Merced school counselor speaks out about sexual harassment to encourage other victims

As we come to a close of 2020 we have the opportunity to reflect on what we’ve done wrong, and how much, or little, has changed. We are just days away from the New Year, and with it, annual resolutions for change in 2021 that we all make to do better for ourselves and our community.

In 2018 the Merced community was shocked by sexual harassment in our schools, culminating in the #MErcedTOO and #TimesUpMUHSD movement after school officials failed to start meaningful procedures and discipline following the harassment of Annie Delgado by popular school basketball coach Keith Hunter. If 2020 has proven anything, it’s that not much has changed. I am an educator, like Annie, and I also experienced work-place sexual harassment at my school in Merced.

Annie’s case played out in the press during a time when the stories of survivors were in the news every day and interest in the subject was at an all-time high. Celebrity revelations and stories from our own communities prompted not only a dialogue about sexual harassment, but also a series of new laws. One of those laws passed by the California Legislature requires employers — including school districts — to provide sexual harassment training to their employees.

This training is essential as it is a measure of prevention for harassment like I experienced. Many employers offered training even before the law passed. Others embraced the opportunity to improve their work places, by rolling out training options even before the law went into effect. My employer, the Merced City School District, however, took a different approach. The district, where I have worked as a school counselor for the past several years, sent its employees an email in mid-December. The email stated that me, and hundreds of other district employees, had until Dec. 31 to complete the training. As teachers and staff finish out this most difficult and unusual school term and prepare to take time off for the holidays, the district announces — for the first time — that now we have to “check the box” for a sexual harassment training.

The timing of the district’s “initiative” speaks volumes. Rather than confront the issue or offer a meaningful opportunity to discuss sexual harassment, the district pushed out an email and told teachers and staff to “get it done.” This kind of effort does not deserve a passing grade.

I experienced sexual harassment by my supervisor over a period of many months last year. Though I repeatedly rebuffed his advances, rumors about me circulated. His unwanted attention affected my ability to help the kids I counsel — many of whom are most at risk and in need.

When I thought the harassment was finally over, I was called to a meeting by district officials, who had been brought in by my harasser to intimidate me for my supposedly inappropriate conduct. I was asked what school I wanted to be transferred to — a request that was framed as an act of mercy for me and a way to allow my harasser to stay in his current position. Shocked, I showed them the evidence to prove I was the victim of harassment. After months of investigation, the district concluded that I was telling the truth.

Nearly a year later, the district has still done little to nothing to train its administrators and staff about sexual harassment — and refuses any responsibility for failing to prevent it. Only after I filed a lawsuit last month did the district finally inform employees that the law required them to be trained.

I know I am not alone in my experience. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 77 percent of Latinas said sexual harassment is a major problem in the workplace, and one study found 80 percent of Latina farm workers in the Central Valley have experienced some form of sexual harassment. My experiences have been echoed countless times over the past months by other teachers and district employees who have approached me to share their experiences of inappropriate conversations, comments, and unequal treatment. I stand with all the women who have had this experience, and who have felt the painful injustice that comes when a harasser uses his “connections” to abuse his power.

Merced City School District is the biggest school district in the county. It has the power to make a difference. Its officials and board members need to take real action to mandate anti-sexual harassment training, root out perpetrators, and establish a plan to ensure the end of sexual harassment. All employees deserve an environment where they feel respected and treated with dignity. And if the district cannot change in 2021, we will get a court to do it.

I am speaking out because I want other women to be less afraid and to know they are not alone. I was emboldened by Annie Delgado, and I hope I inspire other women to end this rampant culture of harassment.

We rightly demand that schools be made safe for our children. We must also make them safe for the employees who work there.

Editor’s note: Merced City School District officials have not commented on Ramirez’s allegations, citing pending litigation. News coverage of Ramirez’s lawsuit can be found at mercedsunstar.com.

This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Merced school counselor speaks out about sexual harassment to encourage other victims."