In Trouble For Show And Tell

From the magazine issue dated Nov 26, 2007

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For Demarcus Blackwell, having the "sex talk" with his 15-year-old son was "kind of embarrassing." But that was nothing compared with the idea of explaining sexual harassment to his preschooler. "He doesn't have the slightest clue about sex anything," says Blackwell, of Waco, Texas, whose 4-year-old son Christopher was suspended last year for sexual harassment when a female school aide reported that the child buried his face in her chest when she hugged him. "How do you explain what's a better kind of hug?"

Blackwell is one of a number of parents whose kindergartners and first graders are being suspended, often for days at a time, for sexual misconduct based on behavior like hugging, poking and pinching classmates or school staff. In Ohio, 74 first graders were suspended for "unwelcome sexual conduct" last year, up from 52 in 2005. In Virginia, at least 13 kindergartners have been suspended in each of the last three years for "sexual touching." Massachusetts and Maryland also note recent increases in rates of pint-size offenders.

Some educational professionals are shocked that states are even collecting data about sexual harassment among children so young. "For real? I'm suddenly scared that my daughter shows her panties all the time," says Amy Rezzonico of the Arizona Department of Education, whose 4-year-old has a habit of lifting her skirt over her head in public. In some states, though, the crackdown is a way for schools to hedge against lawsuits for neglecting sexual-harassment claims. "A lot of people say, 'Well, it's just elementary-age kids.' But … our culture has a lot of vulgarity in it right now," says Jim Walsh, a Texas lawyer who trains school officials to spot sexual harassment among students. Administrators, he says, are "on guard, and understandably so."

Experts, however, say the hard-line approach is punishing normal developmental behavior. Five- and 6-year-old kids "need to touch," says Nan Stein, a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women. "Whether it's 'show me yours and I'll show you mine' or snapping each other's clothes, let's not confuse sexual behavior with sexual harassment." Blackwell, whose attempt at explanation only baffled his son, says that Christopher is "asexual." That may have changed since the words "sexual harassment" entered his vocabulary.

This country has got to get a clue and wake up!
War and Terror we run to the polls and vote for the champion of our fallen. A first grader hugging a staff member gets the suspension for a week for something they are not even aware exists! I wonder what sick fantasy this "staff member" was having and why is that person not being labeled a pedophile? That is what I as any parent of any child that age would be pushing through the court if this kind of crap pulled me out of work to go pick up my child. Get a clue or the thing we will b making in America in decades to come will be mal adjusted freakish nightmares lurking about street corners looking for trouble because they feel like nobody can love anybody. I think the aide is sexually frustrated and perhaps should be asked to take a leave without pay while the administration at that school completes a background check. The writer below uses the phrase "Dumb Asses", I second that "EMOTION". Now what wll I loose my job because I have emotions? Get real America we know better than this!

This is ridiculous. I don't understand how anyone could say that banning hugs, especially for children so small, is psychologically sound. I mean seriously. It's bad enough that nudity, something EVERYONE has, is such a stigma in today's society. Now we are talking about banning any physical contact whatsoever. This is ridiculous. MORONIC PRUDES. Are they going to pay the money when these kids are in their 20s, having to go to therapy because they can't function properly because their lives were void of any normal physical contact when they were young. In a world where war and terror is so prevalent, we're going to ban the peaceful contact between human beings. AGH this infuriates me. I don't even....whatever.

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Posted By: Horrible Bastard @ 12/22/2008 2:03:58 PM

LOL America.
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Posted By: Bulmoose @ 12/05/2007 9:10:53 PM

This country has got to get a clue and wake up!
War and Terror we run to the polls and vote for the champion of our fallen. A first grader hugging a staff member gets the suspension for a week for something they are not even aware exists! I wonder what sick fantasy this "staff member" was having and why is that person not being labeled a pedophile? That is what I as any parent of any child that age would be pushing through the court if this kind of crap pulled me out of work to go pick up my child. Get a clue or the thing we will b making in America in decades to come will be mal adjusted freakish nightmares lurking about street corners looking for trouble because they feel like nobody can love anybody. I think the aide is sexually frustrated and perhaps should be asked to take a leave without pay while the administration at that school completes a background check. The writer below uses the phrase "Dumb Asses", I second that "EMOTION". Now what wll I loose my job because I have emotions? Get real America we know better than this!
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Posted By: messica.j @ 12/05/2007 7:29:09 PM

This is ridiculous. I don't understand how anyone could say that banning hugs, especially for children so small, is psychologically sound. I mean seriously. It's bad enough that nudity, something EVERYONE has, is such a stigma in today's society. Now we are talking about banning any physical contact whatsoever. This is ridiculous. MORONIC PRUDES. Are they going to pay the money when these kids are in their 20s, having to go to therapy because they can't function properly because their lives were void of any normal physical contact when they were young. In a world where war and terror is so prevalent, we're going to ban the peaceful contact between human beings. AGH this infuriates me. I don't even....whatever.