JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students in Duval County are helping create change in the district after coming forward during this week’s school board meeting.
The students detailed issues with reporting sexual harassment and wanting better access to Title IX resources.
“I’m here to speak for those who have been silenced and to urge you guys to expand Title IX accessibility across Duval County and to spread awareness and education among teachers and students to help mitigate this epidemic of sexual harassment and assault in our schools,” Darshini Vancheeswaran said.
Vancheeswaran is in her junior year at a Duval County high school and she’s one of five students who raised concerns to Duval County School Board members Tuesday night about sexual harassment happening in school environments and a lack of awareness on Title IX protections. While Vancheeswaran hasn’t reported issues with sexual harassment, she’s heard from her peers about their experiences.
“It’s not okay that this happens in a school environment. So I just, I really wanted to be a part of that change, and kind of help people all around the survivors feel like they do have a place to be heard,” she told News4JAX.
WATCH: Full interview with Darshini Vancheeswaran, sexual abuse and gender equity advocate
At the end of public comment, School Board Chair Darryl Willie acknowledged the students who came forward to share their concerns.
“I just appreciate you all’s voice in this space and I know I’m jotting down notes and hear you loud and clear and we appreciate your voice and continue to advocate for yourself and your peers,” Willie said.
News4JAX emailed Duval County Public Schools Wednesday about how they’re addressing the students who spoke about issues with sexual harassment during the school board meeting on Tuesday.
“District leadership is currently in correspondence with many of the students who spoke on Tuesday. We are thankful to the students for their input and are working to obtain additional information about the concerning incidents they shared during public comment…Their input has inspired us to take additional steps to ensure our school community is aware of the rights available to them under Title IX. Additional steps include adding clear and comprehensive information to our current Student Resources page about what Title IX is and how students can submit a complaint,” DCPS said in a statement.
The district is also posting flyers around schools with a QR code that takes you to a page where students can easily access links to report things like school threats and bullying.
Vancheeswaran said she’s already seen some of those flyers go up at her school.
“Honestly, it means everything to me,” she said. “I really want to do this for the rest of my life, I really want to start, and I really think that I can start here. And it felt great that they really listened to students, because I feel like that’s a lot of what public comment should be, it should be students talking to the school board saying what the district can do for them because they’re the people who experience this every single day.”
If your child is dealing with bullying or sexual harassment, you can report it through the DCPS student resources page.