Awareness and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, Grooming Behaviors, and Boundary Violations
Child sexual abuse, grooming behaviors, and boundary violations harm students, their parent/guardian, the District’s environment, its school communities, and the community at large, while diminishing a student’s ability to learn.
Warning Signs of Child Sexual Abuse
Warning signs of child sexual abuse include the following.
Physical signs:
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or other genital infections
- Signs of trauma to the genital area, such as unexplained bleeding, bruising, or blood on the sheets, underwear, or other clothing
- Unusual weight gain or loss
Behavioral signs:
- Excessive talk about or knowledge of sexual topics
- Keeping secrets
- Not talking as much as usual
- Not wanting to be left alone with certain people or being afraid to be away from primary caregivers
- Regressive behaviors or resuming behaviors that the child had grown out of, such as thumb sucking or bedwetting
- Overly compliant behavior
- Sexual behavior that is inappropriate for the child’s age
- Spending an unusual amount of time alone
- Trying to avoid removing clothing to change or bathe
Emotional signs:
- Change in eating habits or unhealthy eating patterns, like loss of appetite or excessive eating
- Signs of depression, such as persistent sadness, lack of energy, changes in sleep or appetite, withdrawing from normal activities, or feeling “down”
- Change in mood or personality, such as increased aggression
- Decrease in confidence or self-image
- Anxiety, excessive worry, or fearfulness
- Increase in unexplained health problems such as stomach aches and headaches
- Loss or decrease in interest in school, activities, and friends
- Nightmares or fear of being alone at night
- Self-harming behaviors or expressing thoughts of suicide or suicidal behavior
- Failing grades
- Drug or alcohol use