Shawnee Mission students walk out, urge school to take action against sexual assault
Shawnee Mission North High School students staged a walkout on Monday over allegations that school administrators have not done enough to respond to reports of sexual assault and harassment.
Roughly 200 students left class Monday morning to protest on the school’s front lawn, said John Lacy, spokesman with the Overland Park Police Department. Some students also left school property to protest on the other side of Johnson Drive.
Students chanted “No means no” and held signs reading, “Protect victims,” “Stop the assault,” “This is not a joke,” and “If you don’t do something, we will.”
Before the protest, students circulated a Change.org petition that includes allegations against Shawnee Mission North administrators. As of Monday afternoon, it had garnered more than 350 signatures.
“Shawnee Mission North has done absolutely nothing about this unacceptable behavior going on,” the petition states. “This needs to change. There have been several reports of sexual assault, harassment, & violence at this school and whenever reported, administration does absolutely nothing. This is no way to run a school. Signing this petition will help towards making that change and implementing a better system in this school.”
District spokesman David Smith said in an email, “We have very clear policies and procedures in place for when we receive a report of a sexual assault. We will work directly with the students involved to understand their concerns, and to ensure that their voices are heard.”
He said that some of the “specific information that was brought to the attention of the building administration today is new, so I can’t say how it will be handled at this point.”
“We certainly take every report of sexual abuse or assault seriously, and follow both district policy and local, state and federal law in responding to any complaints,” Smith said. “Even more, we want to ensure that each student in our schools feels a sense of belonging and safety, and take seriously our responsibility create the conditions where that is possible.”
On social media, several North students began sharing their experiences being sexually harassed or assaulted, including some incidents allegedly on school property. Some said they’ve kept quiet until now, saying that Monday’s protest inspired them to come forward. But others posted that they reported what happened to school officials and claimed they did not receive the support they expected or felt they deserved.
Many say that assailants should be held accountable, victims should be offered resources and support, and that the school should better educate students on sexual violence, consent and resources available.
Nationally, civil rights experts say it has been relatively common for schools to fail to fulfill their obligations under Title IX, the law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in colleges, universities and K-12 schools that receive public funding.
A survey of more than 100 student survivors — conducted this past year by the student advocacy group Know Your IX — found a widespread failure on the part of schools when responding to reports of sexual harassment and assault.
According to the survey, 39% of survivors who reported sexual violence to their schools experienced a substantial disruption in their education. About 27% took a leave of absence, 20% transferred schools and nearly 10% dropped out.
Missouri and Kansas ranked second and third in the nation, behind only Maryland, for incidents of rape or attempted rape reported in public schools in the 2017-18 school year, according to the U.S. Education Department’s Civil Rights Data Collection.
Elsewhere in Johnson County, students have alleged that their schools did not appropriately respond to their sexual assault reports. This past spring, for example, a Gardner Edgerton high school student told The Star that administrators failed to offer her adequate support after she reported that she had been raped by a fellow student.
Where to get help
▪ The Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault provides a 24-hour crisis line, sexual assault counseling, student and adult survivor counseling, and hospital advocacy services for Kansas City area residents. 816-531-0233 and 913-642-0233.
▪ The National Sexual Assault Hotline is free and confidential, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Live chat is available at Rainn.org. 800-656-4673 (HOPE).
▪ SafeBAE — SafeBAE.org — is a student-led organization working to end sexual assault among middle and high school students.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 1:36 PM.
