Sex at School Increasing, Some Educators Say

Many schools don't have rules specifically banning sex on campus but punish students who do it through a clause prohibiting "immoral conduct" or behavior that offends the community's morals, said Naomi Gittins, a staff attorney at the National School Boards Association. Gittins added that more specific policies would make it easier for schools to defend themselves against legal challenges.

After the janitor reported the Sept. 28 incident at Osbourn High, school officials checked security cameras and identified eight students who had entered the auditorium. The three who watched were suspended for five days; the others for 10. One of the two girls claimed she was coerced, but police did not find enough evidence to file charges.

School administrators are drafting a rule that bans sex on school property.

Some students at Osbourn noted a double standard among their schoolmates, saying the girls involved were being called "sluts" and "whores" while the boys faced censure mostly because some felt they had jeopardized the football team.

"I don't think any of the guys [in school] really admired any of the people involved," said Tim Blank, 18, a senior on the Osbourn football team and an editor on the school paper. He said his teammates were angry with the male participants, all of whom were on the team, because they were top players and their suspensions threatened the season.

"We had gone through three years of hard times, [and] we finally got off to a hot start," Blank said.

Parents complained that they did not hear from the Manassas School Board about the auditorium incident until nearly three weeks later in a letter.

"I was waiting for some type of communication from the school," said Cindy Brookshire, 51, a parent who heard about the incident from her son. "Nothing came out except rumors."

Arthur P. Bushnell, the School Board chairman, said board members waited to inform parents until it was clear what the punishments would be.

Some parents said the matter got them talking to their children in discussions they might not have at Osbourn, where, according to the school system's director of instructional services, Sandy Thompson, health classes focus on abstinence and sexually transmitted diseases but not condoms or contraception.

Miller, the T.C. Williams graduate, said she didn't understand why adults were so shocked. "Our parents are the ones who had the sexual revolution, so why are they surprised?"

Parents at Osbourn said what happened in the auditorium went far beyond their own teenage activities, and some added that they were confident that their children would not get involved in such an incident.