Playground Predators Essay, Research Paper

This article, Playground Predators , talks about the liabilities of schools when students sexually harassed their peers and what should schools do to punish the child.

My likes about this article is that the parents of LaShonda listen to what their daughter told them and did not use the phrase boys will be boys to her. I also liked the fact that her parents did not give up and that LaShonda was strong enough to get through this with help.

My dislikes is the fact that LaShonda s parents did not get the principal fired and for him/her to loose their license to ever teach or be in control of kids, other than his/her, own again. The principal got me very upset because of his/her own outlook of what was being said. I would change the principal s behavior and I would also have the Davis speak to the boy s parents to see if they are aware of what he was doing.

The Davis case made a lot of people think. Now it wasn t just a case it was a point of where sexual discrimination begins and where it ends. It also went on to talk about what the world is today with its sexual precedences and that its easy for kids to notice because of what they see or hear in their environment (Baywatch society) makes it hard for them to ignore. The article also states sexual harassment can become sexual discrimination when school districts ignore sexualized behavior among students by saying, kids will be kids or boys will be boys.

One question that made me stop and think, are we comfortable applying the language of adult sexual harassment and sexual discrimination to kids? My answer to this question is YES. Why? Because in today s society kids are partaking in a lot of things that they shouldn t.

Should school district be held liable than they are in state courts? YES. I believe that and so does Rual Ugarte, a parent in California. Rual sued the school district five years ago after the refuse to take action against a boy who was sexually harassing and threatening to kill his five grade daughter, Tianna. He won a $450,000.00 judgment and the school district fired the Superintendent. This case was open and shut, but its not always not like that, as you saw with the Davis case and like you will see in the Jonathan Prevette s case.

When I first read this story, I was shocked and I found it to be very disturbing. Jonathan Prevette was a six-year-old in North Carolina. He was suspended last year for kissing a classmate. Do you think the punishment was too severe or too easy for Jonathan? I don t know, but one thing I do know is that the Supreme Court has a very tough decision to make. The decision is to come up with an answer that would save Jonathan without sacrificing LaShonda.