Learning Task for Sexual Harassment

You answer the following questions:

1. What is the role of the school when a case of sexual harassment is filed by a student against
a teacher?
2. Marissa is a Grade 10 teacher, still single and beautiful. She has a student named Joseph who
is also her admirer. Joseph is open about his feeling for Marissa, but she doesn’t like it. Can
Marissa file a sexual harassment case against Joseph? Why?
3. Joy, a grade 9 student filed a sexual harassment against her teacher Ms. Gomez. Ms. Gomez
countered the complaint of Joy arguing that: a. There can be no sexual harassment
committed because she is a woman, and b. She has no malice every time she touches the
legs of Joy. You explain that the arguments of Ms. Gomez are wrong.
4. Roly is a high school teacher and Arman is his student. As a teacher, Roly has moral
ascendancy over Arman. You describe what is moral ascendancy?

Answers:
1. If a school has a complaint system, it is responsible for any student who has been conducted
an act that creates a sexually hostile environment. By that, the school will be aware of the
harassment and makes way to take immediate and adequate steps to address it. If a student
is the victim of sexual harassment, she or he, a parent, or another person should make a
complaint with a teacher or school official. A student should file a complaint with the school
district if the school fails to fix the condition. Students and teachers should be made aware
of the procedures, which should be written in a language that is acceptable for the students'
eons at the school. When there is no generally acknowledged grievance system in place, a
school is held accountable regardless of whether or not sexual harassment happened.
According to the Safe Spaces Act of 2019 or RA 11313, for as long as they have reasonable
information of possible abuse, schools must investigate sexual harassment instances even if
no formal complaints have been submitted. School administrators must always know the
two sides of the story. The Safe Spaces Act's standard is whether the school authorities had
actual knowledge or should have known of the sexual harassment occurrence. Schools can
keep an eye on them, offer support and a gender-sensitive setting in which they can disclose
their story, and aid the victim in preparing a complaint. Schools will be liable also if their
teachers were proven guilty of sexual harassment to students involved.

2. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination based on gender. Sexual harassment in the

classroom can erode a student's feeling of personal dignity and safety, impair their
education, and prevent them from realizing their full potential. If left unchecked, sexual
harassment in the classroom has the potential to escalate to violent behavior, including
sexual assault. When a student is harassed sexually, he or she may cease performing his or
her homework and engaging in school-related activities. They may skip or drop classes, or
they may stop going to school altogether. Anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, lack of
appetite, inability to focus, low self-esteem, loss of interest in usual activities, social
isolation, and feelings of sadness, fear, or shame are all possible psychological
consequences. Because there is no harassment in the situation of Marissa and Joseph,
 Marissa is unable to bring a sexual harassment complaint against Joseph. The reason for this
is that sexual harassment is predicated on physical acts of sexual assault. Jokes about sexual
actions or sexual orientation, as well as unwelcome physical contact or touching, are
examples of sexual verbal harassment. The student expresses his or her feelings toward the
teacher, but no action is taken to prove harassment. They carry out behaviors that are
inspired by his heart. The kids have strong sentiments for the teacher since he much
admires her, which is why there is no harassment in this situation. People who follow the
harassment law are subject to the harassment law.

3. If left unchecked, sexual harassment in the classroom has the potential to escalate to violent
behavior, including sexual assault. She is not malicious when she touches Joy's legs, but the
student is uneasy when she is touched by her teacher. Her teacher is also prohibited from
touching her legs, making it a form of harassment. Joy has the right to express her
frustration with her teacher. Her activities toward harassment are visible because they
reveal her touching parts of the student's body that are unrelated to the topic matter. The
teacher's responsibility is to teach the students, not to interfere with their personal lives,
particularly if the student is uncomfortable with the setup. Sexual harassment is a type of
discrimination based on a person's gender. Sexual harassment in the classroom can erode a
student's feeling of personal dignity and safety, impair their education, and prevent them
from realizing their full potential in life. In this case, Joy may not continue to go to school
because she was uneasy seeing her teacher. The teacher makes Joy afraid of going to school
to learn, because her teacher might do again touching her legs which affects her mental
health. She might have anxiety and depression if she goes to school with the same teacher,
resulting in different consequences. The teacher’s reasons are invalid, because regardless of
gender, anyone must be liable of what harassment they do to students and must be
penalized.

4. Moral ascendancy is the power that one person or a group of people has over others
because of their morality and character. Commanding officials in law and order require this
moral force in order to exert control over those they lead. Teaching is a wonderful
profession, but what sets it apart from others is that it is noble both in words and in deeds.
Moral ascendancy, as indicated above, is now used in this context. Being good in front of the
class while surrounded by four walls isn't enough for Moral ascendancy. Moral ascendancy
is only superficial if it is not applied in all parts of life. A teacher can teach excellent
principles and treat each student fairly in the classroom, but moral ascendancy is only
cosmetic if it is not applied in all aspects of life. According to the situation, Roly is a high
school student, and Arman is his student. He considers himself to be morally superior to
Arman. It means Arman must treat Roly with respect as a teacher, and Roly must treat
Arman with respect as a pupil. Arman, his classmates, and all kids in the school should be
treated equitably by Roly, the teacher. Roly must take care of them and avoid doing
anything that would cause them to fear school and teachers. He should not engage in any
type of harassment involving pupils, because his moral authority would be questioned if he
does so. He should maintain his influence over students in a non-harassing manner.