Oral Sex Charges in Oakland, Calif., Second-Grade Class "Have Merit" - In Markham Elementary School, in the Oakland Unified School District in California, a teacher has been put on paid administrative leave while investigators sort out student reports of second grade students having oral sex and running around unclothed. An unnamed student came forward Wednesday with details of the incidents. District spokesperson Terry Flint is quoted as saying that results of the investigation have led the school to believe the reports "have merit."
Two second grade students, a boy and a girl, are reported to have engaged in oral sex in the classroom cloakroom. In a separate incident, two students were said to have "disrobed, at least partially" and behaved in an "unruly" manner. The teacher, who is spoken of positively by parents, has said he was "unaware of either incident". He has been put on paid administrative leave despite parents speaking up on his behalf. The parents of the children involved have been contacted but no word has been issued from them so far.
It should be noted that in most elementary schools, Markham Elementary School included, the cloakroom is separate from the classroom, either located in a hallway or in a separate room. Some cloakrooms have bathrooms that are private enclosed areas. Even in kindergarten or preschool, teachers do not accompany children into the bathroom and in second grade (around 7 to 8 years old) children may go to the cloak room unattended. During preparation for recess, especially, many children are dressing or undressing in outdoor clothing, getting drinks, waiting to use the bathroom, getting playground toys, getting snacks, laughing and talking. This is the time when children are the most difficult to monitor completely.
Some children will also "disrobe" whenever they are overheated after physical education class or recess. Other children who find this behavior tedious and annoying may report that "so and so keeps taking his clothes off." The Markham Elementary School incident reporting "children running naked" very likely stemmed from an incident like this, rather than any inappropriate behavior.
What is less likely is for children to engage in full sexual intercourse. Dr. James Crawford-Jakubiak, Medical Director for the Center for Child Protection at Oakland Children's Hospital calls oral sex "profoundly not normal." Children are curious about their bodies. They touch their bodies. At age 7 to 8 they are beginning to understand what feels good and what hurts their bodies, sexually. Children do not experience orgasm at that age and typically have no interest in sex with others. Emotionally healthy second grade children are much more likely to be embarrassed, offended or repulsed by sex acts.
While second grade children have no real understanding of sex acts, they are great imitators. Dr. Crawford-Jakubiak expresses his concern in the issue: that one of the children may have experienced sexual abuse. He says that we cannot simply blame television and internet sex for the Markham Elementary School incident. As a teacher and parent myself, I would extend this analysis. Because children do imitate, it is possible and more likely that one or both children had witnessed oral sex acts either in real life, on television or on the internet. Professionals can certainly not overlook the possibility of past sexual abuse incidents, however. ( news.yahoo.com)
Two second grade students, a boy and a girl, are reported to have engaged in oral sex in the classroom cloakroom. In a separate incident, two students were said to have "disrobed, at least partially" and behaved in an "unruly" manner. The teacher, who is spoken of positively by parents, has said he was "unaware of either incident". He has been put on paid administrative leave despite parents speaking up on his behalf. The parents of the children involved have been contacted but no word has been issued from them so far.
It should be noted that in most elementary schools, Markham Elementary School included, the cloakroom is separate from the classroom, either located in a hallway or in a separate room. Some cloakrooms have bathrooms that are private enclosed areas. Even in kindergarten or preschool, teachers do not accompany children into the bathroom and in second grade (around 7 to 8 years old) children may go to the cloak room unattended. During preparation for recess, especially, many children are dressing or undressing in outdoor clothing, getting drinks, waiting to use the bathroom, getting playground toys, getting snacks, laughing and talking. This is the time when children are the most difficult to monitor completely.
Some children will also "disrobe" whenever they are overheated after physical education class or recess. Other children who find this behavior tedious and annoying may report that "so and so keeps taking his clothes off." The Markham Elementary School incident reporting "children running naked" very likely stemmed from an incident like this, rather than any inappropriate behavior.
What is less likely is for children to engage in full sexual intercourse. Dr. James Crawford-Jakubiak, Medical Director for the Center for Child Protection at Oakland Children's Hospital calls oral sex "profoundly not normal." Children are curious about their bodies. They touch their bodies. At age 7 to 8 they are beginning to understand what feels good and what hurts their bodies, sexually. Children do not experience orgasm at that age and typically have no interest in sex with others. Emotionally healthy second grade children are much more likely to be embarrassed, offended or repulsed by sex acts.
While second grade children have no real understanding of sex acts, they are great imitators. Dr. Crawford-Jakubiak expresses his concern in the issue: that one of the children may have experienced sexual abuse. He says that we cannot simply blame television and internet sex for the Markham Elementary School incident. As a teacher and parent myself, I would extend this analysis. Because children do imitate, it is possible and more likely that one or both children had witnessed oral sex acts either in real life, on television or on the internet. Professionals can certainly not overlook the possibility of past sexual abuse incidents, however. ( news.yahoo.com)
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