Private School Abuse

Boarding School Abuse illustrates a wide-range of illegal and improper acts frequently committed on students by school faculty members, administrators or employees regarding sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault may be a one-time, non-consensual abuse or it may include numerous assaults within an ongoing interaction. For example, an continuing intimate relationship with a student, formed by the predatory actions 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 another type of abuse, that may be compounded by the school’s negligence to offer a safe environment that enabled the assault to occur. Within the school community are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students may be subjected to the predatory behavior of older, more mature students. Their actions, coupled with peer-pressure applied on both the predator and the targeted victim, may lead to varying forms of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.

In all alleged Boarding School Assault situations, a school administration’s megligence to entirely, immediately report the assault to police and other authorities, or its additional negligence to research, address and deal completely with the situation amplifies the effects on the abuse survivor, the school population and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the media exemplify these failures, including situations where the attacker quietly departs the campus only to assume employment 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 this environment, faculty, administrators and staff are often much nearer and familiar with students than might be expected in a non-boarding school situation. abused at boarding school could create both opportunity and cover for the possible attacker and for the predatory behavior.

In some situations, the attacker might be a likeable and popular person, generally thought to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted victim may feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community is expressing special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement in the school community, abuse allegations against these abusers are frequently met with doubt, disbelief, and resistance from the community. Often, abusers have distance and morality issues which turn into oddly friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are commonly anticipated. This provides a predatory pathway and opportunity for the attack.

Most abusers, to differing degrees, employ predatory tactics that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Below 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 significant part of a predator’s ploy. In a boarding school setting, a predator usually works closely with small numbers of students, understanding every student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a victim is located and chosen, these vulnerabilities – like being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, could be systematically leveraged in the following ways:

Trust

A predator could initially work to gain the student’s trust. This step is the 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 creates a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student will begin to rely more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is leveraging and fulfilling. The victim might spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and kindness, the potential victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, presents such as the promise of higher grades, or a college recommendation letter. The reliance stage is usually where the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.

Isolation

As the grooming progresses, the predator might work to isolate the potential victim. At school, this may mean after-hour meetings, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dormitory , one-on-one athletic practice sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the student from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and other actions which lead to sexual interaction. This could start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive language to gauge the victim’s reaction to the progression. This will escalate until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is created, the predator may try to keep control over the student and the continuing interaction. The predator will probably seek to manipulate the student by introducing emotions of guilt, or even threats, or use the opposite strategy of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator may keep trying to exploit the victim by whatever means necessary to maintain the inappropriate physical relationship.

Legacy on Abuse Victims

When the grooming escalates as intended by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will probably respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, from these well-thought-out and performed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-work and remove the moral boundaries of the targeted student. Since the victim participated in the re-calibration, he frequently experiences deep feelings of shame, initially blaming herself for the incident and hesitant to report it.

Furthermore, beyond the abuse has been reported, victims of private school abuse are frequently subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as being bullied, isolation from their peers, or revenge from staff. Particularly at private schools, where academics are stringent, competition can be intense and social circles small, victims of abuse can be rapidly isolated and socially abused. Subjected to such reactions, many private school abuse victims that have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of such isolation and social abuse, report the abuse a while later. In either situation, the impact can be severe and lasting.

Some abuse survivors deal with 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 trouble creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups may assist victims overcome these effects.

Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse can receive 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 deficiencies in its process 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 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 remember that being a victim is not your fault. The attorneys at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the assault to justice.