Bystanding teachers (or any school employee) are responsible adults in the school environment. They are the “boots on the ground,” so to speak, when it comes to detecting and reporting the grooming process. of abusive teachers. Learn more here.

Department chairpeople, deans, principals, and superintendents play critical, decision-making roles in how allegations of sexual misconduct are handled. These decisions profoundly affect the trajectory of criminal investigations and outcomes for targets of abuse. Learn more here.

Teachers in the first five years of their career face unique challenges when establishing healthy boundaries with students. It is imperative that collegiate students majoring in education - preparing for their first teaching job - are thoroughly prepared to navigate this.

Law enforcement - especially School Resource Officers - can be well informed on the psychology of predatory teachers and how the grooming occurs in a school. Forensic interviewers, child psychologists, child advocates, medical doctors, and district attorneys can be prepared for how a target of educator abuse might feel and act differently than victims of other kinds of sexual abuse.

Many signs of abuse in students are best detected by parents or other trusted adults in the child’s life. It can feel uncomfortable or daunting to discuss educator sexual misconduct with your child, but parental involvement can have a profound impact on how predatory teachers select their targets. We can also work together to advocate for legislation that protects our students instead of teacher-offenders.

The term “target” is used interchangeably with “victim” or survivor,” but it reminds us that someone other than the student is responsible for the abuse. Predatory teachers target students for their misconduct. If this happened to you - or if you think it might have happened to you - this section includes resources and support for you.