Equitable Systems: Organization Culture and Student Safety

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Educational Leaders Engaging in Decision-Making and Sensemaking of Policy and Practice

Abstract

Ten percent of public school students report being sexually targeted by a school employee. There is little in the existing research that identifies and describes bystander knowledge and reporting. Because there is little systematic documentation of school employee understanding of the signs of sexual misconduct and the relationship of these signs to reporting, school professionals may fail to understand what patterns and behaviors should trigger concern, supervision, investigation, and/or reporting. This study examined the internal and external inhibitors, awareness of red flags for sexual boundary crossing, and willingness to report actual boundary crossing and other sexual misconduct by colleagues or themselves.

Authors

• Charol Shakeshaft, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Emiola Oyefuga, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Kellie E. Carlyle, Virginia Commonwealth University