A Trust Betrayed
Sexual Misconduct in Schools
In the groundbreaking 1998 series, “A Trust Betrayed,” Education Week examined the widespread effects of sexual misconduct on students, educators, and the community. Articles in this series address issues of concern such as prevention and response to inappropriate behavior, legal history and policy of sexual abuse cases, and student-faculty relationships in higher education. • Read the 2003 update to this series, A Trust Betrayed: Update on Sexual Misconduct in Schools.
Student Well-Being
On College Campuses, a Gradual Move Toward Addressing Faculty-Student Sex
Few people go to college with the intention of falling in love with a professor.
Student Well-Being
Principals Face a Delicate Balancing Act In Handling Allegations of Misconduct
School principals often feel they need to be education's answer to the Colonial minuteman—ready at a moment's notice to handle just about anything.
School & District Management
At One California School, a 'Never-Ending Nightmare'
During a quarter-century career in the Los Angeles County schools, Jeffrey Warschaw has worked with inner-city gang members, taught children with severe emotional problems, and seen students charged with murder.
Student Well-Being
'Zero Tolerance' of Sex Abuse Proves Elusive
In 20 states, sex between a student and an adult employee is perfectly legal, as long as the young person is at least 16. And if the student is 17, add three more states to the list.
Student Well-Being
Shifting Legal Ground on Harassment Has Made It Harder for Victims To Win
Ten years ago this month, a high school senior from an Atlanta suburb brought an $11 million federal lawsuit alleging that school officials had failed to protect her from months of sexual harassment by her economics teacher. The case proved to be a turning point for students seeking redress for sexual misconduct by school employees.
Student Well-Being
Living Through a Teacher's Nightmare: False Accusation
For nine months that felt like forever, Michael Gallagher and his family had prayed for this moment. And yet when it came, all they could do was cry.
Student Well-Being
'Passing the Trash' by School Districts Frees Sexual Predators To Hunt Again
Sexual abuse of students is rarely a passing fancy, and for some schoolhouse predators, it becomes a way of life. Left unchecked, they may leave a trail of molestation that stretches across many years and countless students' lives.
School & District Management
Cost Is High When Schools Ignore Abuse
If there's anything worse than a school employee who sexually abuses students, it's a school that doesn't care.
Student Well-Being
Sex With Students: When Employees Cross the Line
It may start with a warm smile or an affectionate hug. But often, far more often than many people think, those friendly moments mask the first steps by a teacher or coach down the road that leads to sexual relations with their young charges and the shattering of a sacred trust.
Student Well-Being
In Youth's Tender Emotions, Abusers Find Easy Pickings
More than a year before he stole her virginity in the high school wrestling room, Michael Dwayne Blevins had figured out how to make the pretty blonde in his 8th grade science class feel special.
School Climate & Safety
Labels Like 'Pedophile' Don't Explain the Many Faces of Child Sexual Abuse
When the school band director is convicted for having sex with a 14-year-old trumpet player, more likely than not at least someone in the community will label him a "pedophile."
Student Well-Being
Abuse by Women Raises Its Own Set of Problems
Because sexual misconduct by educators is a little-studied topic nationally, no one knows what proportion of it is committed by women. Yet an examination of recent cases around the country suggests that women play a significant, if decidedly secondary, role in such abuse.
