Students Working to Address Sexual Harassment at YHS

In the past several months, the topic of sexual assault has become an important topic of discussion here at York High School. Many students feel frustrated at the lack of action to address the issue, or that they are unable to do more to help reduce sexual assault within the school.* This is what motivated the Young Women’s Leadership club at YHS to focus on reforming sexual assault and harassment in the school* to create a space for learning in which all students feel safe, comfortable, and accepted.

Young Women’s Leadership has begun to work with York High School administrators and students to confront sexual assault and harassment in York High School* within the past several weeks. The group plans to continue to advocate for gender equity in the school not only on this topic, but on every concern that disproportionately affects students because of their gender. The goal of YWL is to educate all students on the topic, raise awareness and attention surrounding this prominent problem, create clear and enforced rules and consequences surrounding sexual assault, and to work alongside the newly introduced organization Maine Boys to Men. YWL plans to achieve these objectives utilizing continuous conversation with YHS administrators, student feedback/input, meetings to discuss the topic with the student body, and possible revisions or additions to student guidelines and policies if necessary.

If you’d like to become more involved in YWL, feel free to attend a meeting during Wednesdays in PIE time. Attendance is not mandatory even if you are a member of the group, and everyone is welcome, regardless of gender or involvement in the club. Students are also encouraged to educate themselves on how to address these issues when witnessing them in their own lives, and to reach out to friends, family, counselors, or organizations such as RAINN if experiencing sexual assault. Young Women’s Leadership hopes that with cooperation and effort from the students and faculty alike, we can affectively communicate about specific guidelines regarding sexual misconduct within York High School.

* To clarify statements in this article, Young Women’s Leadership and YHS administrators have worked together to prevent harassment at York High School, as well as raise awareness among the student body about the prevention of sexual harassment and sexual assault in general. 4/12/2022

(Clarification: no incidence of sexual assault occurred at York High School)