Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 16, 1993 TAG: 9306160331
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Ellen Goodman's June 8 commentary ("Stopping sexual harassment in the schools") states that schools need teachers who see and will say no to harassment in class.
The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times front-page article on June 2 ("Survey: Most students suffer in-school sexual harassment") on the sexual survey taken by the American Association of University Women reported that a 16-year-old girl found that it did no good to make school authorities aware of the problem. She was told to ignore harassers.
Sexual harassment is only a part of the harassing problems in today's schools. Unfortunately, the majority of authoritative personnel within school systems continue to drone on and on the well-worn phrase, "You must learn to ignore," rather than disciplining those who harass certain of their peers day after day.
All persons have their own tolerance threshold limit, beyond which they can stand no more. After that, the individual becomes so emotionally distressed that the body reacts in one way or another in an attempt to escape stress. Results manifest themselves in a number of ways, from actual physical illnesses to unacceptable behaviors, nervous conditions, refusal to attend or participate in school activities and in attempted suicides.
Instead of being a place of learning and enjoyable times, school becomes the individuals' own personal hell-hole, which deprives him or her of the right to an education.
All types of harassment can cause a lot of harm and should be stopped by whatever legal means it takes. PATRICIA D. DEEL CLOVERDALE
by CNB