This election has been a wake up call: sadly it has woken up and given permission for more overt and public forms of harassment modeled and condoned by president-elect Trump. In the three days since the results were announced, I have read news stories about a student handing deportation orders to students of ‘various ethnicities’ at his school, a teacher telling a student Trump should deport their parents, a non-Muslim student writing a note to a Muslim teacher telling her to go hang herself with her hijab, and a male student reaching under a 10 year old girl’s dress and stating “If the President does it, I can too.” Sarah Burris at the Raw Story has documented 137 other similar incidents, many of them in schools and college campuses. What does this mean for the next four years and what can parents and educators do?
First, we have to be able to put these behaviors in context. I have been researching and writing about biased harassment in schools since the early 90’s, and never have I seen so many documented incidents covered in the media in such a short period of time. Although decades of research show that students of color, girls, and LGBTQ students experience elevated amounts of bullying and harassment in schools, it has never been in the public consciousness like it is now. Racial, sexual, and homophobic harassment continue to be significant problems that interfere with students’ safety and sense of belonging at schools, and we have an opportunity -- and a need -- now, more than ever to do something about it. Student safety, relationships with adults, and a sense of belonging at school are important factors that impact student academic achievement according to a recent meta-analysis of 78 school climate studies since 2000. If we don't take a strong stand against bullying and harassment, students disengage from our schools and the adults who should be protecting them.
[For more of this story, written by Elizabeth J. Meyer, go to https://www.psychologytoday.co...ters-president-trump]
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