Sexual violence doesn’t wait for college

Here’s the ugly truth: while there’s been a lot of talk about gender violence on college campuses, too many K-12 students face harassment and violence at school, and often teachers and administrators fail to stop and respond to this mistreatment.

Often, these school failures are illegal: students at public schools, and other K-12 schools that receive federal funding, are protected by Title IX. To spread the word, our own Dana and Mahroh, along with young activists across the country, have created a Know Your IX toolkit for high school students. They write:

Rape doesn’t just happen in college. K-12 students suffer sexual and dating violence too. Student survivors who attend public schools, and other schools that receive federal funding, are protected by a 1972 civil rights law called Title IX. In brief, Title IX requires schools to act to prevent violence before it occurs (through, for instance, training and educational programming) and to respond to it after the fact, to remedy its impact (through, for instance, free counseling, academic accommodations, and other support services).

On this site, you can find information on high school student survivors’ legal rights, schools’ legal obligations, and resources and tools for accessing support, including:

• A primer on what gender violence is, what your legal options are, and resources for seeking additional support (this page; scroll down!)

• Title IX Basics: a summary of nine key Title IX protections for high school students and survivors

• Answers to frequently asked legal questions, like, “Is what I tell people confidential?” and “Does Title IX protect me if I was assaulted at home, on the bus, or online?”

• A guide to accessing restraining orders as a high school student survivor

• A guide on asking for support as a high school student survivor — and, for teachers, family members, and friends — a how-to on providing it

• A guide on finding a pro bono lawyer

Are you a high school student? Dana and Mahroh are looking for your ideas and advice for other young activists; you can reach them at knowyourIX [at] gmail [dot] com. Are you an ally? Do a mitzvah and send out the Know Your IX guide to a student in your life.