On the Mira Costa website, the vision statement reads that Mira Costa is “a community of learners where each member has the opportunity to achieve academic, creative, personal, and social excellence.” However, the lack of an administrative response to the recent rumors around campus regarding sexual assault allegations have called into question the validity of this statement.
Recently, the topic of sexual assault and harassment has become openly and widely discussed on Costa’s campus. To help prevent the creation of rumor mills in the future, there must be an open dialogue on campus regarding sexual harassment and assault.
The Notification of Rights and Responsibilities states that teachers should discuss the policy with students in “age appropriate ways” and “assure them that they need not endure any form of sexual harassment.” This discussion is supposed to include “what acts and behavior constitute sexual harassment” and “a clear message that students do not have to endure sexual harassment.” Students “should be encouraged to report observed instances of sexual harassment,” and the discussion should inform students about the person(s) at the school or district to whom a report of sexual harassment should be made and about the process used to investigate.
While it is admirable that the policies outlined in the rights and responsibilities are in place, they are only truly helpful when the campus’ teachers and staff practice them, and it is apparent that Costa students are not given this information. These policies have great potential to raise awareness about sexual assault on campus, but there needs to be a greater push to enact these policies.
The fact of the matter is that students are uneducated in matters of sexual assault, and schools across America are waking up to this idea. According to Vistamar senior Rachel Graves, the administration of the Vistamar School in El Segundo will hold an assembly on a date to be determined to teach their students about the meaning of consent and sexual assault in a general sense. Costa should take similar steps to educate students about sexual assault and prove preventing sexual harassment and assault is a priority here.
The Annual Notification also outlines that the sexual harassment policy be “included in any school or district publication that sets forth the school or district’s comprehensive rules, regulations, procedures, and standards of conduct.” The most cohesive document that details Costa’s rules and regulations is the Student Handbook, which does not mention sexual assault policies and processes for reporting assaults. Costa’s administration seems to not be following the clear guidelines of the sexual assault policy outlined in the Annual Notifications.
Recent events have brought to light the importance of discussing and creating education for students about consent and sexual assault. In order for Mira Costa to uphold the goals outlined in their vision statement, it is imperative that measures are taken to educate students in a way that may prevent assaults from occurring in the future.
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