Student Sex Harassment Bill OKd by State Senate

The state Senate voted Thursday to make sexual harassment of an elementary or high school student by another student grounds for suspension or expulsion.

Proponents of the bill by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) contend that sexual harassment is an unacceptable form of behavior on public school campuses that should not go unpunished.

Critics say that the severe penalty of expulsion from school might be too harsh for seventh- and eighth-graders.

But reluctant to oppose legislation bearing an anti-sexual harassment label, senators voted 24 to 3 in favor of the bill and sent it to the Assembly, where its outlook appears favorable.

It is against state policy for students to sexually harass other students. The bill would add enforcement teeth by making such conduct grounds for suspension or removal from the campus at the discretion of school authorities. In expulsions, Hart said the action probably would become part of the student’s permanent school record.

Hart, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said a recent study showed that 10% of female high school students reported suffering “embarrassing and humiliating” episodes of on-campus sexual harassment by boys.

“We say over and over again that we need to start addressing a lot of these stereotypes” early in a youngster’s development, Hart said.

Sen. Becky Morgan (R-Los Altos Hills) questioned whether a grade school student should be subject to expulsion for sexually harassing another child. “We are talking about seventh- and eighth-grade students who are searching for their own identities,” said Morgan, who voted for the bill nevertheless.

Sen. Tim Leslie (R-Auburn) said the bill would impose on schoolchildren standards that apply to adults in the workplace. He said no teacher, principal or other school administrator had testified that the bill was needed.

Hart countered that various education organizations do support the measure, including the California Teachers Assn., a labor organization, and the California School Boards Assn., a management group.