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Missouri Sexual Harrassment Law Punishes Kids Too

October 3, 1996
By: Jennifer Horton
State Capital Bureau There is nothing in Missouri law that prohibits a six year old child from being suspended for sexual harassment. Jennifer Horton has more.
Story:Jennifer Horton

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OutCue: SOC

Missouri's sexual harassment law does not make any distinction between a high school senior and a six-year-old first grader.

In fact, it encourages school administrators to educate students of all ages on sexual harassment policies.

An attorney for Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Mark Vanzandt, says it is necessary for school officials to protect their students from sexual harassment, even at six.

Actuality:Mark Vanzandt
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OutCue: "in the classroom"
Contents: A school administrator must answer, is this unacceptable behavior and does it disturb the classroom.

Vanzandt says it is up to the individual school board to decide how to punish a five or six-year-old charged with sexually harassing a classmate.