-> *4 NAME CALLING OR HARASSMENT:  JURY RULES IN SOUTH KORTRIGHT   
-> Eve Bruneau, a student who filed suit against South
-> Kortright Central School District for allegedly allowing male
-> students to harass her and other girls, lost her case (news
-> services/WASH POST, 11/22).  A federal jury yesterday rejected
-> her claim, saying that "it was unreasonable to look at adolescent
-> name-calling with adult expectations," writes the paper.
SK>---------------(end of quoted material)--------------------------
SK>Does anyone else think this was a step backward?
Yes and no... I don't think that one can easily make a
blanket statement that the district is culpable; I think
this was a "deep-pockets" suit... I think, too, that Matt
makes a good point that the laws concerning sexual 
harassment in the workplace do not translate well when
applied to schools...
I would certainly agree that the girl is entitled to attend 
school without being harassed, I believe that the boys are 
guilty of assault and battery (or sexual assault) and should 
be so charged, and the parents of said boys DO bear at least 
a portion of the blame for what was happening.  Depending on 
the evidence, the district might indeed be culpable, but the 
court apparently believed otherwise in this case?  
If the decision was in the nature of "boys will be boys", 
then the jury consisted of a bunch of jackasses.....
SK>Students (boys) called the girls names like "dog-faced bitch" 
SK>and grabbed at their breasts. I think 11- and 12- year old boys 
SK>ought to realize that this isn't appropriate behavior.
I agree... I think a LOT of what routinely happens should
be recognized as inappropriate behavior; unfortunately,
that doesn't seem to be the case these days....
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