• A majority of child victims of sexual violence are between the ages of 12-17. Of these victims, sixty-six percent are victims of sexual assault and rape.ⁱ

Sexual violence does not discriminate. All ages, all genders, all people are victims, with middle and high school students experiencing some of the highest rates. Today further trauma is perpetrated on the victim when their assault is posted, shared, and commented on over social media.

Most victims of sexual violence know their attackers. They are a family member, friend, or an acquaintance who is an opportunist taking advantage of a situation. Or someone who maliciously plans to use pressure, alcohol, drugs or other methods of coercion in order to assault. But sexual violence, like all violence, is not inevitable. It does not happen because of what someone wears or how much they drink. Sexual violence is learned. And if it is learned, it can be unlearned and prevented.

Viewing and teaching Audrie & Daisy in schools can play an instrumental role in this prevention work. The educational resources bring conversations about the root causes of sexual violence and the role of social media into classrooms and help students understand consent, intervention strategies and healthy relationships.

The stories of Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman are not easy or simple. Nor are the circumstances surrounding their assaults. But if we follow the lead of these courageous survivors, victims and their family, we can also find inspiration and strength by furthering their work in our schools and classrooms.

Consider these statistics:

• Sixty percent of all middle and high school students are sexually harassed in any given year.ⁱⁱ
• In a survey with teens ages 13-18, forty-two percent said their parents know nothing or very little about what they do online.ⁱⁱⁱ
• Ninety-two percent of Americans ages 13-17 are online for social media at least once a day.^iv
• Ninety-five percent of teens report witnessing cruelty or bullying online, and twenty-one percent joined in when they saw it.^v
• Nearly thirty percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth experience dating violence in high school.^vi
• For transgender students, especially those of color, rates of harassment, physical and sexual assault are even higher than for their gender conforming peers.^vii

The educational resources developed for Audrie & Daisy offer something different for middle and high school students. They invite students to learn through the stories of Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman, two high school students from different parts of the country who were sexually assaulted at parties by supposed friends, and then bullied online by students at their schools.

In recent years survivors and allies at colleges and universities have courageously raised awareness and held institutions legally accountable when a sexual assault occurs. But beliefs and attitudes about healthy relationships and sexuality take root long before college students move into their dorm rooms. If college campuses are the hunting ground for sexual predators, as some have called it, high school is the breeding ground where predatory ideas take root. Social media can add an additional layer of violence and trauma when photos and videos, online harassment and bullying about the assault are broadcast for all to see. Waiting until college to educate students about relationships, consent and bystander intervention is too little, too late.^viii

The educational resources created for Audrie & Daisy are a response to this need. They include a full unit of lessons, a discussion guide written for parents and other adult allies, and a wealth of supporting resources to educate students and teachers at the middle and high school level. The central question of Audrie & Daisy:

What can each of us do in our schools—students, teachers and administrators—to prevent sexual assault?

Each lesson includes:

Lesson Overview: Frames the intent of the lesson for the educator.

Reflect, Discuss and Engage: Prompts for reflection, small group discussion and flexible activities to deepen student understanding.

Watch: Selected video segments from the film aligned to the lesson topic. Chosen to foster meaningful conversations.

Respond: Writing assignments to assess learning and provide a space to process the content covered. This could be in the form of individual writing assignments or included in a journal.

After completing the lessons students will demonstrate their learning through a final assessment, The Audrie & Daisy Project. Each student will create a personal pledge or commitment in which they identify specific actions to take in their lives and communities.

Grade Level: 8-12th grade.

Lesson Duration: With so many variations in school schedules we have chosen to offer a general recommendation of one to two days for each lesson depending upon the length of the class period and how often the class meets.

Subject Connections: Health Education, Psychology, Law and Media Studies, Advisory, English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Civics.

Scope and Sequence: Given the age span and developmental needs of students from 12 to 18, it is critical for educators to view and read all the resources prior to using the film and beginning the lessons.

The lesson sequence is important and intentional, offering students a framework for analyzing Audrie & Daisy as well as understanding, addressing and preventing sexual assault in their own lives. Each lesson can be easily adapted into existing curriculum to meet students’ age-appropriate developmental needs

The lessons in the unit include:

Screening the Full Documentary

Lesson One: Changing the Culture

Lesson Two: What to Share & Post: Teaching Digital Citizenship

Lesson Three: Understanding Consent

Lesson Four: Stepping Up, Speaking Out: Bystander Intervention

Lesson Five: Creating Healthy Relationships On- and Offline

Appendix I: Standards Addressed

Appendix II: Primary Source Material on the Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman cases

Appendix III: Key Terms and Concepts

Audrie & Daisy is available on Netflix and will be on a national community tour to any campus or community organizations who can convene school or public screening and discussion events this fall. To apply to host a free screening of Audrie & Daisy send a note to audriedaisy@filmsprout.org and they will be in touch with next steps.

Any conversation about sexual violence in a classroom setting requires careful attention, support and preparation. The information in this section is offered to reinforce best practices or provide new information to support you and your students before screening the film and beginning the lessons.

Establish a Safe School and Classroom Culture Throughout the Year

Safety is a basic prerequisite for schooling. All students need to feel physically, emotionally and intellectually safe at school in order to learn. Unfortunately dating and sexual violence, sexual harassment, online bullying and other violations filter into student’s lives and deeply affect their ability to learn.

Providing survivor support, prevention education and anti-bullying programs and explicit and well communicated zero tolerance policies for gender bias will go a long way toward institutionalizing healthy school norms and practices.

These lessons also support district and school-wide goals fostering safe and inclusive school climates that integrate the following priorities:

• Open communication between school and home on social and emotional learning and developmentally appropriate conversations on healthy relationships.
• Responsible and respectful use of social media — Social media is not inherently bad, but careless or malicious use can lead to dangerous consequences.
• Awareness and support of Title IX protections so that all students in private and public education are afforded an equitable education.
• Prevention of gender discrimination, dating violence and sexual assault before it occurs, and strategies to intervene if and when vulnerable situations arise.

Content Connections:

See the Start Strong Program for resources supporting middle school school climate.

The excellent school-based intervention Green Dot has demonstrated a 50% reduction of sexual perpetration in schools where it is in use. The Centers for Disease Control has recommended this as a resource for whole-school interventions.

Read the American Association of University Women, “Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School.”

The stories of Audrie and Daisy, Delaney, Ella and Jada, and all students who have experienced sexual violence, are a call for schools to reaffirm their commitment and support of Title IX policies. Title IX is a landmark federal civil right that prohibits gender discrimination in all educational activities, covering everything from sexual harassment to opportunities in math and science. Passed in 1972, the portion of Title IX that is often referenced states:

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. (20 U.S.C. § 1681(a))

Often people think of Title IX in relationship to sports. But the law is not just about sports and it doesn’t just apply to female students. Read the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter from the Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights explaining the requirements of Title IX particularly as they pertain to sexual violence.^ix If any action occurs and as a result fair and equal access to a safe and equitable learning environment is compromised, Title IX protections can be enforced.

If your elementary, middle or high school receives federal funding it must uphold at least these requirements:

• An assigned staff member as the designated Title IX coordinator;
• A clear, well-publicized procedure for responding to complaints of sexual harassment and sexual violence that occur on AND off campus;
• Age appropriate training on Title IX.^x

If any of these requirements (and several others) are not being upheld, you have a right and responsibility to file a Title IX complaint. Contact an attorney and seek guidance from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. For current data on complaints being investigated see the Notalone.gov website.^xi

Content Connections:

Watch with your students Know Your Rights in School: PSA on Title IX from SafeBAE.

For further information on Title IX explore:

• White House Guidelines: Know Your Rights
• National Women’s Law Center Primer for Schools on Sexual Harassment
• Know Your Title IX:  High School Basics
• Department of Education Office of Civil Rights: Dear Colleague Letter Background, Summary and Fast Facts

Before any conversation about healthy sexual development in a classroom setting it is important to communicate your intentions to your students and their parents. Share that the conversation is happening because of your student’s age and the importance of having accurate information at this critical time. It is also important to convey that screening Audrie & Daisy and using the educational content is a significant step toward creating healthy school cultures and teaching middle and high school students to prevent sexual assault.

Teaching students about their bodies and about healthy sexuality does not assume that all students are or should be experimenting with or participating in sexual relationships. This decision is very personal. Many factors contribute to this decision and should be weighed with credible, accurate information and in conversation with trusted adults. Students between the ages of 15-19 who receive comprehensive sex education are not more likely to become sexually active, increase sexual activity, or experience negative sexual health outcomes such as sexually transmitted diseases or teen pregnancy. Share this information with students and parents.^xii

One communication strategy to use with personal and sensitive material such as sexual assault is a trigger warning. Or a statement made to inform students about potentially distressing content before it is discussed. Used largely at the college level, this warning is also important for secondary classrooms. It respects personal and cultural boundaries and enables students and parents to make decisions before being exposed to content that may be offensive or sensitive. Work with your colleagues to draft this warning and confer with school leadership to outline alternative activities for students who elect to opt out of Audrie & Daisy. Make sure to communicate that no student will be penalized for opting out.

Here are some helpful tips to integrate into your trigger warning:

• Share with students the nature of the content covered and the opportunity for students to decide their comfort level in learning about and openly discussing sexual assault.
• Inform students of support services within the school community and encourage them to seek out school counselors or other adult allies.
• Leave open the invitation for students and parents to speak to you individually and provide information on the options for students who choose to opt-out of this unit.
• Make sure to carve out classroom time within each class session for individual journaling and time to reflect and communicate reactions, emotions and questions.

Content Connections:

Using guidelines and standards on health and sexuality education may also offer important language when crafting parent communication or in sharing with students the rationale for using the Audrie & Daisy content.

See the National Guidelines Task Force materials for age appropriate recommendations. Explore other organizations including StopItNow, Scarleteen, and Advocates for Youth. Watch and read featured TED speaker and veteran educator on sexuality and society Al Vernacchio.

For perspectives on using trigger warnings in secondary classrooms read:

• Teaching Tolerance Why I Support Trigger Warnings.
• Organization of American Historians A High School Teacher’s View on Trauma and Trigger Warnings.
• A Mother’s Blog about Trigger Warnings.

Given the numbers of middle and high school students who are victims of sexual violence, it is possible that there may be a student in your classroom who has been assaulted. The laws vary state to state so it is critical to know your responsibilities should a student come forward and disclose an assault, or suspect that they may have been assaulted.  Use the excellent State Law Database produced by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) to learn how your state defines sexual violence and rape, what is legal consent and what are the parameters of mandatory reporting at the secondary school level.

The stories of Audrie and Daisy are both unique and sadly very common. But lessons do not address all of the critical topics for analyzing the documentary. In multiple screenings of the film across the country, a handful of recurring issues and questions surfaced. These topics and questions can be shared with your school community and are discussed in greater length in the Discussion Guide created for the documentary.

• Alcohol consumption does not always result in assault, and is not always used to facilitate sexual assault, but it does cause impaired decision making and poor judgement. While alcohol is often involved in a sexual assault, it is never the cause. How can schools clarify the dangerous relationship between alcohol and sexual violence?
• Most boys are not committing sexual violence. However, the majority of sexual assaults are committed by boys against girls. Increasingly, young people are learning about sex and sexual relationships from social media and pornography that is easily accessible on the internet.^xiii What do we need to do to change the culture of “boys will be boys?”
• Although popular culture cannot be blamed for sexual violence, how can schools teach students to think critically about media and social media that denigrates women?
• The likelihood that a person suffers suicidal or depressive thoughts, show short and long-term side effects, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm, suicide, substance abuse, eating disorders, difficulty developing and maintaining trusting relationships and other serious physical and psychological challenges increases after sexual trauma. ^xiv What can school communities do to raise awareness and offer support services for students who experience sexual trauma?

Content Connections:

Read the 2010 U.S Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Dear Colleague letter reminding administrators and educators of their responsibilities and also in distinguishing between bullying and sexual harassment.

Before considering these lessons reflect on your own comfort level for discussing topics relating to healthy relationships, healthy masculinity, sexuality and gender roles. Consider seeking out school counselors and professionals in your community who are knowledgeable to topics such as relationship violence, sexual violence, gender based discrimination and violations occurring online.

Content Connections:

• Spend time with these webinars facilitated by Futures Without Violence, and toolkits like that offered for Adult Allies on their That’s Not Cool resource (An excellent introduction to teen internet use and its relationship to abuse, teen dating and sexual violence).

• Read, discuss and access the linked resources in the blog post How Being a Father Against Violence Makes You a #TrueDude including the Coaching Boys Into Men
• Familiarize yourself with the six key concepts and recommendations from The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. It has published guidelines for comprehensive sexuality education K-12th grade.
• Organize a facilitated community screening using the Discussion Guide developed for Audrie & Daisy with your entire school community. Send a note to audriedaisy@filmsprout.org and they will be in touch with next steps.

A lot of times you hear someone speak out about their case, (and) a lot of people aren’t going to start by believing. Audrie Pott’s mom said to start by believing, that it could really save a life. I live by that now. Just start by believing.^xv                                                 

—Daisy

One of the most important steps any individual can take is to start out believing people if they share a story of sexual violence. If a student comes forward and shares his or her experience of being sexually assaulted, or suspects an assault, recognize that for that student you are a trusted adult. Tell them you believe them. Be an empathetic and supportive listener and promptly connect the student with appropriate staff at your school or in the community to support next steps. See the section “Start By Believing Survivors” in the Discussion Guide for specific guidelines on what to do if someone confides their story.

If a known or suspected assault took place at home—meaning it’s a potential case of domestic abuse—depending on your state the teacher, counselor, or administrator may need to report the situation to Child Protective Services. Before screening the film designate a staff member to be the go-to person who will receive reports of any type of abuse. Review these guidelines from the RAINN website to know what to suggest or where to refer students if they have been or suspect being assaulted.

It is also important as a trusted adult to reflect upon a common tendency to blame the victim with assumptions such as “they were wearing the wrong clothes, they were drinking too much, they should not have shared a photo or video, or they were at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Sexual assault is never the fault of the victim and shifting culpability shifts responsibility away from the perpetrator.

Content Connections:

Read an article about Delaney’s story  and the importance of believing a student when they come forward to tell their story.

ⁱ Scope of the Problem: Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved August 25, 2016, from https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem

ⁱⁱ Gordon, C. By the Numbers: Sexual Assault in High School. Retrieved June 23, 2016 from: http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2014/11/14/by-the-numbers-sexualviolenceinhighschool.html

ⁱⁱⁱ Vagi, K., et al. Teen Dating Violence (Physical and Sexual) Among US High School Students: Findings From the 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. JAMA Pediatr. 2015;169(5):474-482. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.3577. Retrieved June 23, 2016 from: http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2173573

^iv Lenhart, A. (2015). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

^v Lenhart, A.,et al. Teens, kindness and cruelty on social network sites, November 9, 2011.  Retrieved June 24, 2016 from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/11/09/teens-kindness-and-cruelty-on-social-network-sites/

^vi LGBT Youth. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm

^vii Grant, Jaime M., Lisa A. Mottet, Justin Tanis, Jack Harrison, Jody L. Herman, and Mara Keisling. Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011. Retireved August 29, 2016, from http://www.thetaskforce.org/static_html/downloads/reports/reports/ntds_full.pdf

^viii http://www.npr.org/2016/08/09/487497208/to-prevent-sexual-assault-schools-and-parents-start-lessons-early. Accessed August 20, 2016.

^ix http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201104.pdf. Accessed August 23, 2016.

^x This can include funding for upper level Math and Science courses, lunch programs, computers as well as athletics. http://www.titleix.info/history/history-overview.aspx. Retrieved September 2, 2016.

^xi Here is a link to 82 Title IX cases being investigated in high schools around the U.S. in 2016.

^xii http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/1487

^xiii Orenstein, P. (2016, March 19). When did pornography become sex ed? New York Times. Retrieved August 25, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/opinion/sunday/when-did-porn-become-sex-ed.html?_r=0

^xivYuan, N. P., Koss, M. P., & Stone, M. (2011). The Psychological Consequences of Sexual Trauma. Retrieved August 26, 2016, from http://www.vawnet.org/applied-research-papers/print-document.php?doc_id=349

^xv http://www.thebakerorange.com/news/2016/may/03/daisy-coleman/. Retrieved September 10, 2016.