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January 25, 2021<\/p>\n
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Nonconsensual Touching in Elementary Schools: aka Hugging<\/p>\n
I write to address the proliferation and encouragement of intentional nonconsensual touching that is not legally justified that has become pervasive in elementary schools\u2026hugs.\u00a0 Daily, young children are hugged in hallways and classrooms across the country.\u00a0 While you might consider such activity benign, it is far from it under the examination of consent and common law.<\/p>\n
Consent is the voluntary, informed and freely given agreement to participate in mutually agreed-upon acts.\u00a0 Modern courts have consistently ruled that young children do not have the ability to consent.\u00a0 Meaning\u2026children do not have the legal ability to consent to a hug (intentional touching).\u00a0 Parents\/guardians are left to determine what is appropriate and most of the time parents\/guardians are not present to give their children permission for such encounters.\u00a0 I have never seen a permission slip for hugging\u2026although, I would be interested to see how such a slip would hold up in court.\u00a0 Regardless, hugs (intentional nonconsensual touching) cannot be legally justified.\u00a0 Therefore, the nonconsensual physical encounters that we have long called benign\u2026are often illegal\u2026and universally problematic.<\/p>\n
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In a world of hidden dangers, elementary schools have a duty to protect young children.\u00a0 In fact, if a school does not protect children it is not a school\u2026protection is that fundamental to what a school is.\u00a0There is no perfect way to recognize who children need to be protected from.\u00a0 In fact, it\u2019s probably impossible\u2026ie a pervert is obviously not going to introduce their self as a pervert.\u00a0 What we don\u2019t know should instruct the precautions that we take.\u00a0Do you know who is hugging your children?\u00a0 We must assume that hugs (intentional nonconsensual touching that is not legally justified) cannot be safe.\u00a0 It seems reckless to start from any other place.<\/p>\n
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Amen.<\/p>\n
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*While this article was written with elementary schools in mind, there are obvious places of a variety of spaces.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
January 25, 2021 \u00a0 Nonconsensual Touching in Elementary Schools: aka Hugging I write to address the proliferation and encouragement of intentional nonconsensual touching that is not legally justified that has become pervasive in elementary schools\u2026hugs.\u00a0 Daily, young children are hugged in hallways and classrooms across the country.\u00a0 While you might consider such activity benign, it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2509,"featured_media":8125,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[5772,5766,5769,5271],"class_list":["post-8124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freshwritings","category-thoughts","tag-elementary-school","tag-hugs","tag-minors","tag-school"],"yoast_head":"\n