Growing grassroots movements confront school sexual assault

FOREST GROVE, Ore. (AP) – Educators and students in parts of the U.S. are working to combat an issue many grade and secondary schools have avoided: sexual assault.

These grassroots efforts include student activism and novel programs to intervene with sexually aggressive students.

In Oregon, two districts — Salem-Keizer and, more recently, Forest Grove — found inappropriate behavior was more prevalent than they realized. Now the districts quietly monitor and counsel kids who act out and ask parents for help to understand what’s going on. The districts are adapting an approach they use to identify would-be school shooters.

Elsewhere, student pressure prodded reluctant school districts to respond to sex assault allegations.

In Oklahoma, a district agreed to hire victim advocates after a walk-out by high school students who felt their high school failed to protect girls who had been bullied for reporting attacks.

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If you have a tip, comment or story to share about student-on-student sexual assault at K-12 schools, please email: http://schoolhousesexassaultap.org. See AP’s entire package of #SchoolSexAssault stories here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/SchoolhouseSexAssault