ABSTRACT
In the last twenty years, the popular press and much research literature has focused on the problem of teacher–student sexual harassment in K–12 schools. Such illicit activity requires clear policy, robust professional development, and careful enforcement by school administrators. The creation of language defining what constitutes actionable misconduct and appropriate school reactions when such conduct is reported should not be a creative exercise. Most school attorneys have access to boilerplate statements that have been tested in court. Counseling and mental health care may be as necessary a reaction to the misconduct as a prescribed punishment. A school is a community, and there are lessons to be taught to all members of the community by the way the school and its administrators administer justice.
