Private School Abuse

Boarding School Abuse denotes a series of criminal and lurid acts frequently committed against students by school faculty members, administrators or staff involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault might be a one-time, non-consensual attack or it might include many assaults within an ongoing interaction. For example, an ongoing intimate relationship with a student, created by the predatory behavior of a faculty member, school administrator or staff and whether heading to physical agreed sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.

Student-on-student sexual assault is another form of abuse, which can be compounded by the school’s failure to provide a safe environment that enabled the assault to occur. Inside the school community are students of different ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students might be subjected to the predatory behavior of older, more experienced students. Their intent, along with peer-pressure applied on both the predator and the targeted victim, could lead to varying forms of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.

In all reported Boarding School Assault matters, a school administration’s failure to fully, immediately report the crime to law enforcement and other authorities, or its further failure to research, address and deal fully with the matter amplifies the effects on the abuse survivor, the school community and potentially others. Recent Boarding School Abuse cases reported in the media exemplify these failures, including times when the perpetrator quietly leaves the campus merely to assume employment somewhere else in a school environment.

Predatory Behavior
Many private schools pride themselves on their small, personal communities within a well-defined and secure campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much closer and familiar with students than might be expected in a non-boarding school situation. This could provide both opportunity and cover to the possible abuser and for the predatory behavior.

In some matters, the attacker might be a likeable and popular person, generally considered to be a enhancement to the school community. A targeted victim could feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community has expressed special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement in the school community, attack allegations against these abusers are often met with doubt, disbelief, and resistance by the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and morality issues which turn into unusually friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are normally expected. This provides a predatory path and opportunity for the abuse.

All abusers, to differing amounts, employ predatory actions that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Below is a compilation of grooming methods used by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the subordinate student.

Grooming
Grooming is a major part of a predator’s ploy. In a boarding school situation, a predator often works closely with small numbers of students, realizing each student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is identified and selected, these vulnerabilities – such as being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, might be systematically leveraged in the following manners:

Trust

A predator may initially work to get 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 wellbeing and achievement at the school.
Reliance
As a predator creates a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student will start to rely more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The student might spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and affection, the potential victim may receive gifts from the predator, including valuable, gifts like the promise of high marks, or a college recommendation letter. The reliance stage is mainly where the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.

Isolation

While the grooming progresses, the predator might work to isolate the student. At school, this could mean late get togethers, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dormitory , one-on-one athletic practice sessions, or various other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will begin to desensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and other actions that lead to sexual interaction. This might start with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or communicating, with suggestive language to determine the victim’s response to the progression. This might escalate until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is established, the predator will try to keep control of the victim and the continuing abuse. The predator will probably seek to manipulate the student by inducing emotions of guilt, or possibly threats, or employ the opposite strategy of continuing to have the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, abused at boarding school may continue to exploit the victim with means available to keep the inappropriate physical relationship.

Impacts on Abuse Survivors

While the grooming escalates as planned by the predator, the targeted student, being made to feel special, will likely respond affirmatively to the actions. The predator, through these well planned and performed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-work and reduce the moral boundaries of the victim. Because the victim participated in this re-calibration, he often has deep feelings of shame, initially blaming herself for the incident and hesitant to report it.

Furthermore, after the abuse has been revealed, victims of private school abuse are frequently exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as being bullied, isolation from their peers, or retaliation from teachers. Especially at boarding schools, where education is rigorous, competition can be intense and social circles small, survivors of abuse may be quickly isolated and socially abused. Subjected to those reactions, many boarding school abuse survivors who have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of such isolation and social persecution, report the abuse years later. In either situation, the legacy can be significant and life-altering.

Some abuse victims deal with from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, ptsd, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups can help survivors overcome these effects.

Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse can win financial compensation from the predator and more frequently, from the school for its negligence to protect the student from the abuse, as well as failures or deficiencies 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 discuss your story and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are ready to speak with you. It is important for a survivor to realize that experiencing assault is not your fault. The attorneys at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the assault to justice.