K12 schools have a powerful opportunity to prevent child sexual abuse—by learning from how other youth organizations made real progress through policy.
New research shows that while child sexual abuse has declined substantially in major youth organizations, K12 schools have not yet seen the same results. By mirroring the successful efforts of these youth organizations, administrators and educators can make schools even safer havens for children.
The research examined the prevalence of child sexual abuse in five settings: organized sports, religious institutions, music or arts programs, K-12 schools, and the nation’s six largest youth organizations—4-H, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the YMCA.
To see changes in abuse over time, researchers compared two age groups—those born between 1986-1990 and from 2000-2004. Of more than 6,400 people surveyed, 363 reported childhood sexual abuse. Researchers found that where the abuse occurred differed dramatically by age group.
In the older group of survivors, 29% said they were abused at a K12 school. Among younger survivors, that number rose to nearly 40%, making schools the most common site of abuse for that age group out of the settings that researchers examined.
In other settings, abuse rates held steady across the age groups. Iin the “big six” youth organizations, abuse dropped significantly. The share of survivors who reported abuse in these organizations decreased 15 percentage points from the older group to the younger one.
Little room for ‘gray areas’
Schools can learn from what these youth organizations did to trigger such a precipitous decline. After high-profile scandals, these groups got serious about prevention.
By 2019, they had collectively implemented more than 1,400 policies and practices to keep kids safe. These generally included standard prevention efforts—like establishing written policies and providing training—but developing and implementing codes of conduct proved to be among the most effective tools they adopted.
They created simple, clear codes of conduct to spell out expectations around physical contact between staff or volunteers and children, overnight trips, changing areas, and social media or phone communications, leaving little room for “gray areas.”
That may sound obvious, but putting expectations in writing makes a real impact.
Codes of conduct
Most abusers don’t raise red flags at first. They blur boundaries.
Before he was ever convicted of child molestation, former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was seen wrestling with a child in the weight room at the high school where he volunteered as an assistant coach. He initiated “play fighting” by throwing handfuls of soap in the locker room.
Without clear rules, a bystander or child can easily second-guess themselves. Sure, that person is being a little odd or even inappropriate. But is it “grooming?” Is it serious enough to report?
Written codes of conduct take the guesswork out of it. They create a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up because they don’t need to judge whether a behavior is potentially criminal. All they need to know is that it crossed a boundary within an organization.
Schools can adopt such policies without spending a dime. Safe Kids Thrive and Child USA are two organizations that provide guidelines for codes of conduct. But they only work if enforced. Schools should swiftly terminate staff and volunteers who violate boundaries—and, depending on the severity, notify authorities.
Other essential strategies include limiting one-on-one time between adults and children. Every interaction should be observable, interruptible and—whenever possible—in the presence of another adult.
It’s hard to spot a predator in advance. They’re often charismatic and appear trustworthy. It’s far easier to deny the opportunity for alone time with a child in the first place.
Setting a new standard
Youth organizations have reckoned with the fact that their staff have hurt thousands of young people. They responded with training that reflects that hard truth—teaching children, staff, and parents that anyone can cross a line.
Schools can follow suit. Nearly 40 states have adopted Erin’s Law to require sexual abuse education in public schools—but what that looks like, and how it’s enforced, varies. And many schools still focus on spotting signs of abuse in children, but not questionable behavior from their teachers or staff.
As the largest youth-serving institutions, schools depend on state and federal investment to fund many of their efforts. The good news is that many proven strategies for preventing abuse—like implementing a clear code of conduct—don’t require significant financial resources.
What they do require is time: to develop thoughtfully, to earn buy-in from the school community, and to train educators and staff in their implementation.
But these modest investments yield real progress in protecting children. By drawing on hard-won lessons from youth organizations and adopting their best practices, schools can set a new standard for keeping kids safe from abuse.
