Private School Abuse

Private School Abuse presents a wide-range of criminal and improper acts often perpetrated on students by school faculty members, administrators or staff regarding sexual assault of varying degrees. The attack might be a one-time, non-consensual attack or it may involve many assaults during an continuing interaction. For example, an ongoing intimate encounter with a student, created by the predatory behavior of a faculty member, school administrator or employee and whether leading to physical agreed sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.

Student-on-student sexual assault is an additional type of abuse, that might be compounded by the school’s failure to offer a safe environment that allowed the assault to occur. Inside the school population are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Younger students may be exposed to the predatory behavior of older, more experienced students. Their intent, coupled with peer-pressure applied to both the attacker and the targeted victim, may lead to varying forms of abuse that includes sexual assault of varying degrees.

In all reported Boarding School Abuse matters, a school administration’s megligence to entirely, adequately report the assault to law enforcement and other authorities, or its further negligence to investigate, address and deal fully with the situation increases the effects on the victim, the school population and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the media exemplify these failures, including matters when the perpetrator quietly departs the campus only to assume working elsewhere in a school environment.

Predatory Behavior
Most boarding schools pride themselves on their tiny, 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 setting. This may create both opportunity and cover to the possible attacker and for the predatory behavior.

In some situations, the attacker might be a likeable and popular individual, generally considered to be a enhancement to the school community. A targeted victim might feel flattered that a popular superior in the school community has expressed special interest in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement into the school community, abuse allegations against these criminals are frequently met with distrust, disbelief, and resistance from the community. Often, abusers have boundary and morality issues which turn into oddly friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are commonly anticipated. This creates a predatory path and opportunity for the attack.

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

Grooming
Grooming is a significant part of a predator’s method. In a boarding school setting, a predator usually works closely with small amounts of students, realizing every student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is located and chosen, these vulnerabilities – such as being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, could be systematically leveraged in the following ways:

Trust

A predator may 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 usually part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellness and achievement at the school.
Reliance
As a predator creates a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student may begin to rely more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is leveraging and fulfilling. The student will spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. Additionally to attention and kindness, the potential victim might receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, presents like the promise of higher grades, or a college recommendation letter. The reliance stage is mainly where the predatory behavior is noticeable from well-meaning collegial behavior.

Isolation

As the grooming progresses, the predator may try to isolate the student. At school, this could mean late get togethers, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dorm , one-on-one sports practice sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the student from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and other behaviors that lead to sexual interaction. This could start with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive language to determine the victim’s reaction to the advancement. This could increase until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is created, the predator may work to keep control of the victim and the continuing interaction. The predator will probably try to manipulate the student by introducing feelings of shame, or even threats, or use the opposite strategy of continuing to have the victim feel special and desired. In any event, the predator will keep trying to exploit the victim by whatever means necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.

Impacts on Abuse Survivors

When the grooming increases as intended by the predator, the targeted student, being made to feel special, will likely respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, from these well planned and performed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the targeted student. Since the abuse survivor participated in this re-calibration, he frequently experiences deep feelings of shame, initially blaming herself for the incident and likely not to report it.

Furthermore, after the abuse has been revealed, victims of boarding school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, like being bullied, isolation from their peers, or revenge from staff. Particularly at boarding schools, where education is rigorous, competition can be intense and social circles small, victims of abuse can be readily isolated and socially persecuted. Subjected to those reactions, many private school abuse survivors who have reported the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of the isolation and social persecution, report the abuse years later. In either case, the legacy can be significant and life-altering.

Some abuse survivors suffer from long-term effects of the abuse that include depression, anxiety, ptsd, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups could help survivors get past these effects.

Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse may receive financial compensation from the abuser and more frequently, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the predator, as well as failures or negligence in its method of reviewing and replying to the victim’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 survivor to remember that experiencing assault is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the assault to justice.