School Administrators

For support with policy enforcement, speak with a SARA Educator. Call 434-295-7273.

As a community institution, a school provides students with their first experience of a cultural framework for dealing with issues of appropriateness, gender, and aggression. The way that policies are enforced sends strong messages to students about what they can get away with and what level of power they have in society.

Training for Faculty is available.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment policies in schools are driven by Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments to the Civil Rights Act. Our nation has a long and complicated history of its enforcement and the liability of public schools regarding gender inequality. SARA staff provide training for administrators, faculty, bus drivers, and other staff that focus on federal requirements, the reality of sexual harassment across the nation and locally, and the steps that schools can take to keep their students safe.

The most important things for you to know:

• Respond immediately to any complaints of sexual harassment
• Take all complaints seriously, even if you personally have doubts
• Make sure your faculty and staff understand and are prepared to respond appropriately to incidents, because they are your eyes and ears on the ground
• For effective improvements in your school climate, consider harasser rehabilitation. If a student is suspended or has other punishments, but is not provided with any psycho-education or skills to prevent further offenses, it is far less likely that he/she will have any change in behavior. Punishment is important because it sends a message that harassment will not be tolerated. Rehabilitation is crucial because it provides an opportunity to re-enter the community in a healthy way.

Dress Codes

If dress codes are enforced more strictly than sexual harassment policies, students get the message that schools care more about their appearance than whether they respect each other. Also, because of how dress codes are written and enforced, students may perceive that the way girls dress is more likely to be judged than the way boys treat girls. These are extremely damaging messages, and contribute to a society in which the response to sexual abuse goes something like, “Well what was she wearing? Was she asking for it?” This is one reason why so many abusers are never held accountable for their actions.

When training your faculty about Dress Code enforcement, it is important to include gender sensitivity training. SARA Educators provide this training on a regular basis. Please contact us for a free training for your faculty, tailored to your school’s needs.

We focus on helping faculty understand:

• Why students dress the way they do
• Do’s and Don’ts while speaking to students about dress code infractions
• Methods to make sure that dress codes are enforced fairly across the entire school (so that girls aren’t more targeted than boys, so that students of color aren’t more targeted than Caucasian students, and so that larger girls aren’t more targeted than smaller girls, which are common issues at many schools across the country).