McGrath CyberSchool: Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment

For Administrator, Managers and Conselors

• Awareness
• Intervention and Complaint Management
• Investigation

This comprehensive course is specifically designed for administrators and managers to address their duties in relation to:
(1) sexual abuse of students by school employees or volunteers and
(2) sexual harassment of and among students, employees and volunteers.

The course is divided into three modules, each taking three to four hours to complete.
Lessons are accessible 24 hours a day. Optional court cases and articles are available for in-depth study. The timetable for completing the course is determined by the purchaser. The modules may be purchased separately or in any combination and can be completed over the school year at the participant’s convenience.

*All modules are for site administrators, managers, school counselors, and personnel directors at all levels of education, from elementary through higher education.

MODULE ONE - AWARENESS
Lesson 1 – Learning about Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment
Participants will learn:

• Key operational definitions and identifying behaviors
• A five-point criterion for determining the presence of legally actionable sexual harassment and Title IX claims
  

Lesson 2 – Determining the Presence of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment
Participants will learn:

• To detect the warning signs of sexual abuse and sexual harassment
• To identify perpetrator and victim behaviors associated with these offenses
  

Lesson 3 – The Duty to Protect Students and Staff
Participants will learn:

• To understand what “duty to protect” really means: training, prevention, intervention and remediation
• To craft and implement policies and procedures to protect against the harm and liability of sexual abuse and sexual harassment

Lesson 4 – Working Cooperatively with Outside Agencies in Administrative, Civil, and Criminal Investigations
Participants will learn:

• Administrator duties under the criminal and administrative laws that govern sexual abuse and sexual harassment
• The basics of interagency coordination, including how to interact with the media

MODULE TWO - INTERVENTION AND COMPLAINT MANAGEMENT
Lesson 1 – District and Individual Liability for Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment
Participants will learn:

• To understand the liability issues that affect the school district as an employer and administrators individually
• The legal basis of negligence, deliberate indifference and reckless disregard

Lesson 2 – Proactive Measures to Take
Participants will learn:

• To identify the best practices for training each segment of the school community
• Actions to take to remediate the victim and everyone in the environment after sexual abuse or sexual harassment has occurred

Lesson 3 – Processing Complaints of Sexual Abuse and Harassment
Participants will learn:

• The preliminary steps to follow when processing a complaint
• To distinguish when informal resolution is appropriate and when to initiate formal procedures

Lesson 4 – The Importance of Conducting an Environmental Scan
Participants will learn:

• The process of “environmental scanning” to detect multiple incidents, victims, or witnesses
• To determine the facts without destroying reputations, while detecting false accusations

MODULE THREE - INVESTIGATION - SITE AND DISTRICT LEVELS
Lesson 1 – Creating an Investigation Plan
Participants will learn:

• To identify the phases in an investigation and learn what each involves
• To create a McGrath Case Organizer to guide the investigation from start to finish

Lesson 2 – How to Conduct a Thorough and Legally Fit Interview
Participants will learn:

• Questioning techniques to determine the facts of the situation
• To use checklists and forms to guide and record their actions

Lesson 3 – McGrath Investigation Tools
Participants will learn:

• The McGrath FICA Template as a tool for organizing and analyzing the entire situation
• To use their new skills by practicing with a case scenario: review the complaint, interview the parties and witnesses, examine the evidence, and write a final report