ABC News wrote a story about a first grader who was labeled a sexual harasser. Here is an exerpt:
According to the state’s Department of Education, 166 elementary students were suspended in Maryland last year for sexual harassment, including three preschoolers, 16 kindergartners and 22 first-graders. In Virginia, 255 elementary students were suspended for offensive sexual touching last year as well.
Two years ago in Texas, a four-year-old was punished for sexual harassment after a teacher’s aide accused the pre-schooler of pressing his face into her breasts during a hug.
Interesting. When working at a preschool in college I had a 5 year-old pinch my butt and make comments like hey sexy. He did this until I said something to his mom. The 5-yr old had a teenage brother who was apparently daring the little brother to do stuff like this. It took one conversation with the mom to stop this behavior. Was it sexual harrassment? Yes. Did I consider filing charges? No. I went to the mom first. Much more effective.
In Texas there have been children below 2nd grade sent to alternative schools and assigned to sentivie training for trying to kiss another student or making a sexually inapprioprate comment. These kids were first offenders. It is better to attempt to work it out with parents first.
a Four year old being punished for shoving his head in a woman’s chest? How.. pathetic. I would think someone who worked with young children would know that many children become very attached to their mothers through breast feeding and find extreme comfort resting their heads on a woman’s chest. It isn’t sexual. >< ugh.
These kids shouldn’t be punished, they should have someone give them therapy to explain how their behavior is wrong and their PARENTS should be the one to be investigated. More then most of the time the parents are where the kids are learning this from.
Fionax,
As a for a 4 yr old shoving his head into a woman’s chest I have had similar things occur when working with children that age. I prefer to redirect the child. You are right on about the reason’s a 4 yr old would do that.
DH
My five year old son was just sent home on his fifth day of kindergarten for sexual harassment. I am so upset, not at him, but at this world that we live in. I agree that his behavior was not appropriate, he should keep his hands to himself, but he was NOT being sexual! He is a good, sweet little boy. Little boys are just as innocent as little girls, and yet we (as a society) are ready to feed them to the wolves at the first glimpse of inappropriateness. I have taught my children to keep their hands to themselves, but they’re just little kids! I am so heartbroken that are system is so flawed.
My question now is, what can I do? What should I do?
OMG are you serious??
from kindergarten,that is absolutely absurd !!
Hes 5 yrs old…dont these dumbasses realize they would ruin a childs intimate relationships as he grows up by doing that, it puts his mind in the state that it must be dirty therefore causing him to avoid contact with anyone really as far as getting close.also cause him to be withdrawn because of it,i mean hes5, not12 or a teenager then maybe you could see how they’d say that.
when they did that it really is enexcusable for them because he doesnt even know what the hell the word SEX means,all he knows is he got in trouble for it they cant tell me that every time he hears the word he won’t think OMG im gonna get in trouble,so theres no way to explain to him at 5 so he can distinguish it as bad or good.
Society has gone to far with that stuff, i haven’t ever in my life said this to another person for any reason but i’d have a lawyer down at the school tomorrow morning when they open the doors.
if he sees the word sex on a form when he’s 16,he’ll run likes he’’s been set onfire,and im not saying that to be funny. hes 5 what the hells wrong with these people?
what you can do,is what i said,hell if i wouldn’t,
i hadn’t read your entire message till i replied the second i saw 5 and sexual harrasment,but i just now read it all,so my god get a lawyer,these people are over board on that,hell no.
If you cant afford one call legal aid in your statethey’ll help.
you know how kids are in school,well it could be 3 yrs from now and one day his friends will meet him in the hallway at school and say hahahaa,kids can be cruel to one another
b/c theyre kids but imagine if that happened and from then on the rest of his life, no doubt people will taunt him and judge his character on something he was wrongfully accused of.
Anytime there is a 0-tolerance policy someone always gets caught in the middle. However there are kindergarten children that do knowingly repeat things they have seen or heard from adults. While this is not the case with your son the school has polices to deal with the extreme situations. Talk to the teacher/school let them know what you considered acceptable. Now is the time to establish a good working relationship with your the school.
A 4-year-old was suspended from preschool after being wrongly accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by a preschool teacher’s aide!
According to the child’s father, Damarcus Blackwell, his 4-year-old son was lining-up to get on the bus after attending preschool at La Vega Primary School in Waco, Texas, when he hugged the aide. The aide accused the child of rubbing his face in her chest prompting the prinicipal, Elicia Krumnow to send a letter to the Blackwells saying their child exhibited “inappropriate physical behavior interpreted as sexual contact and/or sexual harassment.”
Don’t roll your eyes yet, it gets worse…
Blackwell insisted his son was wrongly accused, and in an on-camera interview at CNN claimed the aide is the one whose mental health should be evaluated for misinterpreting a hug. The father demanded the school remove the charge from his child’s file.
La Vega Primary responded by downgrading the accusation from “sexual harrassment” to “inappropriate physical contact” — refusing to issue an apology or expunge the incident from the child’s record.
Blackwell is determined to fight the district. He said no 4-year-old should have something like this placed in their file — and then have to carry such an accusation with them the rest of their lives.
Can you imagine being the parent of this child — and the outrage you would feel?
This is a MAJOR reason not to institutionalize little kids in government preschools. Our cultural paranoia about sexual harassment and molestation (yes, I said it) means our infants and tots in government regulated daycare centers and preschools will NEVER get the physical contact they need.
Little kids need lots of hugs and loving, physical human contact. Preschool age children need lap time — not circle time!
Help Mr. Blackwell stand up to the idiocy of the school district. Help him to restore his child’s reputation. Write or email Elicia Krumnow , the principal of La
Last time I drove past La Vega schools they were in Bell Mead, when did they move to Waco?
Perhaps you should contact the ACLU, and see if they would be interested in getting involved. http://aclu.org