Private School Abuse presents a series of illegal and improper activities commonly committed against students by school faculty members, administrators or staff involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault may be a one-time, non-consensual abuse or it might involve many assaults during an ongoing interaction. For example, an continuing intimate relationship with a student, created by the predatory behavior of a faculty member, school administrator or employee and whether heading to physical consensual sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.

Student-on-student sexual assault is another type of abuse, which might be compounded by the school’s failure to offer a safe environment that enabled the assault to happen. Within the school population are students of different ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students may be exposed to the predatory behavior of older, more experienced students. This actions, coupled with peer-pressure applied to both the predator and the targeted victim, could lead to different forms of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.

In all reported Boarding School Abuse matters, a school administration’s megligence to fully, immediately report the assault to police and other authorities, or its further negligence to research, address and deal fully with the matter increases the effects on the abuse survivor, the school population and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse cases reported in the press highlight these failures, including matters when the attacker quietly leaves the campus merely to assume employment elsewhere in a school environment.

Predatory Behavior

Most private 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 would be expected in a non-boarding school situation. This may create both opportunity and cover for the possible abuser and for the predatory behavior.

In some matters, the attacker may be a likeable and popular person, generally thought to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted student 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 integration in the school community, attack allegations against these abusers are often 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 past what are normally anticipated. This provides a predatory pathway and opportunity for the abuse.

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

Grooming

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

Trust

A predator could initially work to get the student’s trust. This step is most difficult to see as private school communities are often tight-knit and personal interaction 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 establishes a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student might start to count on more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is leveraging and fulfilling. The student might spend more time with the predator, feeling 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 university recommendation letter. The reliance step is mainly when the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.

Isolation

While the grooming progresses, the predator may work to isolate the potential victim. At school, this could mean late meetings, tutoring sessions, encounters in the dormitory , one-on-one sports practice sessions, or other such circumstances.

Sexualization

The predator will start to de-sensitize the student from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other actions that lead to sexual interaction. This might begin with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or speaking, with suggestive messages to gauge the victim’s response to the progression. This might increase until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature.

Maintenance

As the sexual relationship is established, the predator will try to maintain control over the victim and the continuing abuse. The predator will probably try to manipulate the victim by introducing feelings of shame, or possibly threats, or employ the opposite tactic of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator might keep trying to exploit the victim by whatever means available to maintain the immoral physical relationship.

Legacy on Abuse Victims

When the grooming increases as intended by the predator, the targeted student, being made to feel special, will likely respond positively to the actions. The predator, from these well planned and executed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-work and reduce the moral boundaries of the targeted student. Since the abuse survivor participated in the re-calibration, she frequently has deep feelings of shame, initially blaming herself for the incident and hesitant to report it.

Furthermore, after the abuse has been revealed, survivors of private school abuse are frequently exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, like being bullied, alienation from their peers, or retaliation from staff. Especially at boarding schools, where academics are rigorous, competition can be fierce and social circles small, survivors of abuse could be readily isolated and socially persecuted. Exposed to such reactions, many boarding school abuse survivors that have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of the isolation and social abuse, report the abuse years later. In either situation, the legacy can be significant and life-altering.

Some abuse victims suffer from long-term effects of the abuse that include depression, anxiety, ptsd, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups could assist victims overcome these effects.

Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse can win financial compensation from the predator and more frequently, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the abuse, as well as failures or negligence 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 situation and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are prepared to speak with you. It is important for a survivor to realize 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.