photo by Charlotte Wyman
Content warning: this article references sexual assault
On early morning Wednesday, March 16, 2022, the Instagram account @sexualassaultwalkout shared its first post announcing a walkout to raise awareness surrounding sexual assault and harassment within the Lick-Wilmerding High School community. On that day, the post was reshared hundreds of times, and news of the walkout quickly gained interest and momentum.
Since a student-led planning group has met in the Center for Civic Engagement to discuss the main goal and purpose of the walkout. The group is made up of club leaders from FM (affinity space for women of color), FANG (Fostering Activists in the Next Generation), LWOW (Lick-Wilmerding Organization of Women), Unity (affinity space for queer and trans women of color) and Women’s Safety.
Along with other walkout information, the group produced a mission statement that was shared on another Instagram post that read: “Our purpose is to raise awareness and hold the LWHS community accountable for their roles in perpetuating rape culture and maintaining silence around matters regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment.”
The Student Inclusion Chairs, Olivia Castillo ’23 and George Duran ’23, worked closely with three seniors to begin planning the walkout and form the planning group. Throughout this year, Eliana Goldfarb ’22, Nayeli Rodriguez ’22 and Amelia Skrupski ’22 have been working closely with Kate Wiley and Dr. Catherine Fung to improve the school’s communication of the mandated report policy as well as sexual assault education within the LWHS curriculum.
One of the most unique aspects of the planning process for the walkout is that it is completely student-run. “I think things are most impactful when they come directly from students,” Castillo said, “Students can be more open without the pressure of an adult intervening or overriding anything.”
One of the major policies the walkout hopes to further educate the student body on is the mandated report policy.
The policy states that: “If a student reports that another LWHS student was involved in the sexual abuse, the School will address the other student’s conduct in accordance with the Policy against Harassment. It is also possible, to align with the Title IX best practices, that the School may use an external, trained investigator to support an objective and thorough investigative process. If a law enforcement or child protective services agency is investigating a report of sexual abuse, LWHS may need to defer its own internal complaint procedures.”
Many students are frustrated by the policy as the concern is that it restricts students from disclosing sexual assault and harassment incidents. However, it needs to be recognized that the policy isn’t put in place as an administrative choice but is a state law enforced to support and protect minors.
Under Article 2.5 of the California Penal Codes (Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act), all faculty and staff employed by a public or private school are considered mandated reporters. A mandated reporter is an individual who is required by law to report reasonable suspicions of abuse. The law was put in place to protect people under the age of 18 from abuse, neglect, sexual assault and sexual exploitation.
To learn more about who is required to be a mandated reporter you can read Article 2.5 on the California Legislative Information website.
photo by Charlotte Wyman
Sexual assault and harassment are rampant issues throughout high schools in the Bay Area and across the country. The inspiration for LWHS students to hold a walkout came from the walkouts that took place across the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) high schools.
Throughout June of 2020, the issue of sexual assault within high schools gained widespread attention on social media. In the fall of 2021, the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (SOTA) was one of the first schools to hold a student-led walkout in protest of the school’s handling of sexual assault within the community.
Since then there’s been a domino effect of student-led walkouts.
Lowell High School students held their first protest in support of SOTA. Students have continued to hold walkouts against sexual assault since late February in an attempt to hold the school community accountable and highlight the demands of the study body. Similar to LWHS, students voiced their support by making posters, through social media and uplifting the voices and stories of survivors.
A major importance of these walkouts has been to preserve student anonymity.
“I think the benefit of not having a major faculty advisor is that there is an increase in students’ comfort level,” FANG co-leader, Emily Lam ’23 said. “Preserving student anonymity ensures that survivors’ voices are genuinely heard and placed at the center throughout this process without revealing information against their will.”
At the walkout, LWHS students are planning to create a list of their own demands for the school community in hopes of building a safer, more supportive community for survivors.
As walkout planning comes to a close, many students are looking toward future discussions of sexual assault and harassment within LWHS. “I think it is time for healing in our community,” Rodriguez said. “We’re building a foundation for future action to be taken against rape culture at our school.”
Goldfarb shared similar hopes to Rodriguez. “I hope that students feel a sense of unity from the walkout. I hope they feel that any discomfort or trauma they may have experienced is valid and that we are here to support them. I also hope that students who feel less informed leave the walkout more knowledgeable about rape culture and the options they have to report incidents of sexual assault. But more importantly, I hope students feel motivated to continue these conversations and take active steps to combat rape culture in the future.”
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault you should never be scared to reach out to the LWHS counseling department for help. You can email them both at counsling@lwhs.org or individually at:
Yuka Hachiuma – yhachuima@lwhs.org
Erika Solis – esolis@lwhs.org
These organizations also have resources for counseling:
SFWAR (San Francisco Women Against Rape) – 24/7 Hotline (415-647-7273)
“SFWAR counselors are NOT mandated reporters. Youth are welcome to utilize SFWAR services for support. SFWAR will NOT contact the police without permission.”
“SFWAR counselors hold confidentiality except in instances of suicidal behavior or homicidal plans.”
RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – 24/7 Hotline (800-656-4673)+ live chat
La Casas de las Madres
Check out a reflection of the walkout on the Paper Tiger website www.lwhspapertiger.org on May 9.
