School districts struggle to deal with dating violence among students
Chicago Tribune
During her sophomore year, Gabrielle Smart sneaked out of
Simeon Career Academy with her on-and-off boyfriend,
believing they were going to a restaurant. Instead, they went
to a nearby South Side apartment, where he held her down
while a classmate sexually assaulted her, she said.
The school’s response, Smart said, was almost as painful as
the attack.
Simeon officials threatened to punish her for leaving school
grounds, told her it would take several months to arrange an
expulsion hearing for the alleged offenders, and took little
action when their friends threatened her with violence,
according to a federal investigation that found Chicago Public
Schools failed to protect her after the attack.
“They made it worse,” said Smart, 19, whose family then fled to the suburbs out of fear for her safety.
Simeon is one of many high schools in Illinois to come under fire for their handling of student sexual assaults and dating-related violence. There are no state laws or policies governing how school districts should respond to these sensitive issues. Administrators often face he-said, she-said cases in which no
criminal charges have been filed, and so they must balance protecting alleged victims versus the rights of the accused.
Although some schools offer safety plans, transfers and other accommodations, many districts do not.
When administrators fail to respond, students suffer humiliation, harassment and other harm, according to a state task force investigating the issue. Some victims drop out.
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