Sexual harassment in workplace environments

Sexual Harassment: Discuss the range of activities that are considered sexual harassment in the education environment. Also, identify and discuss the range of damages that complaining parties may be entitled to under law

According to the Office of Civil Rights, a school cannot overlook sexual harassment with an attitude of "that's just emerging adolescent sexuality" or "boys will be boys" ("ED/OCR:" Sexual Harassment: It's Not Academic, 2005, U.S. Department of Education). Furthermore: "sexual harassment can happen to girls and boys," and it is not solely confined to relations between students for "sexual harassers can be fellow students, teachers, principals, janitors, coaches, and other school officials" ("ERA: Sexual Harassment in Schools," 2007, Equal Rights Advocates). Unacceptable harassing sexual conduct might include subjecting a student to sexual graffiti or the displaying or distributing of sexually explicit drawings, pictures and written materials, making sexual gestures or jokes as well as more egregious examples of sexual behavior, like pressuring a student for sexual favors, talking about sexual activity in an inappropriate manner, suggestive sexual touching of the harasser's own body parts, or spreading rumors about and rating other students as to sexual activity or performance.

According to Title XI, both quid pro quo sexual harassment (demanding sexual favors in exchange for promotion, grades, etc.) and creating a hostile environment are equally unacceptable forms of behavior and constitute harassment. A hostile environment is when "unwelcome sexually harassing conduct is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it affects a student's ability to participate in or benefit from an education program or activity, or creates an intimidating, threatening or abusive educational environment" ("ED/OCR:" Sexual Harassment: It's Not Academic, 2005, U.S. Department of Education).

Under federal law, a school is required to have a policy against sex discrimination and notify employees, students, and elementary and secondary school parents of the policy and a school is required to have at least one employee responsible for coordinating efforts to comply with Title IX ("ED/OCR:" Sexual Harassment: It's Not Academic, 2005, U.S. Department of Education). When a student is being harassed, letting the harasser know the behavior is unacceptable, going to a parent, and then reporting the behavior to the school would is the usual progression of actions to take (Murdoch & Kysilko, 1993:26). An appropriate school administrator to report the harassment to could "be a teacher, principal, faculty member, administrator, campus security officer, affirmative action officer, staff in the office of student affairs or the school's Title IX coordinator" ("ED/OCR:" Sexual Harassment: It's Not Academic, 2005, U.S. Department of Education). Depending on the nature and the severity of the offense, the school can act against the harassing student after conducting an investigation, or merely make note of the complaint and follow up if there are further allegations and complications.