Sexually harassed by 5th grade teacher?

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AltoGeek

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On a school trip when I was in fifth grade, when I had just finished taking a shower, my teacher barged into the bathroom, ripped the towel off me (with the nonchalant comment "I've seen a naked child before"), then pointed a camcorder at me and said "If you're not dressed and out of here in the next ten seconds, I'm going to videotape you naked" (with the implication that she was going to show it to the whole class, which is what she had announced she was planning to do with all her footage). I told the principal and my mother, and neither believed me; later, my mother said I was a "difficult child" so what she did was understandable. Of course, she was (and is) my mother's employer. . .

My question is: Would that be considered illegal sexual harassment? And if I were to post this story online with her name and whereabouts would it be defamation? This woman received an award for her teaching (!) and I believe it isn't safe for her to be around children. She's now the principal in my hometown.

Thanks!
 
This is serious stuff. If a teacher would do that where I live and nowadays the least thing would be that he or she would be fired. Most probably she would be sued by the parents and charged by the D.A., too.

Of course, the incident has to be proven. The school board, D.A., jury and judge would have to assess the truthfulness of the victim, if the victim was the only witness to it and they will look at the victim's history.

On the other hand, telling this story about the teacher when it has not been proven is serious stuff, too. It can lead to dismissal, the ruin of her carreer and more. Therefore it is very likely that the teacher would counter with a defamation suit.

So, if I were you and this was long ago and there is no real way to prove what happened I would bevery very careful in bringing it up again. I would rather try and move on with my life.

But if you want to do something about it, do it openly and frankly, not stealthily. Posting those serious accusations anonymously will tarnish your credibility when it comes out that it was you who posted it. And nobody should take anonymous postings serious anyway, so you would not gain anything either.
 
NYCLEX is right on the money. This was a serious error in judgment and perhaps there is some concern. But you may want to take care with what you choose to present if fifth grade was a while ago for numerous reasons, not the least of which is credability.

How old are you, if we can ask?

Originally posted by AltoGeek
On a school trip when I was in fifth grade, when I had just finished taking a shower, my teacher barged into the bathroom, ripped the towel off me (with the nonchalant comment "I've seen a naked child before"), then pointed a camcorder at me and said "If you're not dressed and out of here in the next ten seconds, I'm going to videotape you naked" (with the implication that she was going to show it to the whole class, which is what she had announced she was planning to do with all her footage). I told the principal and my mother, and neither believed me; later, my mother said I was a "difficult child" so what she did was understandable. Of course, she was (and is) my mother's employer. . .

My question is: Would that be considered illegal sexual harassment? And if I were to post this story online with her name and whereabouts would it be defamation? This woman received an award for her teaching (!) and I believe it isn't safe for her to be around children. She's now the principal in my hometown.

Thanks!
 
In answer to the questions: I was 11 at the time, and I'm 22 now. I knew it was wrong then, but no one, not even my parents, believed me, and there were no witnesses. I don't know if I COULD have sued at the time, considering that my parents thought I was lying so I wouldn't have had their consent and cooperation. I didn't know what to do.

I'm wondering now if it's a good idea for me to tell the superintendent about it. I don't know if I would have a legal case against the teacher, but considering all those lawsuits recently about sexual abuse by priests 30 or 40 years ago I possibly might. The only problem is that she has powerful friends, influence, and more money than I do, and I have no physical evidence, no witnesses, and no influence. I was a "troublemaker" as a kid, and had learning disabilities, so the school I went to isn't exactly enamored of me and probably has records of my behavior problems that might tarnish my credibility -- but I was not a liar. I was bad-tempered, and very frank (I always corrected my teachers when they made mistakes, often took exception to their teaching methods, and sometimes insulted them in front of the class), but I was honest. So public announcement might not be a good idea, and I don't have the resources to press charges, but I could go through less high-up and public channels.
 
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