New Civil Rights Bill of 2008: holding schools accountable for responding to sexual harassment

A new civil rights bill was introduced in congress last week that provides students with protection from harassment in schools that receive federal funds:

It gives students the same protection from unlawful harassment in our schools as adults have on the job.  Currently, schools that receive federal funds cannot be held accountable if a teacher or classmate harasses a child unless the school had actual notice of the abuse and did virtually nothing to correct the problem.  This is true even if the school has turned a blind eye to clear signs of harassment.  

From SAFER (Students Active For Ending Rape), described as “a national non-profit organization committed to empowering students to hold colleges accountable for sexual assault in their on- and off-campus communities”:

The bill would make it easier for students to sue schools (K-12 and colleges) at which they were sexually harassed, abused, or assaulted if the school did not reasonably responded to their concerns. As the law currently stands, students have fewer protections than employees and so schools have less incentive than workplaces to curb their employees and educate against hostile environments. 

SAFER is encouraging folks to call their congresspeople to urge support for this bill and to specifically mention the student sexual harassment provisions. 

 Check to see if your Representative and Senators are sponsors (Senate sponsors) (House sponsors) to the bill, and if not, call and ask that they sign on. Mention the student sexual harassment provisions specifically - our elected officials need to know that we care and that we’re paying attention. If this bill were to pass, it could be a powerful tool for fighting administrations that turn a blind eye to sexual assaults and rape culture on their campuses. (emphasis mine)