EOL 469: Legal Basis of Educational Practice

David M. Stone, University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL USA

University Laboratory High School Policy on Sexual Harassment and the Davis Case

As a department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University Laboratory High School is required to use the same sexual harassment policy that is used throughout the rest of the university. There is no flexibility in this situation whatsoever. I also have the dubious distinction of being a teacher at the high school involved in the Doe v University of Illinois, a case which was mentioned numerous times in the text of the Davis case. Based on my experiences as a teacher as well as a current student in the EOL469 class, I find the University's Policy on Sexual Harassment to be vague, as well as not terribly meaningful, to 7th through 12th grade students. The university's sexual harassment policy is more explicitly addressed through its Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students.

Because the sexual harassment policy has been written and rewritten by university lawyers who are regularly involved in sexual harassment litigation including the ongoing Doe v University of Illinois, I won't even pretend that I can or should second guess the current form of the policy. However, I would advise University Laboratory High School to add clarification to the stated policy in its student and faculty handbooks, elaborating on the fact that sexual harassment is defined by law and includes but is not restricted to unwanted sexual gesture, physical contact, or statement that a reasonable person would find offensive, humiliating. Additionally, I think it essential that a statement be made that sexual harassment can be manifested in numerous forms including but not restricted to student-on-student, student-on-teacher, student-on-administrator, teacher-on-student, teacher-on-teacher, teacher-on-administrator, administrator-on-student, administrator-on-teacher and administrator-on-administrator actions.

Created 8/31/99. Last modified 8/31/99.