This story is  distrubing. A young girl, who experienced sexual assault at the hands of another student was forced to write a letter of apology to her attacker by the school authorities of Republic Middle school in Missouri. It wasn't until she was attacked a second time by the same student, that her mother took her to a child advocacy center, where for the first time ever a rape kit was used. The forensic experts determined that the young girl was indeed assaulted and her follow student who committed this act would later confess for his actions.

On one hand, I can lend some understanding towards the school authority regarding their claim that there was no evidence to indicate that the girl's allegations were true. ( Although they certainly could have followed through with a forensic exam.) However, what evidence did they have to determine that the girl was lying and demand that she write an apology letter? Who ever came up with that ridiculous consequence should never be allowed to work with young people again.

In the absence of evidence, no one should be rushing to judgement, let alone dishing out consequences. But wait- I think I know why the school authorities further victimized this young girl. They did it to avoid the negative attention, ironically enough that's just what they got. A school that forces young girls who have been sexually assaulted to apologize to their attackers.

Every adult on the school's payroll who was involved in investigating this young girl's claims committed an act of cowardice. Simply for the sake of looking good. By turning the tables on this young girl, they did not have to look at themselves as a collective to address where they were lacking in supervision and keeping the students safe.

If I were the principal, I would have been more concerned about the mental health of both students than how my school would come across to the general public. The idea of playing a role in fostering PTSD in one student and sociopathy in another student should give any educator a heart ache.

The reality is this, it is unrealistic for any educational institution to be held accountable for the actions of its students. Take this story for example, with the relative ease of access children and teens now have to viewing pornography, via Internet ready devices such as gaming and music player devices, school administrators should expect an increase in such incidences regarding young people acting out sexually at the expense of another peer. This is because their young brains are not mature enough to properly process and departmentalize the visuals a significant number of them are exposed to. (A topic for another post). I can write that I too have witnessed a significant increase in the number of referrals to my practice for children between the ages of 8 and 12 who have offended sexually against a peer or younger sibling. However school administrators should be held accountable for how they handle incidences like this, after the fact.

I would like to use this opportunity to give kudos to the brave young girl, who found the courage to speak out against her attacker on two separate occasions. I hope she can work with a good therapist who can help her in journey of recovery.