One in four girls and one in six boys younger than 18 have been sexually assaulted, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Even so, many assaults are not reported due to a common hesitation that teenagers have when deciding whether to tell someone about their experience. This hesitation often stems from the misconception that reporting an incident will result in them being disciplined, or a situation worsening. In all cases, however, safety is Poly Prep Country Day School’s foremost priority, and students can view the faculty and staff as a safe resource and support system to help address dangerous incidents of harassment and assault.
Poly has a strict harassment policy. Stated in Poly’s Bullying and Harassment Policy, “Poly prohibits any and all forms of harassment, whether such harassment takes the form of physical, verbal, or electronic interaction.” Poly discloses information on how they handle reports: “[Poly Prep faculty or staff] will talk through the student’s desired outcome of the situation and clearly delineate the next steps,” according to Poly’s Policies A-Z, as found on Veracross.
How Is Abuse Reported at Poly?
There are two main ways that students can report incidents. A common way is to reach out to a trusted faculty or staff member. One of the two Poly Upper School Guidance Counselors Anais Kingsberry explained the importance of having resources on campus. “[The] idea is that we don’t want students to feel that they’re limited if they really need support,” said Kingsberry. Chair of the Upper School Deans Department and Director of College Guidance Emily Gardiner also shared her desire for students to reach out. “Talking to any trusted adult about it would be the very first thing I would want to tell a student who felt mistreated in any way by another kid,” said Gardiner.
Regardless of the degree of severity, Gardiner said she wants her students to feel comfortable coming to her with any concerns. “[We] can’t have a culture where we’re discouraging our peers from speaking to someone when they’re worried. If we have that culture, then eventually we’re getting to a place where really bad stuff won’t be talked about, and that’s a really dangerous place to be in,” she added. After the instance is reported, the student usually has a conversation with the Head of the Upper School Sarah Bates. Then, depending on the severity of the incident, Bates will work with the Deans and often the Head of School in order to decide on the best outcome.
The second way that students can gain support is through the Incident Reporting Form on Veracross. The first section of the form includes information about the reporting process. Following, the student is asked the specificities of the event, and finally whether they would like to remain anonymous, and if not, they can enter their personal information. After submission, the form will go straight to Bates who proceeds with the appropriate next steps depending on the circumstances.
How Does Poly Handle Reports?
If the situation occurred between Poly individuals, and the degree of severity is low, it is usually handled by the Poly community. However, if the incident is severe, Poly will seek help from outside resources. “[We’re] a school, and there are some things that are just way out of our realm of professional experience and obligations,” explained Bates. If an incident, such as sexual harassment or assault, is particularly serious, then Poly “would actually ask you to call the police, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing that, I would sit down and help make that call with you and your family,” explained Bates. Legally, Poly would also need to inform the student’s family as well. “If the student is endangering another kid in an active way, we’d probably have to take that student out of the community,” said Gardiner.
Handling the report can become more difficult if it is filed anonymously. “[There] might not be anything I can do with that information, depending on what it is, and I very much want to do something with the information. But if I don’t know who to follow up with…it just makes it difficult,” said Bates. Every student may not be ready to disclose such information, but anonymous reporting can potentially lengthen the resolution process.
Possible Hesitations Surrounding Reporting
The faculty and staff at Poly are most concerned with a student’s safety. Nerves, however, are a normal aspect of sharing scary events in one’s life. Kingsberry shared her experience working with children and her opinion on why some hesitate to report incidents of sexual assault. “I know sometimes students might be afraid to report something,” she said. Some individuals may feel this way because they fear getting in trouble due to the circumstances, Kingsberry explained. “But that’s not our main concern. Our concern is [that] you experienced this traumatic experience … and we want to support you in that,” she added. Some students may also find talking about events intimidating due to the possible creation of social conflicts. “[Reporting] is extremely important but it can be difficult to report because of social pressure,” noted Poly junior Dillon Rapp.
How Does Poly Protect Privacy?
“The adults will protect the privacy and anonymity of the reporting student to the best of their ability,” as mentioned in Poly’s Policies A-Z. However, Poly must do whatever is necessary in order to support the individual. Bates expressed that this means that she cannot promise full privacy amongst the faculty and staff members who need to participate in an investigation in order to help the situation. “I will honor privacy. But if I find out something’s going on, I’m going to have to do something about it… to make sure that the person who is the victim in the situation is being attended to in every way that we can,” she explained.
Reporting instances through Poly is an accessible way for students to seek help when they are a victim of assault. Of course, a student may have resources outside of school as well. What’s important is that they have someone they feel comfortable talking to about this traumatic event with, according to Bates. “If something’s going on and they need help, I very much hope that everyone has at least one person, whether it’s at school or at home, or friends, that [they] can reach out to.”
