Private School Abuse

Boarding School Abuse illustrates a range of criminal and lurid acts commonly committed on students by school faculty members, administrators or employees involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The attack may be a one-time, non-consensual encounter or it may involve many assaults during an ongoing interaction. For example, an ongoing intimate encounter with a student, created by the predatory behavior of a faculty member, school administrator or staff and whether leading to physical agreed sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.

Student on student sexual assault is another form of abuse, that may be compounded by the school’s negligence to provide a safe environment that enabled the attack to occur. Inside the school community are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students might be subjected to the predatory actions of older, more experienced students. This behavior, along with peer-pressure applied on both the attacker and the targeted victim, might lead to varying types of abuse that includes sexual assault of varying degrees.

In all alleged Boarding School Assault matters, a school administration’s failure to entirely, immediately report the assault to police and other authorities, or its additional failure to research, address and deal fully with the matter increases the effects on the victim, the school population and potentially others. Recent Boarding School Abuse cases reported in the media highlight these failures, including times when the attacker quietly leaves the campus only to assume employment somewhere else in a school environment.

Predatory Behavior
Most private schools pride themselves on their tiny, personal communities inside a well-defined and safe campus. In this environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much closer and familiar with students than might be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This may create both opportunity and cover to the would-be attacker and for the predatory behavior.

In some situations, the attacker might be a likeable and popular individual, generally considered to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted student may feel flattered that a popular superior in the school community is expressing special interest in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement into the school community, attack allegations against these abusers are frequently met with doubt, non-belief, and resistance by the community. Often, abusers have distance and judgment problems which turn into unusually friendly relationships with students that are past what are commonly expected. This creates a predatory path and opportunity for the attack.

All abusers, to differing amounts, use predatory tactics that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a potential abuse victim. Following is a list of grooming methods used by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the student.

Grooming
Grooming is a main part of a predator’s ploy. In a boarding school setting, a predator usually works closely with small amounts of students, realizing every student’s needs and weaknesses. Once a target is identified and selected, these vulnerabilities – such as loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, may be systematically leveraged in the following manners:

Trust

A predator could first work to gain the student’s trust. This step is most difficult to realize as private school communities are usually tight-knit and personal engagement is commonplace. Here, the predator is likely part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellness and success at the school.
Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student will begin to count on more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The student may spend more time with the predator, feeling more comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and kindness, the potential victim may receive gifts from the predator, including valuable, presents such as the promise of higher grades, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance stage is usually where the predatory behavior is noticeable from well-meaning collegial behavior.

Isolation

As the grooming progresses, the predator will try to isolate the potential victim. At deerfield academy abuse , this may mean after-hour get togethers, tutoring sessions, encounters in the dormitory , one-on-one athletic practice sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will begin to desensitize the student from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and other behaviors that lead to sexual interaction. This may begin with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or communicating, with suggestive messages to determine the victim’s response to the progression. This could increase until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is established, the predator will work to keep control of the student and the continuing abuse. The predator will probably try to manipulate the student by inducing feelings of shame, or possibly threats, or employ the opposite tactic of continuing to have the victim feel special and desired. In any event, the predator might continue to exploit the victim by whatever means available to maintain the immoral physical relationship.

Legacy on Abuse Survivors

When the grooming increases as planned by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will likely respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, through these well planned and performed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-work and reduce the moral boundaries of the victim. Since the victim participated in this re-calibration, she frequently experiences deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming herself for the incident and likely not to report it.

Furthermore, after the abuse has been revealed, victims of private school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as being bullied, isolation from their peers, or revenge from administrators. Especially at private schools, where education is rigorous, competition can be fierce and social circles small, survivors of abuse can be quickly isolated and socially abused. Subjected to such reactions, many boarding school abuse victims that have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of the isolation and social abuse, report the abuse decades later. In either situation, the legacy can be severe and life-altering.

Some abuse victims bear from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and trouble establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups might help survivors get past those effects.

Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse may win financial compensation from the abuser and more frequently, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the abuse, as well as failures or negligence in its process of reviewing and replying to the survivor’s report of the abuse. If you are a survivor of boarding school abuse and would like to confidentially review your story and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are prepared to talk with you. It is important for a victim to realize that experiencing assault is not your fault. The attorneys at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those responsible for the abuse to justice.