美6歲男童因“性騷擾”被停課

據美國媒體12月11日報道，美國科羅拉多州一名6歲男童因親吻女同學的手觸犯了學校有關“性騷擾”的規定，被停課多日。

亨特•耶爾頓現年6歲，是“林肯科技學校”小學一年級的學生。他說：“當時我們正在上課，我靠過去親了她的手……我做錯了事，我很抱歉。我一直想在學校好好表現。”

這並不是耶爾頓第一次受到校方的處罰，他此前就曾因親吻這個女生的臉頰和打鬧而被停課。現在耶爾頓所在的學區給他記上了“性騷擾”紀錄。

耶爾頓的媽媽珍妮弗•桑德斯認爲不應該把“性騷擾”強加在一個6歲的孩子身上。桑德斯還爲兒子喊冤：“小女孩說沒關係，兩個孩子是‘男女朋友’，是其他孩子看到後告訴了音樂老師。”她表示自己已經努力教導孩子，以改善他的課堂表現。

專門研究兒童性發展的科羅拉多大學教授、兒童臨牀心理學家桑迪•武爾泰萊說：“對大部分6歲的男孩而言，那是一種再正常不過的行爲。我認爲6歲的孩子無法理解騷擾的意思。”

Six-year-old Hunter Yelton, a first grader at Lincoln School of Science & Technology in Canon City, Colorado, was recently suspended for kissing a girlin his class on the hand.

Hunter spoke to KRDO Newschannel 13 and explained, "It was during class yeah. We were doing reading group and I leaned over and kissed her on the hand. That's what happened." The boy went on to take responsibility for what he did, "She sent me to the office, fair and square. I did something wrong and I feel sorry. I've been trying to be good at school."

Hunter got in trouble because his actions fit the elementary school’s definition of ‘sexual harassment.’ So now Little Hunter has a record with school district RE-1 as a sexual harassment offender.

It’s terminology that Hunter’s mother, Jennifer Saunders, felt was inappropriate saying, “'Sexual harassment.’ This is taking it to an extreme that doesn't need to be met with a six-year-old. Now my son is asking questions, ‘What is sex mommy? It should not ever be said, ‘Sex,’ in a sentence with a six year old."

This is not Hunter’s first run in with the school authorities as he’s been suspended in the past for rough-housing and for kissing the same girl from this most recent incident, on the cheek.

The female classmate and her parents have not come forward but according to Ms. Saunders, "She was fine with it, they are ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’. The other children saw it and went to the music teacher.”

Hunter’s mom says that she has made efforts to work with her son on improving his classroom behavior by grounding him and giving him “very big restrictions”. It does seem like there have been discussions at home because the young man has his own articulate explanation for why he does what he does saying, “I just have a lot of energy. I mean six-year-olds. They have a lot of energy."

KRDO spoke to Dr. Sandy Wurtele, a child clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, who specializes in child sexual development.

About Hunter kissing a classmate the psychologist said, “For most six-year-old boys, absolutely. That would be a normal behavior.”

She was surprised by the suspension and thinks that the term ‘sexual harassment’ could be problematic for children.

"I don't think a six-year-old would understand what harassment is... That has some longer term implications,” said Dr. Wurtele adding, “This part of development is just as important if not more than their academic subjects."

Instead she suggested that this could be a teachable moment and should involve the students, their classmates and their parents so there wouldn’t be a negative stigma attached to the behavior. “Move away from that 'we don't do this' to in what situations is it acceptable? may have different rules of showing affection than you do maybe at home."