My short answer is yes, I would report this to the higher-ups and I would do so independent of whether my child chose to report this themselves (though I would certainly support them in their decision to do so).
My longer answer involves using examples of a few situations I encountered during my own schooling which I will rattle off as quickly as possible:
- In middle school, a fellow student was showing off a gun he had brought to school on the bus. I told my mother about it, then promptly panicked when she said she was going to report it because, while I knew bringing a gun to school was wrong, I still didn't want to be marked a snitch during those already socially difficult middle school years. In the end, I ended up writing out an affidavit statement alongside other mortified kids who themselves wouldn't have chosen to report the student with the gun, but whose parents had very rightly done so once they found out about it. (This was before school shootings were a "thing." Back then, the most likely reason for a kid to bring a gun to school was to show it off and look like a tough guy, not because they intended to spray bullets indiscriminately. I tend to think myself and the other students would've responded very differently if we were coming up in today's environment.)
- In my junior year I had a teacher who let us watch porn in class. Nothing came of it, presumably because no one mentioned it to any other adults, or mentioned it to any adults who thought it was worth reporting.
- Throughout high school there were a number of incidents involving teachers and sexual misconduct with their students.
My question is for the posters who think the OP's situation needs to be addressed, but that the daughter should be handling it herself -- Would the same be true for any of the above scenarios? What if your child was too embarrassed or shy to handle it themselves, do you then just let it go? Or what if your child disagrees with you about it being an issue that needs to be addressed at all? Do you say, "Oh well, my 17 year old doesn't think it's a big deal that the teacher lets them watch porn in class and he'll be an adult soon, so it's not my place to say anything?" Where do you draw the line before you feel an adult/parent should get involved?
I completely agree that children should be given as many opportunities as possible to learn responsibility, practice independence, and prepare for "the real world," but I also feel there's a big difference between advocating for themselves regarding some perceived "grading injustice" on their science fair project vs. reporting someone who is, or could become, an actual danger to others (and I consider certain ideologies to be dangerous, particularly when they are possibly influencing impressionable minds). For me, a public school is no place for extremist views, hate speech, sexual misconduct, etc. and any adult partaking in those things in that setting is unfit to be in a position of authority over underage minors. If I were to find out something of that nature was taking place in my child's school, I would feel it is
my responsibility as the adult to make sure it was reported quickly and through the appropriate channels in such a way that the concern would be taken seriously. Watching how confidently and assertively
I handle it can be the learning experience my child can take with them into their adulthood. And if they one day find themselves in a similar situation, I hope they will think back and remember the lesson that sometimes it's your responsibility as an adult to get involved on behalf of others who may not have the confidence, knowledge, or means to tackle an issue head on.*
* I realize some people don't think having a holocaust-denying, 9/11 conspiracy theorist, crisis-actor-believing teacher spewing his personal beliefs in class is all that big of a deal, and I'm not suggesting those people have any obligation to do anything about it. My comments are directed to those who
do think it needs to be dealt with, but feel it's wrong for the OP to get involved.
