Sexual Harassment

A kindergarten student was accused earlier this month of sexually harassing a classmate at Lincolnshire Elementary School, an accusation that will remain on his record until he moves to middle school. Read the full story in Wednesday's Herald-Mail newspapers.

By KERRY LYNN FRALEY Staff Writer Flirting with the cute new guy or girl in school could get a Washington County student in hot water if that flirting is unwelcome or makes the other person feel uncomfortable, according to pamphlets on sexual harassment aimed at middle and high school students. Both pamphlets include a section explaining the differences between flirting and harassment and examples of other behavior, such as spreading sexual rumors or displaying sexual pictures, that could be considered sexual harassment under state and federal law. A third pamphlet is geared for elementary school students.

Some citizens expressed surprise and outrage last month when a 5-year-old boy at Lincolnshire Elementary School was accused of sexual harassment after he pinched a female classmate's buttocks. In letters and phone calls, readers have questioned whether a 5-year-old knows enough about sex to harass anyone. They've also asked that the law be changed. That might not be necessary. In an article on student-on-student harassment done this year for the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)

HAGERSTOWN - A kindergarten student was accused earlier this month of sexually harassing a classmate at Lincolnshire Elementary School, an accusation that will remain on his record until he moves to middle school. Washington County Public Schools spokeswoman Carol Mowen said the definition of sexual harassment used by the school system is, "unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors and/or other inappropriate verbal, written or physical conduct of a sexual nature directed toward others.

11/14/96 By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer, Waynesboro FORT RITCHIE - With sexual harassment in Army military training units making headlines, some women soldiers at Fort Ritchie said that they've seen or known about harassment in the armed services. The soldiers, however, characterized the environment at the base in positive terms. Sgt. April Bliss, 29, said she remembers drill sergeants fraternizing with people they were training. "Drill sergeants would go inside your room and like lure you and ... see if we're going to bite," she said.

Lawsuit claims fired worker not 'team player' By CLYDE FORD Staff Writer CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - A Royal Vendors worker who alleges he witnessed the sexual harassment of a female co-worker filed a lawsuit Friday claiming he was fired for not being a "team player" in defending the company against her lawsuit. In his lawsuit, David Brackett Jr. said he witnessed the sexual harassment of Vicki Rhodes and attempted to stop it. The suit names Royal Vendors, Director of Personnel Robert Kutcher and Supervisor Mark High as defendants.

All forms of harassment are prohibited in the school system under a policy the Washington County Board of Education unanimously approved Tuesday. The School Board originally adopted a sexual harassment policy Dec. 17, 1971, and it included harassment in a discipline policy adopted in May 1999. But the new policy is more detailed and comprehensive. "We believe we needed a policy that stands by itself," Executive Director of Support Services William McKinley told the board Tuesday night.

Who can say why it might have happened - when a kindergarten student at a public school in Washington County was accused of sexual harassment? The 5-year-old student allegedly pinched the buttocks of a female classmate in a hallway at Lincolnshire Elementary School on Dec. 8. The incident, however, raises a broader question: What do children at that young of an age really know about sex? They might know more than you think, researchers say. Sexual development begins well before children reach their teenage years, experts say. Kids draw on influences from every direction - from family, media and their peers, and personal experience as they get older.

By RICHARD F. BELISLE Staff Writer CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Although women are slowly taking their place in the military, the main setback has been sexual harassment, according to a speaker who was at Wilson College as part of a seminar Friday on Women in the Armed Forces. The Army is currently investigating more than 300 complaints of sexual harassment, said Larry Shillock, assistant professor at Wilson who spoke on the discipline and the psychology of harassment. Shillock said basic training is harder on women than on men and not because of physical difficulties.

Thirty years later, Hagerstown is home To the editor: Last week, a former Herald-Mail editor and old friend, Dennis Shaw, reminded me that we opened on Thursday, Nov. 26, 1981, which was Thanksgiving Day. When I look back ... it was the first day of our grand opening. My wife, Jun, and I were so exited for our new life. But, no one had come that night. That was our first lesson - not to open on Thanksgiving Day. Thirty years have passed. Now, we have children and grandchildren.

The trial in federal court of a woman who claims she was a victim of gender-based harassment while training to become a Hagerstown police officer began in Baltimore Tuesday. Tiffany Mosby-Grant, of Frederick, is suing the city of Hagerstown, alleging that she was subject to sexual harassment and a hostile work environment while enrolled in the Western Maryland Police Academy in 2006. The jury trial before U.S. District Judge Benson Everett Legg is scheduled for four days, according to an official with the judge's office.

Who can say why it might have happened - when a kindergarten student at a public school in Washington County was accused of sexual harassment? The 5-year-old student allegedly pinched the buttocks of a female classmate in a hallway at Lincolnshire Elementary School on Dec. 8. The incident, however, raises a broader question: What do children at that young of an age really know about sex? They might know more than you think, researchers say. Sexual development begins well before children reach their teenage years, experts say. Kids draw on influences from every direction - from family, media and their peers, and personal experience as they get older.

Technically, Lincolnshire Elementary School Principal Darlene Teach was correct in writing up a kindergarten student for sexual harassment following an episode of unwelcome pinching. Technically, the public was correct in its predictable outburst of indignation over the thought that a 5-year-old boy would be capable of sexually harassing. In between these two poles, however, exists an unpleasant mountain of gray area that isn't being talked about and that the majority of the public probably isn't even aware of. For starters, in its never-ending quest to quantify the uncountable, the Maryland State Board of Education requires that bad behavior be "coded," or assigned a number that can be plugged into a computer and tabulated.

Some citizens expressed surprise and outrage last month when a 5-year-old boy at Lincolnshire Elementary School was accused of sexual harassment after he pinched a female classmate's buttocks. In letters and phone calls, readers have questioned whether a 5-year-old knows enough about sex to harass anyone. They've also asked that the law be changed. That might not be necessary. In an article on student-on-student harassment done this year for the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)

"This sexual harassment of a 5-year-old just shows you how ridiculous this BOE is. They can publicize something like this, but they don't have the backbone to do anything about bullying in the junior high and high schools. One of these days something tragic will happen because of that, and then maybe they'll wake up. " - Hagerstown "I see in last night's paper that the State of Maryland will spend $600,000 to buy a George Washington handwritten resignation, and then the state of Public Works are gonna spend another $150,000 for a company letter written by a witness describing the event.