Responding to Sexual Behavior

Reflection

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ACTIVITY ID: 23216

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Read the scenario below, and reflect on how the leadership team and staff incorporate the various strategies and principles outlined in this course. Complete the chart outlining some suggested response steps and note where you may have proceeded differently or would have liked staff to proceed differently.

An art teacher called the front office assistant at 11 a.m. A first-grade student, Dari, was not with her classmates when her class arrived to the art room. The front office assistant informed the principal, who began searching the school building. After searching for approximately 10 minutes, the principal observed a second-grade student, James, coming out of the boy's bathroom followed by Dari. The principal asked them what they were doing in the boy's bathroom. James said he went into the bathroom and Dari was using the bathroom and he told her hi. Dari said they were just playing. Both students rejoined their classmates, and the principal let both the art teacher and Dari’s primary classroom teacher know that Dari may need more supervision during independent bathroom trips. For peace of mind, the principal watched the closed-circuit television from that morning and observed Dari and James entering the boy's bathroom together. This did not match what James had originally said.

A teacher reported a second incident that involved Dari in the girl's bathroom with two other students, Nya and Kendra. The three students were in the bathroom when the teacher entered. The teacher spoke to them, and Nya and Kendra said Dari asked them to show her their private parts. The principal spoke to Nya and Kendra, and they reiterated what they told the teacher.

James was asked to come to the principal’s office and speak more about what really happened. He started crying and said, “Dari made me kiss her privates.” The principal called Kendra and Nya back to her office and asked what really happened. Kendra said Dari had asked them to show her their private parts and to kiss her or she would not be her friend. The principal asked her "Kiss you, where"? Kendra pointed to her private parts. The principal made a report toPUBLIC a specialist and made phone calls to the parents of all students involved.

Response Step	What Would You Do/Want Staff to Do?
1. Staff members remain calm and collect their thoughts.	When encountering the students and when speaking to them, maintain a calm, nonaccusatory demeanor. Show that you care for them and want to make sure they are always safe.
2. “In the moment,” staff members redirect the behavior and ensure that all children are safe.	When students are involved in concerning situations or if something seems off, staff should make sure they are OK. An open-ended question to these students such as, “Is everyone OK?” provides them the opportunity to share if they need something or if something is not OK. If students confirm they are OK, make sure they each return to their classrooms and are appropriately supervised. If a student is visibly upset or injured, make sure they receive individual support.
3. Work with staff members and the children involved to understand the incident.	When an incident has occurred or there is a possible concern, staff should inform someone from school leadership, who may then decide to speak to individual students. When speaking with students about sexual behavior concerns, two adults, including someone from leadership, should be present. Even if you are the school administrator, it is best practice to have a colleague present. It may be helpful to discuss with the second adult what you plan to ask before you speak with students. Speak with students individually and in private, and use open-ended questions. If a student refuses to speak or you suspect, or can confirm, that they are not telling the truth, do not push them to speak against their will or threaten them with consequences. Avoid re-questioning students or asking them to retell what they have already shared. Regardless of what a student reports, if you know concerning behavior occurred from watching closed-circuit video, engagePUBLICa specialist.
4. Appropriately document the incident and behaviors and brainstorm whether a short-term support plan or preventive plan is needed.	Document what happened from the perspective of the students involved and what happened from the perspective of the adults involved. Provide details about who was present, direct quotes, time, date, and location. If including information based on closed-circuit video, indicate this in your documentation. If you create a short-term support plan (to bridge the gap between the incident andPUBLICa specialist’s input), document this in detail.
5. With relevant staff members, lead engagement with appropriate outside supports as relevant.	Administrator will initiate assistance from other agencies.
6. With relevant staff members, lead communication with families.	A member of leadership should communicate objective factual information to families in a confidential and respectful way, for example, “Dari was observed coming out of the boy’s bathroom with another student today. She said that she and the other students were, “just playing.” When reviewing the closed-circuit footage, we observed Dari in the bathroom with her pants down and the other student touched her genital area with his mouth. The other student stated that Dari made him do this. Additionally, a different student, found in the bathroom with Dari on a separate occasion, stated that Dari asked her to show Dari her private parts and kiss her. It is our school’s policy that we must engage thePUBLICa specialist anytime there is a concerning sexual behavior in our school. This is done to support everyone involved, including Dari.”
7. Communicate with the applicable leadership members.	Follow your school’s policy on who is to be informed when there are sexual behavior incidents and whenPUBLICa specialist has been engaged.
8. Lead the action planning process for your program’s more immediate response, until you have concrete guidance fromMILFAP or specialists. Work with the relevant staff members to create a short-term support or prevention plan.	While staff may be instrumental in creating short-term support plans, it is the role of the administrator to ensure that this has been done and is being implemented. Review all short-term plans and check in with the staff responsible for implementing.
9. Support multidisciplinary teams so specialists, staff, and families know each other’s roles and responsibilities.	Administrators or another school leader will need to coordinate the communication between various individuals. If you are the point person in your school, make sure relevant individuals are informed when there are updates.
10. Work with other professionals on strategic responses in the program to best support the children and families.	If you or staff need more extensive support in supporting individual students and families or your school community as a whole, engage other professionals for assistance.
11. Follow up with staff to ensure support plans are implemented appropriately, and if needed, additional documentation is complete.	A school leader should check in with staff who are implementing a support plan to ensure it is carried out as intended and if additional support is needed. Also, document the effectiveness of the support plan. Has the behavior occurred again? If so, how often? Where? How did staff respond?
12. Review prevention plans for the school as a whole to ensure that all staff know how to implement appropriate prevention techniques.	Staff may benefit from refresher trainings on prevention techniques, and new staff may need more guidance on sexual development and behavior.
13. Work with a specialist for guidance on when law enforcement, child protective services, or other agencies should be involved.	If you are unsure if you should contact child protective services or law enforcement, engage another specialist for guidance.