U.S. New & World Report talks with NASBE’s Kristen Amundson about sexual assault and discipline policies and practices in states and schools across the country.
From Tierney Sneed’s article:
“…While the campaign against college rape has raised awareness about the statute, many parents and even some school administrators are unaware that it also applies to primary and secondary education. Furthermore, many schools are unsure of what else is required once they have reported an incident, as mandated, to the authorities.
“If there was any real evidence of any violation of the law, our first instinct was to refer the matter to the commonwealth attorney,” says Kristen Amundson, a former school board chairwoman in Fairfax County, Virginia, who is now the executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education. She says when she was chairwoman, only the school board in her district could expel students, and any disciplinary action was likely to follow legal adjudication.
“Investigating a situation, particularly if you’re talking about sexual assault, requires real skill and training – and at least in Fairfax, detectives had that ability, had that training,” she says. “The issue is, sometimes, what do you do in that beginning period?”
Amundson also served in the Virginia legislature, where she sponsored a bill that allows school boards to impose short-term suspensions or alternative education programs on students charged with intentionally harming another student – a measure she says could be applied to incidents of sexual assault. Maryland has also issued guidelines for what to do if a teacher or school board member believes a student has been sexually assaulted. But in many states, such protocols are lacking, leaving schools to interpret federal requirements on their own….”