Six Year Old Suspended For Sexual Harassment

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

MrsSpringsteen

Blue Crack Addict
Joined
Nov 30, 2002
Messages
29,244
Location
Edge's beanie closet
boston.com


Boy's suspension in harassment case outrages mother
Seeks new school for son, 6

BROCKTON -- A 6-year-old boy suspended last week after school officials said he sexually harassed a girl in his class does not understand what he did wrong and should be moved to another elementary school to avoid becoming stigmatized by the incident, his mother said yesterday.

The Brockton school district gave the boy a three-day suspension on Jan. 30 after conducting an internal investigation -- which they forwarded to the Plymouth district attorney's office. Prosecutors, however, have not brought any charges, in part because state juvenile criminal laws do not apply to those under age 7, said prosecutors.

The suspension outraged the boy's mother, Berthena Dorinvil, who said her son is far too young to know the meaning of sexual harassment.

''What is that supposed to mean? He's only 6 years old. I didn't raise my son like this," she said last night in an interview at her home.

Dorinvil said school administrators told her that her son's infraction was to place his hand inside the waistband of a girl's pants, touching the skin on her back.

Though her son's suspension has ended, Dorinvil has kept him out of school and has filed a request with Brockton schools to move him to another elementary school because she feels he would be treated differently at the school he attended, Joseph H. Downey Elementary.

She said the district has declined the transfer request but offered to move him to another class in the same school. She is appealing that decision and plans to keep the child home indefinitely.

Brockton school officials yesterday defended their decision.

''This was done right by the book," said Cynthia E. McNally, a district spokeswoman. ''This was thoroughly investigated."

School district administrators said Brockton schools have for years had among the state's most thorough and progressive policies on student sexual harassment.

''The safety and well-being of Brockton Public School students and staff is of the utmost importance to us and we take all allegations of sexual harassment very seriously," read a statement released yesterday by Brockton School Superintendent Basan Nembirkow. ''Principals are trained to handle these difficult situations and they are assisted, as needed, by the district's sexual harassment officer in handling each situation."

School officials would not comment on the specifics of the boy's case, citing his privacy rights. The boy was not identified because he is a minor. Downey principal Diane C. Gosselin could not be reached for comment.

Dorinvil is a stay-at-home mother who said she has raised her only child in the conservative moral tradition of Haitian evangelicalism.

She and her husband, Philippe, a school bus driver in Boston, do not let their son watch secular television and have signed up for cable so he can watch religious cartoons.

She said Gosselin called her on Jan. 30 to tell her ''my son was in trouble over a girl." At school, where she found her boy in tears, she said she was informed he had violated the school's sexual harassment policy and would be suspended.

The Brockton school district's student sexual harassment policy, drafted in January of 2004, prohibits ''uninvited physical contact such as touching, hugging, patting, or pinching."

School officials refused to disclose which provision of the policy the boy violated.

''It's a situation within the parameters [of sexual harassment], and we're dealing with it within the parameters," said McNally.

The school district forwarded the evidence to Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz's office.

A spokeswoman for Cruz, Bridget Norton Middleton, confirmed the office had reviewed the case, but she refused to comment on it. However, she noted that juvenile crimes apply to those age 7 to 17, with younger children exempt.

Dorinvil said her son has said he does not want to return to Downey because they are ''too mean." She said he is confused over the recent turn of events in his life -- and has questions she finds difficult to answer.

''He doesn't even know what that word 'sexual' is. I don't see how I'm going to explain it to him," she said. ''I can't. He's just too young for that."
 
I realize that he may have violated the rules regarding sexual harassment, but where is the common sense in realizing that he's 6 years old? Tell him what he did was wrong, but don't suspend him. He's getting treated like a criminal.
 
Last edited:
Maybe this is one reason schools are extra cautious about making sure they take swift, preventive measures. Obviously this case is more extreme than the Brockton case..


Boston Herald

High court backed an elementary school case
By Laura Crimaldi
Wednesday, February 8

While sexual harassment in a first-grade classroom may seem unusual at first glance, a Georgia fifth-grader made it a matter important enough to be decided on by the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1999, the high court handed down a 5-to-4 decision ruling that schools are responsible for student-to-student sexual harassment if the school officials knew about the misconduct and did not take action.
The case centered around a civil rights lawsuit filed by the parents of LaShonda Davis, a Monroe County fifth-grader, who was touched, grabbed and verbally harassed by a boy referred to only as “G.F.” in court papers.
The boy was also accused of trying to touch Davis’s genital area and breasts, asking her for sex, and even going so far as to put a doorstop in his pants to simulate an erection.
The girl took her complaints to classroom teachers. Her parents also complained to teachers and asked for her seat to be moved. The school did not act.
The daily classroom harassment took a hefty toll on Davis, who saw her grades plummet and even penned a suicide note.
In a separate criminal action, G.F. pleaded guilty to sexual battery.
 
What bothers me is that the school is seemingly taking the "cover your ass" approach rather than teaching the boy about appropriate behavior. Punishment is not going to make him learn.
 
Boston Herald

While contact not unusual, most kids don’t understand issue
By Laura Crimaldi
Wednesday, February 8, 2006

While it’s “preposterous” to expect first-graders to understand the definition of sexual harassment, experts said, even at the tender age of 6 children can engage in sexually inappropriate behavior.
“Yes, children are capable of this,” said sexual harassment and bullying expert Nan Stein, who is a senior research scientist at Wellesley College’s Center for Research on Women. “That’s not the point. What the point is if they are able to understand instructions from teachers about what’s appropriate and what’s inappropriate.”
During her nearly 30 years of research in sexual harassment, Stein said, she has come across stories from Louisiana to Maine of elementary students abusing classmates. In some cases they used brooms to sexually assault other children. In one instance a young girl was held down by other students on a playground and then mounted by another student in a sexual way.
In 1996, first-grader Johnathan Prevette made national headlines when officials at Southwestern Elementary in Lexington, N.C., yanked him from class for one day and barred him from going to an ice-cream party for students with perfect attendance after a teacher saw him smooch a female classmate.
At first, school officials accused Prevette of sexual harassment, but they later backed down from that claim.
Jetta Bernier, executive director of Massachusetts Citizens for Children, said elementary school teachers and administrators need more training to distinguish more innocent forms of sexual expression from more dangerous behaviors.
“Children are absolutely capable of expressing behaviors that are sexually inappropriate,” Bernier said. “But that does not mean they are sexual offenders. We don’t want to label them that. They may have been victims themselves.”
 
This is ridiculous.

What about all those girls in kindergarten that would pull us aside and surprise the boys with kisses? I mean most boys back then ran away yelling "kooties". Half the girls in my class would be suspended.
 
larryslass said:
It makes you wonder what sort of stuff these kids are seeing at home!

they are probably seeinf "hey hon" hug & kiss - which is so fuscking obscene !

then on MTV...seeing some shaven oily skinned booty shakin which is allright cuz the girl has a tight ass and we all need to make a living .....and its only entertainment

then the parents come in and sit together on the loveseat adn turn on law and order
 
Kids are a product of their own society - they tend to mimic what they see others doing whether in their own home, neighborhood or on tv.
 
do your kids do that?
which society?
whose home?
what neighborhood?
which channel?

are they mimmicking or is it a form of expression?
i think expression is lost......
expression CAN be refined
but there isnt a feeling of obligation or altruism among adults
twords children
things have replaced creativity

im as guilty as my neighbor


all in all were all just bricks in the wall
 
carrieluvv said:
do your kids do that?
which society?
whose home?
what neighborhood?
which channel?

are they mimmicking or is it a form of expression?
i think expression is lost......
expression CAN be refined
but there isnt a feeling of obligation or altruism among adults
twords children
things have replaced creativity

im as guilty as my neighbor


all in all were all just bricks in the wall

ask yourself those questions - but then maybe you're a brick wall....

Haven't you heard the phrase "It takes a village to raise a kid"??? If the village is fucked up - then the kid may (operative word here) turn out to be fucked up...
 
Last edited:
MrsSpringsteen said:
Boston Herald

In some cases they used brooms to sexually assault other children. In one instance a young girl was held down by other students on a playground and then mounted by another student in a sexual way.

My kids see love and affection in their home, but there is a big difference when six year olds are capable of acting like this. That is what i meant when i asked what kids are seeing at home.
 
Last edited:
I really don't see how this is a case of "product of society".

The kid is 6 and according to the article lived somewhat sheltered than most 6 year olds.
 
doubleU said:
I really don't see how this is a case of "product of society".

The kid is 6 and according to the article lived somewhat sheltered than most 6 year olds.

I'm not sure of that but the two stories from the posts that followed shows evidence of sexual harassmant among elementary school children....
 
MsGiggles said:


but the two stories from the posts that followed shows evidence of sexual harassmant among elementary school children....

The story of the boy with the doorstop in his pants, I can see as being a product of society or what's going on in his house. But there's a big difference in a 5th grader and a 6 year old. His parents have fucked up.

I agree the broom story is very disturbing, but even that I don't see how that's a product of society. I don't see where anyone is showing in any form or fashion that having others hold someone down is appropriate.

What I also see as disturbing that in the same article:

In 1996, first-grader Johnathan Prevette made national headlines when officials at Southwestern Elementary in Lexington, N.C., yanked him from class for one day and barred him from going to an ice-cream party for students with perfect attendance after a teacher saw him smooch a female classmate.

If the roles were reversed it would have been news.
 
doubleU said:
I agree the broom story is very disturbing, but even that I don't see how that's a product of society. I don't see where anyone is showing in any form or fashion that having others hold someone down is appropriate.

Because we certainly don't include elements of sex and violence in our advertising, television shows, music videos, and video games.

It is clear that this was directly taught by the parents.


[/sarcasm]
 
nbcrusader said:


Because we certainly don't include elements of sex and violence in our advertising, television shows, music videos, and video games.

It is clear that this was directly taught by the parents.


[/sarcasm]

I've never seen MTV videos, commercials, television programs that show having your friends hold someone down as cool, appropriate, or even sexual.
 
doubleU said:


I've never seen MTV videos, commercials, television programs that show having your friends hold someone down as cool, appropriate, or even sexual.

You are right - they could only learn by directly copying what they see on television.

What happened was the outcome of the sad mix of sex and violence that is common place in our world.
 
nbcrusader said:


You are right - they could only learn by directly copying what they see on television.

What happened was the outcome of the sad mix of sex and violence that is common place in our world.

Well I see what you saying.

I wasn't trying to say that they can only learn by directly copying. Just that I think "the product of society" arguement is too often used as a cop out, when personal responsibility is thrown out the door.

I just have a hard time believing that 6 year olds are exposed to that much violence in everyday society that allows one to feel this is alright. My exposure to 6 years old right now is minimal, a few nephews and nieces.
 
doubleU said:


Well I see what you saying.

I wasn't trying to say that they can only learn by directly copying. Just that I think "the product of society" arguement is too often used as a cop out, when personal responsibility is thrown out the door.

I just have a hard time believing that 6 year olds are exposed to that much violence in everyday society that allows one to feel this is alright. My exposure to 6 years old right now is minimal, a few nephews and nieces.

I fully agree that personal responsibility is rejected in favor of rampant finger pointing.

When dealing with children, there is a significant burden on parents to monitor and control the media they injest and take the time to teach them through the various images, concepts or ideas to which they are exposed.
 
ok case 2 is extreme and the teacher sshould have stepped in

I mean, what is the point of ignorance and then law suit?

as for case 1... seriously

I mean no offence, but no wonder the rest of the world tends to give the USA a wiered look sometimes

sometimes it should be checked what is really inacceptable and what is just hysteria. Not everything is a physological defect or whatever

american people must have been complete wrecks and all criminals/ sexual offenders beofre this kind of thinking took over straightened them out
 
nbcrusader said:
When dealing with children, there is a significant burden on parents to monitor and control the media they injest and take the time to teach them through the various images, concepts or ideas to which they are exposed.
Do you really think we need media influence to explain these kinds of petty humiliations? Seems to me that garden variety bra-snapping, butt-pinching, groping and other forms of taunts have been around for as long as other sorts of bullies have. I've read memoirs from the 19th century that describe this kind of harassment. Perhaps media influence makes it a *bit* easier to depersonalize others in this way, but unfortunately children do come equipped with sadistic impulses just like everyone else and it takes a lot of work in inculcating respect for boundaries to get them to realize the principle of "How would I like it if someone did this to me?" I don't think these kinds of incidents really have much to do with a lust for sex and violence.

This was one more reason I loved the "alternative" program I was in for a few years back in the '70s, where kids of 3 different grade levels were mixed together in one class--it didn't end bullying totally, but it did have the effect of creating as kind of big sibling/little sibling dynamic between the kids that made us feel a lot more family-type solidarity with each other than schoolkids usually feel.

I do agree that it's an abdication of proper authority for a school to deal with one such incident through expulsion.
 
I am an administrator in an elementary school. Sexual harassment is real. In an elementary school however, there is more harrassment than sexual harassment.

Being a vice principal, I tend to have to deal with most of the incidents that occur in my building.

1st graders get suspended, but not usually because of one incident. Usually the suspension takes place after a number of incidents.

There is nothing in this article that indicates to me that the school has done anything wrong by this suspension. You must remember that there are legal reasons why the school cannot come out and say anything that has happened in the school with this child. WE do not know if there have been any incidents, nor do we know exactly why this boy was suspended, because the school according to the initial article would not provide the details.

We have one side of the story. Period.


Suspension is not EXPULSION. Expulsion is when a child is not allowed to return to school. Suspension is for a period of time.

To answer you questions about where are kids learning these things I can provide some insight.

If a child has older siblings, they are very likely to be given information from their older siblings. It is a fact of life. Many parents wonder where their child is learning something or a behavior and many times it comes from the older child. Usually in the fifth grade you will find that the health education that takes place is about puberty. You will almost always have a rise in inappropriate activity after the talk. It is not uncommon for girls as young as nine years old to get their period. keep in mind that nine years old is the THIRD GRADE. Kids are learning things younger.

Finally, they learn it on TV. I cannot get into specifics, however, if you fall asleep with the TV on and your child comes into the room you never know what might be on. Girls Gone Wild commerials may innocently be on the channel you are watching (Comedy Central), you fall asleep with the Daily Show on, and your five year old wakes up and comes in at 3:00 AM.....ect ect......next thing you know I am calling you because your child is applying what they learned at recess.

Victorias Secret commercials are also quite the take.....

So take it from a vice principal.....

it is not always bad parenting.....

Your kids are learning more than you want to know they know.....
 
Last edited:
Ummm....

[Q]Dorinvil said school administrators told her that her son's infraction was to place his hand inside the waistband of a girl's pants, touching the skin on her back.[/Q]

Let's assume that this is the FIRST infraction.....

What should the school have done?
 
[Q]Dorinvil said school administrators told her that her son's infraction was to place his hand inside the waistband of a girl's pants, touching the skin on her back.[/Q]

Let's assume this had been happening repeatedly.....

What should the school have done?
 
Dreadsox said:


If a child has older siblings, they are very likely to be given information from their older siblings. It is a fact of life. Many parents wonder where their child is learning something or a behavior and many times it comes from the older child.

So take it from a vice principal.....

it is not always bad parenting.....

Your kids are learning more than you want to know they know.....

Older siblings are a huge influence.

When my youngest son was in 3rd grade, he and several of his buddies were in the garage after school one day and as I walked by the inside door, I heard one of them say something about his "dick" I stood there for a minute and watched the other boys go from wide eyed and little shocked to doubled over with laughter. Of course he said it again just get another reaction and that's when they all saw me.

I scolded the potty mouth and asked him where he learned the word and he said through tears "my brother says it all the time!"

That was an eye opener for me because I normally would have blamed TV or the parents but it made sense considering he was 9 and had 4 teenage siblings.
 
Dreadsox said:
There is nothing in this article that indicates to me that the school has done anything wrong by this suspension. You must remember that there are legal reasons why the school cannot come out and say anything that has happened in the school with this child. WE do not know if there have been any incidents, nor do we know exactly why this boy was suspended, because the school according to the initial article would not provide the details.

We have one side of the story. Period.


Suspension is not EXPULSION. Expulsion is when a child is not allowed to return to school. Suspension is for a period of time.
Sorry my bad, I didn't pay close enough attention to the terminology used in the article. And you're right, we probably can't be reminded often enough that schools are bound to silence on the matter for legal reasons. As a teacher myself I ought to have known better.

I am still skeptical of just how formative images of sex on TV are to these impulses, though. I do agree that it makes depersonalizing others easier (i.e., reducing them to a label or a body), and further loosens any inhibitions about bringing sexual overtones into one's grab-bag of bullying techniques. But I think we underestimate childrens' potential to seek to humiliate other children, by whatever means come to mind, when we reflexively attribute it to media influences. If your child is inspired by a Victoria's Secret ad to grope another child and enjoy watching them cry or get flustered, then there are problems there that simply limiting TV access won't address.

Would you have suspended a student for putting his hands inside a girl's pants and onto her back on one occasion? What about the age-old tradition of bra-snapping?
 
Dreadsox said:
Ummm....

[Q]Dorinvil said school administrators told her that her son's infraction was to place his hand inside the waistband of a girl's pants, touching the skin on her back.[/Q]

Let's assume that this is the FIRST infraction.....

What should the school have done?

You punish and explain why this is wrong, but keep them in school.


As a vice principal, how do complaints come about? Teacher sees it, or someone tells a teacher?

How seriously is the whole "surprise attack" kiss thing taken? Because when I was in school it was the girls kissing the guys and it was looked at as nothing but a game?
 
Back
Top Bottom