Topic: Sexual Harassment/Assault
Currently, there is a trial being held in Alexandria, Virginia against Fairfax County Public Schools regarding a woman’s events of sexual harassment, assault, and bullying that happened nine years ago (Elwood, 2024). She had filed several complaints here seventh grade year and she claimed that Fairfax County Public Schools failed to provide her with a safe learning environment- a violation of her rights under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (2018), a law that forbids sex discrimination in federally funded schools. In Northern Virginia, the issue of how schools handle sexual assault cases is a big issue. In Loudon County, a grand jury found the school district to mishandle two cases of sexual assault. They transferred the student who had a complaint filed to another campus, where the student then committed a second assault (Elwood, 2024).
The role of forensic psychologist in civil cases is to gather a complete history using clinical interviews, mental and medical health reviews, and collateral reviews (Foote, 2016). In cases involving significantly delayed reports of sexual assault, an experiences forensic psychologist can be a valuable asset. The use of testing to assess the alleged victim’s overall credibility is critical as the testing is demonstrative evidence for the jury for reliability and credibility in delayed cases (McNaught, 2022). Psychological testing also provides evidence to how the jury the psychological functioning of the alleged victim compared to the average person as well as other sexual assault victims. Pre-existing and co-existing mental illnesses such as post-traumatic illnesses can be outlined in assessments and can be linked to the alleged assault. Psychological testing is critical in cases of delayed reporting in testing the case of false reporting and assessing credibility for true allegations.
Education Amendments Act of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §§1681 – 1688 (2018).
Elwood, K. (2024, March 31). Virginia sex assault case raises questions about school responsibility. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/30/fairfax-schools-sex-assault-lawsuit/Links to an external site.
Foote, W. E. (2016). Sexual harassment: What forensic clinical psychologists need from social scientists. Psychological Injury and Law, 9(3), 253-264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-016-9266-2Links to an external site.
McNaught, J. (2022). Case study: Using a forensic psychologist in civil and criminal cases to evaluate the reliability of delayed reports of sexual assault. https://janemcnaught.com/2022/08/24/using-a-forensic-psychologist-in-civil-and-criminal-cases-to-evaluate-the-reliability-of-delayed-reports-of-sexual-assault/Links to an external site.
