Students at Percy Julian Middle School staged a walk out Wednesday afternoon to protest what they say is a climate that allows “sexual harassment, ‘slut shaming,’ and sexualization.”
The walkout occurred at about 2:15 p.m., when more than 50 students, mostly girls, walked from the main entrance of the Ridgeland Avenue middle school to Scoville Park.
The walkout was organized by eighth grader Sophia Ott, along with several of her peers, after what she said was the attempted censorship by a former administrator of a poem written by a female student.
In an email to families Tuesday, Interim Principal William Lee said administrators knew about the planned walkout and that it was intended to “bring awareness to issues of sexism and sexual harassment.”
“District 97 does not prohibit students from walking out or engaging in a peaceful protest,” Lee said. “If students walk out, they will be allowed to exit peacefully.”
According to Sophia, the protest was initiated by an event at school in which an administrator expressed displeasure about the word “slut” being used, and said the poem, which was performed at the Women’s History Month assembly in April at the school, “bashed men.”
“At our school, in the past and currently, there have been a lot of problems with harassment and slut shaming and sexist things going on in our school,” Sophia said.
D97 has not responded to a request for comment about the claims the students made about the administrator’s reaction to the poem. According to Sophia, that administrator is no longer with the district.
The students said they began speaking with each other about situations that they said have fostered a climate that tolerates sexual harassment and harassment, especially toward girls.
The goal is to alert adults to the issues and that students are unhappy about it, Sophia said.
“I hope they see this and they realize this is happening,” she said. “When parents speak up, especially when it’s a lot of parents, I just want to make them and the community around us more aware of this fact. So that they can see that and maybe they say something and then maybe something happens and makes this situation better for some people.”
Andrea Button, Sophia’s mother, said she was “extremely proud” of her daughter and her friends.
“I love that young women and people assigned female at birth of this generation are owning their space, their power, and their right to feel safe in a world that too often presents them with opposition to those things,” Button said.
That culture has also created an environment in which female students feel like no one is listening to them, she said.
“When students express their concerns or tell their stories asking for help, nothing ever happens,” Sophia said.
The number of all sexual harassment, harassment, and bullying complaints filed by students is not yet known. Wednesday Journal has submitted records requests regarding them.
District 97 officials said they take “all allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously and are committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students at Julian Middle School.”
“Our district has procedures in place for reporting sexual harassment,” said Luis Fernando De Leon, assistant superintendent of middle schools. “We encourage students to report any concerns to a trusted staff member or through our Bullying Report Form.”
De Leon was at Julian when the walkout began.
De Leon, who wore a bright yellow vest, said he was there to ensure the students were safe as they left the school to walk to Scoville Park, their destination. D97 officials said no administrators or staff followed students to Scoville Park.
At the park, students rallied to hear speeches from organizers.
“Sexual harassment can go unseen and written off as ‘middle school boys,’” said one of the organizers, who is not being named because she is a minor and Wednesday Journal was unable to reach a parent for permission.
The seventh grader added that being sexually harassed has a huge mental toll on someone, making them feel unsafe.
Another organizer spoke during the walkout, saying that “sexual harassment and assault are a huge problem” at Julian.
“It often goes unaddressed,” she said.
“Thirteen- and fourteen-year-old kids should never feel afraid or threatened around a male teacher or be scared to eat a hot dog or a banana because they are scared to be sexualized by the boys around us, and yet we are, every day,” she said.