Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyer Blog

Major controversy erupted in North Carolina recently when a school system suspended a 9-year-old boy because he called his teacher "cute," Fox News reports.

Certainly sexual harassment anywhere, including sexual harassment in Los Angeles, is a serious offense. And as we have reported on Sexual Harassment Lawyer Blog, half of students feel they have been sexually harassed at school.

So, the issue of sexual harassment at school is an issue that must be addressed. But, there also must be perspective in situations like this. Most people who are guilty of sexual harassment, our Los Angeles sexual assault attorneys have found, are adult men in corporate settings. This doesn't mean that women can't be the perpetrators -- that certainly happens as well.

But to consider a child, not even a teenager, was punished for sexual harassment seems to be quite a stretch. According to Fox News, the boy's mother got a call from the principal at the elementary school, who said the comment of calling a teacher "cute" was a form of sexual harassment. The boy was suspended for two days.

An official said the boy was suspended for "inappropriate behavior" for making "inappropriate statements." The news comes as Massachusetts officials are investigating claims of sexual harassment after a first-grader struck another boy his age in the groin. Those boys are 7.

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that the long-time principal of the North Carolina school in question has recently resigned.

The man has worked in the school district for more than 40 years and resigned from the elementary school because of the flap caused by his decision to suspend the 9-year-old. The newspaper reports the boy called a teacher "fine." The boy told his mother he said "cute."

School officials reviewed the case, the newspaper reports, and found that the boy was not guilty of sexual harassment as the mother was first told and his suspension was later erased from his record.

The school administrator -- with 15 years as a principal and 34 years of experience in the system -- told a newspaper he was forced to resign or be fired. School officials said he resigned.

The awareness of sexual harassment has moved in waves in this country. At times, people have seemed to be aware of it and at other times, its importance to some people has waned.

Every day, it happens. Sexual harassment in Los Angeles is a problem, yet many corporations don't take it seriously. Saying something of a sexual nature in a business setting is inappropriate and unlawful. Sending vulgar and sexually themed e-mails and asking for sexual favors in exchange for work or promotions are all offenses that can be used in support of a sexual harassment lawsuit.