On December 3rd in Mill Creek WA, students at Henry M. Jackson High School organized a peaceful protest in support of Alex Su; a student at Newport High School in Bellevue. She was physically and emotionally abused by her ex-partner. When she went to her high school's administration to remove him from her classes and hold him accountable for his actions, they told her they could not do anything about her case as the abuse happened out of school.

The JHS protest was held from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and students were able to speak on their own abuse/assault stories. Many of the stories students spoke about included the fact that when they reached out to Everett Public School's staff about their incidents, they were victim-blamed, disregarded, and in the end, their abusers were not held accountable. We as students enrolled in the Everett Public Schools district would like to change this.

While some students at the protest chose to speak in person about their stories and comments, others used an anonymous online form to speak out. Below are a few responses that students shared.

Anonymous - I reported that a group of kids sexually assaulted me for a couple of months in school and out of it and the school told me they can't do anything about it, and I have classes with them this year.

Anonymous - At Mill Creek Elementary School, I was repeatedly touched by a peer, and when I told the school their response was to sit me and him together alone for the rest of the year and they blamed it on his ADHD.

Alexandra Rimmele - My name is Alexandra Rimmele. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be here today. But, I am a survivor of sexual assault. When it happened I was afraid to talk about it and speak out. I went to one teacher who I will not name and I was blamed, I was told that it was my fault, I shouldn’t have worn what I did, and that I should have been more clear when I said no. Because of the fact I was invalidated in this one incident, I never spoke up because I was afraid that I would be invalidated again. I no longer felt safe at the school or on the bus. These things happen at school and away from the school. It happens to people our age. It’s not okay to blame us for what happened, it’s not okay that the adults we are supposed to trust prove time and time again that we can’t trust them. We are supposed to be able to go to administrators and be able to tell them what happened to us and they listen. They’re supposed to help us. But yet again with Alex Su and her situation, we are ignored. This isn’t okay and it never will be. When we as students come to you, adults and admin, for support and help, you are supposed to listen and help not suspend us for speaking up against your inaction.

Anonymous - I was sexually harassed in front of a security guard and they just laughed, I told the admin about being sexually assaulted in one of the bathrooms and they told me not to tell anyone else because they could lose their job if I did. They don’t care about any of the kids, they shouldn’t have that job.

Parker Hyatt - I have a friend who was raped by her friend. When she told the school did nothing about it, which is kind of f***ed. We’re kids. I think this should be taken more seriously because this is something that happens to a lot of people unsuspectingly. Whether you think you’re safe or not, this is something that should be taken more seriously by schools all around the world. It’s insane to me how a lot of the time the victim is in trouble for speaking out rather than the abuser themself. This needs to be stopped now. (Disclaimer: This story is not affiliated with EPS specifically)

Anonymous - I was sexually assaulted from 6th to 8th grade by a fellow student and when the staff found out they did nothing but make us sign a no-contact form.

Anonymous - I don’t have a personal experience to share but I commemorate everyone for coming out and being brave enough to share their experiences. I would like to say that the staff should take this day as a calling to make changes to their support systems. Have better response groups and measures. Train the admin for appropriate reactions and responses. Please make a change.

The 3300P Student Discipline Matrix strictly states that when sexual assault takes place, the assailant will potentially receive the following interventions:

- Classroom Exclusion

- ISS

- ST

- LT (No K-4)

- Expulsion (No K-4)

- Title IX Coordinator referral

Comparing these with the stories shared above, they do not match up with each other.

EPS staff needs to have the proper resources and knowledge to deal with situations like these. The 3300P Student Discipline Matrix has a well-planned set of interventions, but it clearly has not been used accordingly.

------OUR DEMANDS------

We demand mandatory, trauma-informed training for Everett School District teachers, administration, and counselors on how to appropriately react and respond to reports of sexual assault.

We demand counselors to be thoroughly trained and specialized in the field of sexual assault and assault available for all students. 

We demand complete transparency from staff when students report their experience of assault, as well as commitment to follow up with the students about the actions that they plan to take and have taken.

We demand education for students on domestic violence, assault, sexual assault, and consent, and how to report instances of abuse.

We demand improved and inclusive sexual education and consent education in all of our health classes.

We demand improvement in the system.

Although this petition JHS related, this change needs to be district-wide, as Henry M. Jackson High School is not the only school in the district with sexual assault issues.