Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyer Blog

Big news throughout Los Angeles recently has been related to a teacher accused of blindfolding children, taping their mouths, putting cockroaches on their faces and even possibly feeding them semen on a spoon.

Two teachers have been charged with crimes related to this alleged activity. The big question is why it wasn't stopped or reported sooner. Some experts are looking to school officials to determine why policies, especially related to sexual harassment in Los Angeles, weren't followed or enforced.

Sadly, Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyers have seen that sexual harassment can happen in schools. Students, just like fellow teachers, must be protected from this form of harassment. Regardless of the setting, whether in government work, private business or an educational setting, no one should have to endure sexual harassment.

In schools, teachers may be tempted to flirt with students who are more advanced in age. In college, perhaps this is more of an issue than in high school or middle school.

Flirting isn't the only way sexual harassment can happen. Often, sexual harassment isn't about sex or sexual attraction, but exhibiting power. Many times, a person in power -- in this case, a teacher or professor -- can use that influence to attempt to put pressure on the student. They make inappropriate sexual references or take other actions that can make a student uncomfortable.

This puts the victim in a difficult position. For a middle school student, they may not know how to process the information and may be likely to hide what has happened. Their grades and behavior may suffer. The same could happen to high school students, though if they are older, they may be more likely to report. Still, they will have to endure rumors and pressure from peers.

In college, this could ruin a student's experience. They may be excited about their new field, but after suffering harassment by a professor they regularly see, it could cause them to transfer. With universities often protective of professors, a successful complaint could require a high standard of proof.

Not reporting it will simply allow the behavior to continue. Handling it alone, though, could be a big mistake. These topics are important to address and also are risky. Ensuring that a person is well-represented is critical.

According to news reports regarding the Los Angeles case, a veteran middle school teacher was arrested after photos surfaced of the alleged violations against students. A second teacher has also been arrested for alleged lewd acts against two girls who were 7 years-old.

One thing officials are looking at is whether proper sexual harassment procedures and training was followed by co-workers. In many situations, co-workers, as well as supervisors, are responsible for recognizing acts that could be construed as sexual harassment. There may also be times where these signs can be pointed out to protect subordinates and other clients.

If co-workers noticed something wrong but didn't do anything, they, too, could be held liable. This is why it's important for these cases to be fully investigated to ensure that rules and laws are followed.