cover image Sexual Exploitation in Schools: How to Spot It and Stop It

Sexual Exploitation in Schools: How to Spot It and Stop It

Robert J. Shoop. Corwin Press, $28.95 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-7619-3845-3

Risk management expert Shoop has 25 years of experience consulting with school districts in the areas of harassment, abuse and negligence. In this succinct, sobering book, he teaches K-12 educators (and, by extension, parents, guidance counselors and community leaders) how to recognize the warning signs of sexual exploitation in schools and how to implement measures to end it. Using plain language, he lays out definitions of terms like""sexual harassment,""""sexual abuse"" and""child molestation,"" and offers anecdotes to illuminate his definitions. The value of Shoop's guide lies in its analysis of the consequences of sexual exploitation (e.g., parents will be bombarded by conflicting emotions; children's academic performance may suffer) and the legal context of exploitation (including a description of 1990's Megan's Law). He also includes helpful appendices that offer a sample sexual exploitation prevention policy and suggestions for developing a sexual exploitation prevention program.