Essay
My bill is a bill for an act relating to education; prohibiting malicious and sadistic conduct involving race, gender, religion, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, and sexual exploitation In this instance, ‘"malicious and sadistic conduct" means creating a hostile learning environment by acting with the intent to cause harm by intentionally injuring another without just cause or reason or engaging in extreme or excessive cruelty or delighting in cruelty.’
My first point is having a safe environment in schools. Schools are responsible not only for educating our youth but also for creating a safe learning environment. “A recent study by the American Association of University Women, for example, found that 83% of female and 79% of male students in grades 8 through 11 had been sexually harassed at school in ways that interfered with their lives. One-third of the surveyed students—20% of boys and 44% of girls—said that they fear being sexually harassed during the school day.” Having these policies put in place will lower this number significantly.
My second point is raising awareness for these situations. Here are some statistics regarding unwanted sexual incidents, “56% of girls in grades 7-12, 40% of boys in grades 7-12, and 58% of LGBTQ youth ages 13-21 are sexually harassed.” “2% of girls ages 14-18 who are kissed or touched without their consent report it to their schools.” Having known policies put in place will inform other students and faculty about the situation at hand.
My third point is the policies, this will encourage individuals to report incidents with the knowledge that action will be taken. Victims knowing there are policies in place will give a sense of justice, knowing there are specific measures to be taken against the offender. Enforcing these policies will establish a valid accountability system, meaning the offenders will have to take accountability for their actions and face whatever consequences lie in their future. School boards must have a written policy against “malicious and sadistic conduct involving race, gender, religion, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, and sexual exploitation by a district or school staff member or student enrolled in a public or charter school against a staff member or student. Having staff, students, and parents know these policies (whether posted throughout the school building or in the student handbook) will give a sense of security and relief if anything were to occur.
I recognize there are some negatives regarding this bill. An example would be false accusations of any misconduct regarding race, gender, religion, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, or sexual exploitation. Any false accusations could lead to a career-altering consequence such as an individual losing their job or going to prison. Yes, there may be room for inaccurate claims, however, only about 2-8% of all sexual assault reports are false.
Work Cited:
1 https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Final%20SH%20Fact%20Sheet-Schools.pdf
2 https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/100SD-report-5.3.21-vF.pdf
3 https://mn.gov/mdhr/yourrights/what-is-protected/education/
4 https://evawintl.org/best_practice_faqs/false-reports-percentage/