NACOGDOCHES - For the fourth year, the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) has brought students together to provide them with the tools necessary to combat sexual harassment in Texas schools. These students choose to spend a portion of their summer away from local swimming pools, amusement parks and other traditional summer-time diversions, instead learning about how to tech their peers about the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Attendees of the 2004 Students Taking Action for Respect (STAR) Conference, held this summer at Stephen F. Austin University, will return home this fall to offer their knowledge to classmates in almost 30 secondary schools across the state.

STAR incorporates positive messages directed at reducing sexual harassment and violence in schools. The STAR Program trains high school students to present workshops and organize activities dealing with sexual harassment while building an environment of respect within Texas schools. These student-led presentations are currently traveling the state, allowing STAR participants to increase sexual violence awareness among their peers.

"We know that young people are more likely to open up to peers regarding issues such as sexual harassment than to parents or teachers," said TAASA Executive Director Annette Burrhus-Clay. "The STAR Program has helped Texas become a nationwide leader in trying to eliminate sexual violence from our schools."

The American Association of University Women study, Hostile Hallways: Bullying, Teasing and Sexual Harassment in School, found that 80 percent of American schoolchildren report they have experienced sexual harassment on campus. This report, a follow-up to the group’s 1993 survey, reinforces that sexual harassment has become a fact of life for students.

The innovative STAR curriculum carries the "Speak Up. Speak Out." message of TAASA’s public awareness campaign even further, bringing dialogue about sexual violence into school classrooms. Recent studies have shown that sexual assault is a top crime concern for Texans, and the efforts and hard work of STAR participants increases young Texan’s awareness of this silent crime.

About Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA)
The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) is the statewide organization committed to ending sexual violence in Texas. TAASA is a non-profit educational and advocacy organization. As an agency, TAASA works to promote sexual assault awareness throughout the state of Texas. TAASA provides training to rape crisis personnel, law enforcement, other service agencies, community groups, and schools on topical issues related to sexual assault as well as curriculum information for sexual assault trainings. In February 2003, TAASA launched a $2 million public awareness campaign, "Speak Up. Speak Out.", which has since spurred a three-fold increase in hotline calls made to local crisis centers.