29 Feb Guest Post: Let’s Prevent Any More Students from Having a Story Similar to Mine

By Kotomi Yokokura
Content Notice: This article contains information about sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and/or violence which may be upsetting to readers.

I was a teenager when the trust I placed in my teacher was manipulated for the educator’s own sexual pleasure. Four years after my experience with educator sexual misconduct and there are still days I am suffocated by the memories of the hot stale air of sexual abuse filling up the backseat of a car, hidden by the darkness of the night and silenced by rolled up car windows. 

During college, I would learn that I was not the first student the educator blurred student-teacher boundaries with. Unfortunately, despite anonymous concerns regarding the educator’s actions during my senior year, I was not the last. The educator kept teaching months after he removed my clothes while kneeling over me in the backseat of a car. During these months, he confessed his feelings toward a former student and continued messaging students. 

I wish I could say that this is one of the few stories in Kentucky. But educator sexual misconduct happens far too often in our state. In the span of five years, the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board disciplined 76 educators for educator sexual misconduct. 

Over 120 K-12 students were affected in these cases. The youngest of these students was under 10 years old. 

The vast majority of our educators do not participate in educator sexual misconduct. Many of my K-12 teachers and coaches genuinely cared for their students, arriving at school early and staying well into the evening to ensure the success of their students, whom they cared for like their own kids. However, my memories of these amazing educators will forever be haunted by the manipulation and betrayal of one educator. 

House Bill 275 can help prevent any more students from having a story similar to mine. The training in this bill can help ensure teachers have the knowledge about sexual abuse and grooming to stop those using their profession for harm. HB 275, sponsored by Representative James Tipton, can also prevent the continued abuse of students by prohibiting nondisclosure agreements, requiring strong background checks, and ensuring investigations into allegations are completed. These help keep educators from jumping between different schools and continuing to abuse students after concerns are first raised.

I was not the first student to experience sexual misconduct at the hands of my teacher and I am not the last. Currently, we have the opportunity to help stop the experiences of educator sexual misconduct in our schools. Hear more from Kotomi. 

HB 275 has passed through the Kentucky House and needs action in the Senate. Contact your state Senator and voice your support for HB 275 to protect our students from this abuse.