Private School Abuse

Boarding School Abuse presents a series of criminal and improper activities frequently perpetrated on students by school faculty members, administrators or staff regarding sexual assault of varying degrees. The attack can be a one-time, non-consensual encounter or it can include numerous assaults during an ongoing interaction. For example, an ongoing intimate encounter with a student, spawned by the predatory behavior of a faculty member, school administrator or staff and whether leading to physical consensual sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.

Student-on-student sexual assault is another form of abuse, that may be compounded by the school’s negligence to provide a safe environment that allowed the assault to happen. Inside the school population are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students might be exposed to the predatory behavior of older, more mature students. Their actions, along with peer-pressure applied to both the predator and the targeted victim, can lead to different types of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.

In all reported Boarding School Abuse situations, a school administration’s megligence to entirely, immediately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its further negligence to research, address and deal fully with the matter increases the effects on the victim, the school community and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the media highlight these failures, including matters when the attacker quietly departs the school merely to assume working elsewhere in a school environment.

Predatory Behavior
Most boarding schools pride themselves on their small, personal communities within a well-defined and safe campus. In this environment, faculty, administrators and staff are often much nearer and familiar with students than might be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This could create both opportunity and cover to the possible abuser and for the predatory behavior.

In some matters, the abuser could be a likeable and popular individual, generally considered to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted student might feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community is expressing special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement in the school community, attack accusations against these attackers are frequently met with distrust, disbelief, and resistance by the community. Often, abuse in boarding school have boundary and morality issues which turn into unusually friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are commonly expected. This creates a predatory pathway and opportunity for the attack.

Most abusers, to differing amounts, employ predatory actions that are generally referred to as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Below is a compilation of grooming behaviors used by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the subordinate student.

Grooming
Grooming is a major part of a predator’s ploy. In a boarding school setting, a predator usually works closely with small numbers of students, knowing each student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a victim is identified and selected, these vulnerabilities – such as loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, may be systematically leveraged in the following manners:

Trust

A predator may initially work to get the student’s trust. This step is most difficult to discern as private school communities are often tight-knit and personal engagement is commonplace. Here, the predator is usually part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellness and achievement at the school.
Reliance
As a predator creates a trusting engagement with the potential student-victim, the student might begin to rely more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The student will spend more time with the predator, feeling increasingly comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and kindness, the possible victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts like the promise of high marks, or a college recommendation letter. The reliance stage is usually when the predatory behavior is noticeable from well-meaning collegial behavior.

Isolation

As the grooming continues, the predator may try to isolate the potential victim. At school, this may mean after-hour get togethers, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dormitory , one-on-one athletic training sessions, or various other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will begin to de-sensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other actions that lead to sexual interaction. This might begin with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive language to gauge the victim’s reaction to the advancement. This will escalate until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is created, the predator will try to maintain control of the victim and the continuing interaction. The predator will probably seek to manipulate the victim by introducing feelings of guilt, or possibly threats, or use the opposite tactic of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator might continue to exploit the victim by whatever means necessary to keep the inappropriate physical relationship.

Legacy on Abuse Survivors

When the grooming escalates as planned by the predator, the targeted student, being made to feel special, will probably respond affirmatively to the actions. The predator, through these well-thought-out and performed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-work and reduce the moral confines of the targeted student. Since the victim participated in the re-calibration, he frequently has deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming himself for the incident and hesitant to report it.

Additionally, beyond the abuse has been reported, survivors of boarding school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as being bullied, alienation from their peers, or retaliation from staff. Especially at boarding schools, where academics are stringent, competition can be intense and social circles small, survivors of abuse could be rapidly isolated and socially persecuted. Subjected to those reactions, many private school abuse survivors who have reported the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of such isolation and social abuse, report the abuse years later. In either case, the impact can be significant and lasting.

Some abuse victims bear from long-term effects of the abuse that include depression, anxiety, ptsd, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings, substance abuse, disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups can assist survivors get past these effects.

Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse may recover financial compensation from the abuser and more commonly, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the predator, as well as failures or deficiencies in its method of reviewing and responding to the victim’s report of the abuse. If you are a survivor of boarding school abuse and would like to confidentially review your situation and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are ready to speak with you. It is important for a survivor to remember that experiencing assault is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those responsible for the assault to justice.