Giving Compass' Take:

• Students need a positive school environment that has the support systems and policies in place to encourage students to speak up about sexual assault happening in schools.

• What types of programs will help students feel more comfortable? How can educators create trust among students and teachers to foster a more supportive environment?

• Read more about the changes to the Title IX policies for college campuses.

Under federal Title IX regulation, students can ask schools to help address the aftermath of sexual assault incidents, even if they happened off campus, but Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has worked to unravel Obama-era guidelines for handling sexual assault on college campuses, and many worry the effects of these efforts will translate to K-12 schools and cause them to “take their foot off the gas in responding to these concerns,” Education Week reports.

Sexual harassment is frequent, with as many as four out of five American children and teens facing this problem at school. There are many reasons why kids don’t tell others about their sexual abuse experiences, thus leading to deflated statistics — they could be scared, blame themselves or want to protect their families.

But if there aren’t support options for students in schools, like Title IX directors or sufficient sexual education curricula, they won’t know how to even start the process, making it even less likely that they’ll speak up.

Students need positive learning environments to succeed academically and personally, and it’s up to teachers, administrators and policymakers to ensure these young people are taught the skills to speak up and possess the tools they need to do so.

Read the full article about sexual harassment by Jessica Campisi at Education Dive