School Employee Sexual Misconduct: A Prevention Model

• In Event: Research, Remedy, and Repair: An Administrator’s Guide to Preventing School Employee Sexual Misconduct

Abstract

This paper presents the results of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded research on a model for preventing school employee sexual misconduct. Funded in September 2020, the research began in the spring/summer of 2021 with a nationwide pre-test survey to develop variables and factors. Data collection in our study sites began in the Fall of 2021 and continued through the summer of 2024, using a stepped-wedge trial survey design.

The ecological model was studied over two years in nine states, with 63 schools in nine school districts and three independent schools. The sample is representative of K12 administrators, teachers, and staff proportionate by gender, race/ethnicity, age, and SES of schools equivalent to the national population.

We examined four components of the prevention model: Training, policies, supervision/monitoring, and reporting. All school employees in the study enrolled in Praesidium’s Safety Equation™ online modules, with all participants completing the primary training; in addition to the primary training, administrators also completed additional training on policies, supervision/monitoring, and reporting. Data were collected from all participants via a pre-survey, an immediate post-survey, and a three-month lag survey. In addition, school administrators were interviewed to determine policy, supervision, and reporting practices for the school.

The study gathered both qualitative data through interviews and quantitative data via
surveys. The policies of each school or district were analyzed using content analysis. Each school in the study agreed to complete a pre-survey, participate in Praesidium’s Safety Equation® training, and complete both an immediate post-survey and a second post-survey several months later. The total number of survey participants at all time points was 3,434, and 2,885 employees completed the training. Additionally, we interviewed 92 key school personnel to date and reviewed school policies. The
interviews focused on understanding school district policies and practices for hiring,
supervision, investigation, and reporting CSA in schools.

The Praesidium online training, Safety Equation®, was developed based on the root cause analysis of adult-to-child sexual abuse in youth-serving organizations. These include policies, patterns (red flags, grooming), reporting, and supervising. By exploring
attitudes, beliefs, and reported actions pre and post-training, we were able to examine reports of attitudes and behaviors related to school employee misconduct prevention as well as changes over the course of this study.

Evidence from the study showed growth in awareness of red flags for school employee sexual misconduct, particularly social media-related boundary crossing. Policy analysis indicated gaps, as did supervision of boundary crossing. Red flags were not always reported, and boundary crossing was normalized. However, as training continued, understanding of sexual misconduct and reporting increased.

Authors

• Emiola Oyefuga, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Stacie Lefeavers, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Julie Russo, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Abigail H. Conley, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Charol Shakeshaft, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Kellie Carlyllse, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Niloofar Ramezani, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Emily Kitching, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Anneliese Smilde, ChildUSA