{"id":31694,"date":"2020-01-27T20:50:37","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T00:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/?p=31694"},"modified":"2020-01-27T20:50:37","modified_gmt":"2020-01-28T00:50:37","slug":"various-voices-club-hosts-discussion-on-the-law-and-sexual-harassment-assault","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/news\/2020\/01\/27\/various-voices-club-hosts-discussion-on-the-law-and-sexual-harassment-assault\/","title":{"rendered":"Various Voices Club hosts discussion on the law and sexual harassment, assault"},"content":{"rendered":"

TOWAMENCIN – Health and Physical education teacher Kathleen Kelley doesn\u2019t mince words when discussing an issue she feels is all too common \u2014 both in the North Penn community and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the statistics showing that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men, in their lifetime, will experience some sort of sexual violence, unfortunately, if it hasn\u2019t happened to a person yet, probably, in their lifetime, it will happen to them or someone they know,\u201d said Kelley. \u201cWe can prevent that, and we can lower those statistics [and provide] people with the knowledge and the power to make healthier choices.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Students got the opportunity to do just that on Tuesday, January 21st, when the Various Voices Club, of which Kelley is the advisor, hosted a panel discussion on one\u2019s legal and educational recourse related to sexual harassment or violence. While the conversation originated as a response to an influx of unsolicited nude pictures received by North Penn students (which can warrant child pornography charges), its scope expanded to include the function of schools, victim advocates, and police investigations in the aftermath of a sexual assault.<\/span><\/p>\n

Natacha Rivera, a Systems Outreach Specialist with the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County, explained the role of a victim advocate in navigating the criminal justice system.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe provide this layout of info\u2026 so [a person] can make an informed decision,\u201d stated Rivera.<\/span><\/p>\n

From accompanying survivors to a hospital or police station to obtain a civil protection order (a legal document intended to prevent contact between the victim and perpetrator), victim advocates are available twenty-four hours a day to assist with nearly every aspect of a case, including helping survivors file police reports \u2014 \u201cas detailed as you are comfortable with,\u201d emphasized Rivera.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Immediately after a sexual assault occurs, it is advised to go to a hospital with certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, or SANE nurses, who are trained to collect DNA evidence from a victim. This evidence is referred to as a \u201crape kit,\u201d and it is often used by police investigators to prove guilt and obtain criminal convictions in court.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(While Lansdale Hospital does not have SANE nurses on staff, Rivera confirmed that Abington Main Campus, Bryn Mawr, and Lankenau hospitals are equipped with SANE nurses and can adequately perform rape exams.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the entire process, Rivera said, \u201cif at any point you\u2019re uncomfortable, you can voice that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From there, advocates will explain the victim\u2019s rights and police will arrive to collect the completed rape kit. The police will also ask the victim if they would like to file a report; if so, they may take a formal statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

While neither victim advocates nor school administration are permitted to participate in or interfere with an active police investigation, there are several measures that schools can take to protect concerned students.<\/span><\/p>\n

North Penn High School principal Pete Nicholson provided an overview of the school administration\u2019s power regarding instances of sexual harassment or assault.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nicholson advised concerned students to \u201cstart with a trusted adult,\u201d whether it be a teacher, counselor, or member of the administration. From there, the school has the power to arrange accommodations. \u201cWe have moved the victim out of the class\u2026 we can\u2019t necessarily move [the accused],\u201d he said, citing the risk of interfering with a police investigation. \u201cWe want to do what\u2019s right for the student,\u201d Nicholson continued, but as a public school, North Penn is bound by confidentiality rules that prevent actions that have the potential to interfere with education <\/span>\u2014 <\/span>of either the victim or the accused <\/span>\u2014 from being taken during an active investigation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Nicholson noted that the school administration can take action in instances of continuing harassment, as \u201cwe have a responsibility to keep that student safe.\u201d These actions can include suspension (in cases of persistent harassment or threats) and the creation of school schedules that can separate two students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Various Voices Club president Rebecca Farley concluded, \u201cI think it\u2019s very important to come to clear up things that maybe were misconceived, and just to set the record straight of what [North Penn, Victim Services Center, and the police] can do for us [and] what the procedure is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To reach the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County, call 1-888-521-0983.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Various Voices Club will host Detective Jamie Pierluisse on Thursday, January 30th, to discuss the law and police investigations related to sexual harassment and assault. All are welcome.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TOWAMENCIN – Health and Physical education teacher Kathleen Kelley doesn\u2019t mince words when discussing an issue she feels is all too common \u2014 both in the North Penn community and beyond. \u201cWith the statistics showing that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men, in their lifetime, will experience some sort of sexual violence,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,11],"tags":[],"staff_name":[180],"class_list":["post-31694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-top-stories","staff_name-alexis-bamford"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31694"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31702,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31694\/revisions\/31702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31694"},{"taxonomy":"staff_name","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/staff_name?post=31694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}