The #MeToo movement has brought attention to sexual harassment in the movie industry, politics, restaurants and virtually every workplace in the country. But one place that it has been rampant in for years is in school. As the culture shifts to be more respectful of women’s rights, so too have educators’ approaches on how to instill that ethic within the male student population and to protect girls who feel their dignity has been affronted.

In a national study published in 2011 that canvassed nearly 2,000 female students in grades seven through 12, results indicated that 48 percent of the students experienced some form of sexual harassment in that school year. Close to 90 percent said it had a negative effect on them, according to the American Association of University Women, an advocacy group promoting equity and education for women and girls.

On social media and in letters received by the Daily American, women who graduated from some of Somerset County’s school districts said they had similar experiences while attending the local educational facilities.

Thomas Kakabar, superintendent of Conemaugh Township Area School District, said accusations made against students are handled through a disciplinary process. They investigate the claim and try to ascertain exactly what happened. They meet with parents, and if it was proven it took place, they would call for a punishment, right up to arrest and adjudication if warranted.

“The boys will be boys mentality isn’t acceptable anymore obviously with everything that has taken place in society,” Kakabar said. “That’s something we don’t permit or allow to take place here. Obviously, if it is reported to us. If they don’t tell us, we won’t know about it.”

Kakabar said he gets one or two reports a year dealing with sexual harassment or misconduct, and more often than not it deals with inappropriate touching more than commentary regarding body parts. Though statistically most incidents of sexual misconduct go unreported, Kakabar thinks that he’s getting the information on when they do.

“I think our kids are good about reporting things here,” he said. “There are issues we deal with on a weekly or daily basis. That’s one thing we feel lucky as administrators because our kids feel comfortable approaching us.”

Many of the local school districts have implemented the Botvin LifeSkills Training Program, which is used in schools and communities throughout the U.S. and in 39 countries around the world. Teens are educated early on how to deal with their sexual feelings and understand accepted limits. According to the program’s website, experts find that sexual harassment begins at the middle school level and escalates through high school. The program focuses on how teens and preteens learn to deal with treating the opposite sex as their own bodies develop.

Read full article: County school districts adjust in #MeToo era