Warhill High School freshman Morgan Sheppard is afraid to ride the bus to school. She says she doesn’t feel safe, and believes she isn’t the only student who feels that way.
On Thursday morning, Sheppard and several other students decided to speak out about sexual assault at the school.
Citing concerns about the handling of sexual harassment reports, over a dozen students stood in front of Warhill, holding handwritten signs reading “no means no” and “your hands do not belong on my body.”
The students, some of whom report themselves as victims of sexual harassment, told WYDaily they don’t believe Warhill administrators have done enough to protect victims of sexual assault.
“My parents didn’t get a call from the school, I had to go home and tell them,” sophomore Victoria Chestney said. Victoria Chestney says she was touched inappropriately by two Warhill athletes while at school in January.
Chestney’s mother, Andrea, sat in front of Warhill all day Thursday to support her daughter and other alleged victims of sexual assault. Names of those identified in this article have been used with permission.
Students began to speak out with concerns about sexual harassment at Warhill about a month ago, according to Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools spokeswoman Betsy Overkamp-Smith.
“We handle every report of this nature very seriously,” she said. “And if the investigation needs to involve law enforcement, we do involve them as necessary.”
In response to students’ concerns, the high school partnered with the Avalon Center women’s shelter to offer “awareness tables” at lunch, provide access to resources and give referrals if needed, Overkamp-Smith said.
The school is also working on creating a youth leadership council at Warhill to create safe spaces and discussion about sexual assault and harassment, Overkamp-Smith said.
But some students still feel the school’s actions are not enough.
Victoria Chestney said there was a no-contact agreement between her and one boy, resulting in him taking a different route to class, but she said she didn’t think that was adequate punishment.
“If we don’t advocate for our children, no one else will,” Andrea Chestney said, adding that her daughter’s grades have suffered since the alleged assault in January.
Victoria Chestney added there was a Title IX investigation into her report, but said the investigation results took over five months to be turned to her. Title IX is a law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funds.
The report showed the school “at least partially” followed protocol, Andrea Chestney said.
Overkamp-Smith said previous student councils at Warhill have organized assemblies and awareness campaigns on sexual assault.
Until students spoke out about a month ago, student council and administrators had not organized any awareness campaigns for the 2016-2017 academic year, she added.
Overkamp-Smith said schools are unable to provide data on the number of reported sexual assaults at Warhill unless the annual number is over ten, but said the number of infractions is low.
“It’s well below the threshold of ten,” Overkamp-Smith said. “It’s a very small number of people who reported sexual harassment this year.”
Another mother, Lissa Ballard-Hunter, was also present outside the school while her son, Dalton Ballard, spoke out against sexual assault.
Some students, including Victoria Chestney, delivered a list of “demands” to the front office receptionist Thursday morning, asking for a change in sexual harassment policies and procedures.
Both mothers encouraged the high schoolers to give the school a chance to respond to the requests.
“They can’t learn when the environment is completely ruled by anxiety and fear,” Ballard-Hunter said. “The thing is, students who report sexual assault are swept under the rug.”
If you are interested in sharing your experiences with assault in schools, email [email protected].
Fearing may be reached at [email protected].
