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Students at Lincoln Prep in Kansas City call on school leaders to do more to deter sexual harassment

Dozens of students at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy walked out of class on Friday afternoon to ask school administrators to do more to address sexual harassment.
Jodi Fortino
/
KCUR 89.3
Dozens of students at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy walked out of class on Friday afternoon to ask school administrators to do more to address sexual harassment.

Students allege Lincoln College Preparatory Academy doesn't do enough to protect victims of sexual harassment. Kansas City Public Schools said it is "committed to working through these challenges together so that our school can be a place where everyone feels safe and supported in their learning."

Dozens of students at Kansas City's Lincoln College Preparatory Academy walked out of class on Friday afternoon to protest how school administrators handle reports of sexual harassment.

A group of high school students who organized the walkout said multiple victims have come forward to administrators to report harassment from a handful of other students, including sending nude photos without consent, inappropriate touching, and asking sexually inappropriate questions.

Lorraine, a sophomore, said she wanted to take part in the walkout after learning a student who had sent her a nonconsensual nude photo more than a year ago was harassing other students.

Students or guardians of students quoted in this story asked not to be identified by their full names because of privacy concerns.

“I decided that enough was enough and that we needed to make some sort of change,” Lorraine said.

Lorraine said she was in the eighth grade at Lincoln Middle School when the student sent her the photo. When she told a school counselor about it, Lorraine said it wasn’t taken seriously and administrators didn’t ask her to file a report or notify her mother.

Mackenzie, a sophomore, said the school doesn’t reach out to parents when cases like this happen, and she thinks administrators keep it under wraps to protect the school’s reputation as a “signature school” in the district.

“It's also really hard going to a school where so many cases like this are happening, and the school covers it up,” Mackenzie said. “The most they've done is had a grade-level meeting about it — and that's not enough, especially when it's something this serious.”

A Kansas City Public Schools spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the district was aware of the walkout over claims involving a student.

The statement said all claims made by students or staff are investigated intensively, and the district found no evidence of sexual violence in the claims it received. It said appropriate measures were taken and the proper policies and procedures were followed, but consequences are confidential and can’t be shared with students or the public.

"We remain committed to working through these challenges together so that our school can be a place where everyone feels safe and supported in their learning," the statement said.

All staff and students go through sessions on how to make reports involving harassment, bullying and other behaviors, according to the school district.

“School and district administrators have been in contact with students to hear & address their concerns while giving students a forum for their voice,” the district's statement said.

But students who spoke to KCUR said school leaders need to do more to deter harassment.

Lorraine and dozens of other students poured out onto Lincoln Prep’s lawn Friday afternoon, holding signs that said “Protect the Victims, Not the Harassers” and “We refuse sexual abuse.”

She read a list of demands for district leadership that included an apology for how they’ve handled complaints, in-school suspension for students who harass others, and expulsion if a student is a repeat offender.

The organizing group said students who are engaging in improper conduct don't face serious enough consequences, citing one offender they said was only suspended five days. They said that student wasn’t required to change their class schedule afterwards.

Meanwhile, students said school “safety plans” disrupt victims’ education because they may have to change their schedules or seating arrangement to avoid their harasser.

“When you get your entire school life disrupted, it gets really difficult to be able to function, especially if you still have to be in classes with your abuser,” sophomore Kade said. “I'd like to see more action taken to have support for the victims while also trying to bring the harasser to accountability.”

The group said they would also like to see students who have harassed other students face in-school suspension where they can undergo courses on consent and respecting boundaries.

Other students at Lincoln Prep Friday said they didn’t want to diminish their school’s legacy by speaking out at the protest. They pointed out that Lincoln Prep is far from the only school in the Kansas City area facing similar problems.

District policy states that students who engage in harassment will be subject to discipline outlined in the student code of conduct.

It also states that remedies may also include “no-contact requirements, scheduling adjustments, removal or exclusion from extracurricular activities, class reassignments, limits on future class registrations, restrictions on access to various spaces in the school buildings, reassignment of attendance, and similar measures fine-tuned to respond appropriately to the circumstances surrounding a successful complainant's right to access the district's education programs and activities.”

If a student files a formal complaint, policy states that a parent or guardian will be notified as long as they are under 18, at which point they would be protected under the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act. Students can also choose not to file a formal complaint and still receive “supportive measures” from the district.

But students said the penalties are rarely severe. They said students accused of harassment merely have to sign a contract agreeing not to talk or interact with the victim unless the victim interacts with them first or wants to reestablish a friendship.

“That's not establishing a boundary,” Lorraine said, “and it's not saying that there's going to be some sort of discipline in the future for that.”

Lorraine said the school district’s board of education needs a stronger policy to protect victims. Students said the board should also do a better job of ensuring schools follow their code of conduct.

The issue of sexual harassment has come up at the school before. Students at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy walked out in 2022 to protest the school not taking sexual harassment and instances of racism seriously.

Without serious consequences for offenders, students said other victims are discouraged from coming forward with their complaints.

“I think if there's not going to be something larger done for these repeat offenders, especially, then I think that's a bigger problem in itself,” Kade said. “Because the school is still allowing these people who are inconveniencing people's days who are hurting other students to just go about their day.”

As KCUR’s education reporter, I cover how the economy, housing and school funding shape kids' education. I’ll meet teachers, students and their families where they are — late night board meetings, in the classroom or in their homes — to break down the big decisions and cover what matters most to you. You can reach me at jodifortino@kcur.org.
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