Warning: This section contains links to stories about sexual assault and/or violence that may be triggering to survivors.

Charlotte Smalls, a secondary victim of her sister’s high school rape, talks about the “living hell” they endured after the school violated their Title IX rights.

Teen survivor Lauren Allen describes how her school failed her after her sexual assault.

Christine McComas describes how cyber-sexual harassment led to the suicide of her daughter, Grace.

Seth Walsh died by suicide after his school district failed to address prolonged harassment based on his sexual orientation. His mother, Wendy Walsh, reads his suicide letter.

Rebecca Fox describes how her kindergarten daughter’s school turned their backs on the family after they reported her sexual assault.

Kyle speaks about the harassment in the Anoka-Hennepin, MN school district leading to peer suicides. The harassment led to a lawsuit, OCR investigation, and participation of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Daisy Coleman, a teenager raped in Maryville, MO, speaks out about what really happened. Tragically, both Daisy and her mother later died by suicide.

U.S. Representative Tom Reed (New York, 23rd District) speaks about the assault on his niece (YouTube).

 

Mother who co-founded SSAIS talks with KIRO Radio about the nightmare following the field trip assault.

Written accounts of harassment at Berkeley High School (BHS Stop Harassing). More accounts here.

Private School Sexual Assault Accounts

Stop Sexual Assault in Schools hears from parents of private school students whose schools have whitewashed reported sexual assaults. We encourage private school families to use our advocacy resources to the extent they are applicable.

Chessy Prout’s book about her rape at the prestigious St. Paul’s School and the trial attracted international attention.