Student misconduct
is a statewide issueThe alleged scandals at
Kamehameha only scratch
the surface
Once sexual misconduct allegations that have surfaced among students at Kamehameha Schools have been resolved, the issue of sexual assault in Hawaii's high schools will likely return to the background.
But that is "playing the role of the ostrich who buries his head in the sand," said Michael D'Andrea, a University of Hawaii education professor who specializes in counseling and character development.
"We could easily just look at Kamehameha Schools, but this will only be a Band-Aid approach," he said. "We're all concerned and disappointed at what happened, but we need to constantly look at the potential for progress."
Others agree, stressing that Kamehameha Schools is not the only educational institution -- public or private -- grappling with issues of sexual misconduct.
Three sex scandals have emerged from the school's Kapalama campus over the past week.
School officials said on Saturday that several students had been expelled following a week-long investigation into sexual misconduct allegations involving football players who were said to have videotaped an encounter on campus grounds.
The day before, a 15-year-old male Kamehameha student was arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting a female student. And earlier in the week, a former female student filed a lawsuit alleging she suffered years of sexual assault and harassment by a football player despite administrators' knowledge of the abuse.
Statistical information about the number of incidents involving sexual assault or misconduct at schools statewide is largely unavailable -- mainly because most are investigated quietly and without the media exposure the Kamehameha allegations have received.
But D'Andrea, who helped form a violence prevention consortium with several Hawaii schools, said a number of the state's schools have seen incidents similar to those alleged to have occurred at Kamehameha.
One of the schools in the consortium, Maui's Baldwin High School, has had students who have committed both verbal and physical assaults on their classmates, according to Principal Stephen Yamada.
The school has almost 2,000 students, roughly as many as enrolled in Kamehameha's Kapalama campus high school.
Yamada agreed with D'Andrea, saying that he does not think that "the Kamehameha Schools incident is an isolated incident." He also said the issue of sexual misconduct on school campuses should be broadened.
"I think education plays a big role not only for the students, but for the faculty to be aware," he said.
Michael Chun, president and headmaster of Kamehameha's Kapalama campus, said in a press release Saturday that Kamehameha administrators are assembling a team of experts to review the school's sexual harassment policies.
A Kamehameha Schools spokeswoman said it is too early to say whether Chun will change the school's policy in response to the sexual misconduct allegations. She also did not know whether the principal would address parents or students on the issue.
But in his statement, Chun said young people are bombarded with sexual images and attitudes from many sources and that "clearly, Kamehameha cannot address these larger societal issues alone."
