It wasn’t that long ago when Exeter’s school counselor Kristie Torbick pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 14 year old student.
You would think that administrators and school board members in the district would do everything in their power to make sure nothing like this ever happened again. Sadly, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Torbick used grooming techniques on the young student who was seeking counseling–that has bee reported in the press. Torbick did end up being sentenced to 2 – 1/2 years in prison, and must now register as a sex offender.
What are ways that sexual predators groom children? One is by providing children with pornographic and obscene materials. Most parents know that if an adult gives their child pornography, that child is most likely in danger. UNICEF even warns that pornographic content can harm a child. With all of the focus now on the mental health of children, you’d think that school administrators would be doing everything to make sure children were safe when they were in school.
Psychology Today reported this on giving children pornographic content, “the bulk of literature reveals that for adolescents, such exposure can be harmful (Rothman, 2021). For example, adolescent pornography exposure has been linked to permissive sexual attitudes (Doornwaard et al., 2015), dominant or aggressive sexual behaviors (Wright et al., 2021), self-objectification and body comparison (Maheux et al., 2021), and the development of pornography-influenced sexual scripts (Bryant, 2010).
Knowing all of this, you’d expect school personnel to be doing everything in their power to eliminate any exposure to pornographic content.
At Stop it Now, exposing children to pornography is considered child sexual abuse. (emphasis mine)
Is it considered child sexual abuse if someone shows a child pornographic pictures but doesn’t actually touch the child?
Question:
Dear Stop It Now!,
Is it considered child sexual abuse if someone shows a child pornographic pictures, but doesn’t actually touch the child? Doesn’t a child need to be physically molested in order for it to be considered child sex abuse?*Response:
Dear Concerned Adult,
Showing pornographic pictures to a child is considered sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse can include non-touching behaviors.Purposely exposing a child to adult sexuality is considered a form of child sexual abuse, whether or not a child is touched. Non-touching behaviors can be just as upsetting and emotionally harmful to a child as some touching behaviors. Non-touching behaviors that are considered to be child sexual abuse include:
Showing pornography to a child.
Exposing a person’s genitals to a child, or asking children to expose themselves.
Asking a child to interact sexually with someone else.
Online enticement of a minor for sexual purposes.
Photographing a child in sexual poses.
Exposing a child to sexual acts (including masturbation) either in person or through digital, computer or video images.
Watching a child undress or use the bathroom, often without the child’s knowledge (known as voyeurism or being a “Peeping Tom”).
Please note that although there may not be harmful intent, even having adult pornography or sexual toys in the home where a child could come across them has been viewed by authorities as sexual abuse in some circumstances. For complete information, see our definitions of child pornography.Take care,
Stop It Now!
And yet, schools across New Hampshire are now making pornographic and obscene books available to children in New Hampshire public schools. Since this is considered harmful to children, and child sexual abuse, how do these materials remain in the school library available to children? That’s a good question. Maybe more of us need to start asking our elected representatives on the school board, the librarians and school personnel. One thing’s for sure, no one I know would ever trust an adult working in the schools who approve of these books.
Here is an example of what is available to children in SAU16/Exeter:
Why are they still grooming, and sexualizing children in school?
You can access this content by going here. Then click on EHS library catalog. From there, search for, Queer A Graphic History.
Whether it’s gay or straight, parents of many gay and straight children do not want their children exploited, and groomed by sexual predators. They do not want their children put in harms way.
It is up to the adults in the community to push back on this kind of sexual abuse aimed at children in the public schools. There are laws and policies in place for parents to opt their children out of objectionable material. That’s good. But this kind of content is a way to groom children, and is considered child sexual abuse. Those who continue to support this in schools, like other creepy predators, should not be in charge of children.
Keep speaking up at school board meetings and demand better for these kids.