SF Students to Stage Walkout Over District's Handling of Sexual Assault Complaints

Some San Francisco students were planning to walk out of class Friday morning to protest how they say the school district handles sexual assault complaints.

Students have been calling on the San Francisco Unified School District to change how educators respond to allegations of sexual assault and harassment. A group of students from multiple high schools will stage a walkout Friday morning and gather at City Hall at around 10 a.m.

Last month, hundreds of students staged a similar walkout, saying they don’t believe the district is doing a good enough job of holding the sexual assailants accountable.

Reesa Tayag, a senior at Lowell High told NBC Bay Area the administration swept her complaint under the rug. She said the student who assaulted her was suspended from his club activity for only a month and is still allowed to be in the same classroom with her.

“I would move myself, and then he’ll move himself to be right near me, so I’m, like, can we not do that?” Tayag said. “I thought we made it clear that we are going to have our boundaries set, but … it’s me taking myself out of that class is what makes me feel comfortable, and … Sorry, we just saw him, my assaulter in the hallway.”

A friend of Tayag’s sitting in on the virtual interview explained they were sitting in the library with the door open, and they saw Tayag’s assailant walk by the opening.

District officials did not respond to a specific question regarding Tayag’s case, but Superintendent Vincent Matthews shared a letter with families, saying in part: “We want to reiterate that each and every student concern is taken seriously. Sexual harassment has no place in our schools. SFUSD is committed to taking all appropriate steps to make sure we educate, prevent, and address any incidents of sexual harassment that occur in our schools.”

The letter includes links for students to report incidents of sexual harassment and tells families that the district also wants students to feel like they can share incidents that happen outside of school.

Source: NBC Bay Area