I am concerned about the report of sexual harassment and resulting sit-in at JFK Middle School in Northampton (“JFK students hold sit-in to raise awareness of sexual harassment,” June 23).
I know administrators have to respond to all kinds of challenging behavior, and of course it is normal for middle school students to become aware of their sexuality and develop curiosity about bodies. It is not normal, however, for students to harass others.
The behavior reported — unwanted attention in class and unwanted touching in the hall — are forms of intimidation. They have little to do with sex and much more to do with power.
The adult response needs to be swift and stern. This is a very important “teachable moment.” I do not know the details, but removing the girl from class was the wrong decision. It may have made her feel even more targeted.
Instead, the boys should be taken aside and given a clear and unambiguous message that talking about a girl’s body in a way to make her uncomfortable is not OK. Nor is unwanted touching. As those boys grow older, such behavior has more severe consequences in our social and workplace settings, and anyone who has to endure harassment often suffers greatly.
It might be helpful for students to understand sexual harassment under the umbrella of bullying. All 50 states now have anti-bullying laws, but Massachusetts sets a particularly high bar for schools. The law was implemented after the tragic suicides in 2009 of a sixth-grader in Springfield was repeatedly shamed for seeming to be gay, and in 2010 a ninth-grader in South Hadley who was repeatedly taunted as a slut.
I hope the sit-in and resulting Gazette article will prompt JFK to review its overall anti-bullying policies and think carefully how to provide a thoughtful schoolwide response, perhaps with some outside help.
Please no more “boys will be boys” or “kids will be kids” responses. Let’s keep standards high for all students and give them the skills to achieve them.
Amy Levine
Florence