Sexual harassment at six years old?

Past and present. You can't make this stuff up.
Post Reply
User avatar
Doc
Posts: 12562
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:10 pm

Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Doc »

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/11/living/6- ... sing-girl/
6-year-old suspended for kissing girl, accused of sexual harassment
By Kelly Wallace, CNN
updated 4:20 PM EST, Wed December 11, 2013
Watch this video
Sexual harassment at six years old?

Editor's note: Kelly Wallace is CNN's digital correspondent and editor-at-large covering family, career and life. Read her other columns and follow her reports at CNN Parents and on Twitter.

(CNN) -- This is another one of those stories that seems absolutely hard to believe.

A 6-year-old boy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, was suspended from school for kissing a girl on the hand. You read that correctly.

"It was during class," first-grader Hunter Yelton said in an interview with CNN affiliate KRDO. "We were doing reading group, and I leaned over and kissed her on the hand. That's what happened."

Not only did Hunter's peck get him suspended from school, but the school accused him of sexual harassment, KRDO reported.

Hunter's mom, Jennifer Saunders, is outraged.

"This is taking it to an extreme that doesn't need to be met with a 6-year-old," Saunders told KRDO. Now my son's asking questions, 'What is sex, mommy?'"
Stay in touch!
Don't miss out on the conversation we're having at CNN Living. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest stories and tell us what's influencing your life.

She said Hunter had problems at school before, getting suspended for rough-housing and for kissing the same girl on the cheek. The family has been working with him on "class disruptions" by grounding him and giving him "big restrictions," Saunders said.

Robin Gooldy, the superintendent of Cañon City Schools, told KRDO that Hunter's record will remain within the district and that his behavior fits the school policy description of sexual harassment, which includes unwanted touching.

"Our main interest in this is having the behavior stop because the story is not just about the student that was disciplined, it is also about the student receiving the unwanted advances," Gooldy told HLN. "We have to think about both students in the situation."

Saunders said the girl in question was "fine with it" because Hunter and the girl consider themselves "boyfriend and girlfriend." The girl's parents have not commented publicly on the issue. But Saunders wants her son's record cleared of anything suggesting sexual harassment.

On Wednesday, Saunders told CNN that the boy's school principal would ask the superintendent to reconsider removing the term sexual harassment from Hunter's record. The superintendent did not return a phone call from CNN.

"Remove it from his record," Saunders told KRDO. "I need to stand up and fight for him. I can't just let that happen because it's not the case. It's not what happened at all."

Hunter for his part said he feels "sorry" for doing something wrong and tries to be good in school.

"But I just have a lot of energy. Six-year-olds, they have a lot of energy," Hunter said.
CNN\'s Kelly Wallace, a mom to a first and second grader, wonders: Can a 6-year-old sexually harass someone?
CNN's Kelly Wallace, a mom to a first and second grader, wonders: Can a 6-year-old sexually harass someone?

They sure do, and as a parent of a 6-year-old and a 7-year-old, an innocent peck on the cheek or on the hand seems as natural for kids this age as declarations of who they plan to marry.

They don't know anything about sex or sexual harassment. So how on earth can they be accused of such behavior?

Reaction online to Hunter's story has been swift, with the majority of commenters expressing pure outrage.

"The school probably traumatized the kid for life with that stupid move," wrote Brenda Esselman on the Facebook page for "New Day."

"Poor child, he's (too) young to even know what sexual harassment is," Ortencia Solis also wrote on Facebook.

"Another example of how we are now overreacting to something as simple as a childhood crush," Benny Barboza wrote.

Eric Vetch, also on Facebook, said he kissed a girl when he was 6. His punishment? "I remember writing on the chalkboard 'I will not kiss girls at school,' and it was a private Christian school ... go figure."

On the other side, there are a small number of people voicing some support for the school's actions.

"The kid shouldn't go around kissing someone's child. Because if it was my daughter, the parents and I would be talking. Let's keep it real," Russell M. Walker wrote on Facebook.

We clearly need to hear more from the school and the school's district because this might turn out to be another case where the pressure to follow set school rules gets in the way of common sense.

We saw this recently with two other stories: the Long Island school heavily criticized for banning most ball playing and even requiring supervision of games of tag while the school yard was under construction, and in Boston, where a student who allegedly went to a party to drive a friend home who was drunk was suspended from playing on her school's volleyball team.

What do you think about this latest case of a school taking a controversial stand? Do you think a 6-year-old should be suspended and accused of sexual harassment for kissing a girl on the hand? Let us know in the comments below
"I fancied myself as some kind of god....It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out.” -- George Soros
User avatar
Typhoon
Posts: 27242
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:42 pm
Location: 関西

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Typhoon »

How bizarre.
May the gods preserve and defend me from self-righteous altruists; I can defend myself from my enemies and my friends.
User avatar
Nonc Hilaire
Posts: 6168
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2011 1:28 am

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Nonc Hilaire »

This incident of school discipline was sensationalized. The school has resolved this issue with the children and their parents.

I'm reminded of the big fuss made a couple years ago about an elementary school forbidding kids to hug. It was later found out that the kids were engaging in large " group hugs" that created uncontrolled scrums. The school had to make a " no hugging" rule to maintain order.

The issue isn't kissing or hugging. The issue is the U.S. trend towards zero tolerance and mandatory sentencing which deny authorities any ability to use common sense in the administration of justice. The schools are following this trend, not leading it.
“Christ has no body now but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks among His people to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses His creation.”

Teresa of Ávila
User avatar
Miss_Faucie_Fishtits
Posts: 2152
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2011 9:58 pm

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Miss_Faucie_Fishtits »

Zero tolerance is the abdication of personal responsibility. That people in positions of authority have such terror of individual responsibility (whatever reasons may be) is troubling, not so much the ruling........
She irons her jeans, she's evil.........
User avatar
Typhoon
Posts: 27242
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:42 pm
Location: 関西

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Typhoon »

Miss_Faucie_Fishtits wrote:Zero tolerance is the abdication of personal responsibility. That people in positions of authority have such terror of individual responsibility (whatever reasons may be) is troubling, not so much the ruling........
Is one of the reasons fear of financially ruinous lawsuits?
May the gods preserve and defend me from self-righteous altruists; I can defend myself from my enemies and my friends.
User avatar
Endovelico
Posts: 3038
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:00 pm

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Endovelico »

As far as I am concerned any two six year old kids are welcome to sexual experimenting, as long as it is spontaneous and mutually desired. Of course they should be told that it is desirable to do it in private...But then, of course, I am an European degenerate...
User avatar
Nonc Hilaire
Posts: 6168
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2011 1:28 am

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Nonc Hilaire »

Typhoon wrote:
Miss_Faucie_Fishtits wrote:Zero tolerance is the abdication of personal responsibility. That people in positions of authority have such terror of individual responsibility (whatever reasons may be) is troubling, not so much the ruling........
Is one of the reasons fear of financially ruinous lawsuits?
I think so in the minor and employment related cases. In the legislative arena, it is more an attempt to appear tough and pander to constituencies.
“Christ has no body now but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks among His people to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses His creation.”

Teresa of Ávila
User avatar
Miss_Faucie_Fishtits
Posts: 2152
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2011 9:58 pm

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Miss_Faucie_Fishtits »

Typhoon wrote:
Miss_Faucie_Fishtits wrote:Zero tolerance is the abdication of personal responsibility. That people in positions of authority have such terror of individual responsibility (whatever reasons may be) is troubling, not so much the ruling........
Is one of the reasons fear of financially ruinous lawsuits?
That would be reasonable....... but in this case it seems they are on their knees and begging for one....'>>.........
She irons her jeans, she's evil.........
noddy
Posts: 11318
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:09 pm

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by noddy »

i be suing u now for teh graphic imageries YOU put into my innocent wholesome brain.
ultracrepidarian
Simple Minded

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Simple Minded »

noddy wrote:i be suing u now for teh graphic imageries YOU put into my innocent wholesome brain.
a mere "thank you MFF!" would suffice..... some people pay good money for that kind of inspiration.....er, uh, I mean therapy.....
noddy
Posts: 11318
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:09 pm

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by noddy »

it is kind of scary living in a culture that cant even do the basic "adult steps in and corrects inappropriate behavior in a child" bit.
ultracrepidarian
Simple Minded

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by Simple Minded »

noddy wrote:it is kind of scary living in a culture that cant even do the basic "adult steps in and corrects inappropriate behavior in a child" bit.
The culture of sub-contracting out the responsibility of parenthood became both popular and "socially acceptable" only in the last 25 years or so in the US.

Is it the same in Australia?

The results of this "social evolution" will be very interesting.
noddy
Posts: 11318
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:09 pm

Re: Sexual harassment at six years old?

Post by noddy »

Simple Minded wrote:
noddy wrote:it is kind of scary living in a culture that cant even do the basic "adult steps in and corrects inappropriate behavior in a child" bit.
The culture of sub-contracting out the responsibility of parenthood became both popular and "socially acceptable" only in the last 25 years or so in the US.

Is it the same in Australia?
appears so... part of the overall mood of handing over all of lifes responsibilities to government.
Simple Minded wrote:The results of this "social evolution" will be very interesting.
from the outside perhaps :P
ultracrepidarian
Post Reply