University report suggests school abuse “100 times” worse than among Catholic priests

(RNS) Sexual abuse of children in public schools may be “100 times” worse than in the Roman Catholic Church, according to a leading education journal.

A draft report by Charol Shakeshaft, a scholar at Hofstra University, estimated that 4.5 million students are sexually harassed or assaulted by school employees by the time they graduate high school.

Shakeshaft made her conclusions based on a 2000 study by the American Association of University Women. Her analysis of the report found that nearly 10 percent of students in grades 8-11 reported sexual harassment by teachers or coaches.

On Feb. 27, church officials released a report documenting abuse against 10,667 victims by 4,392 clerics between 1950 and 2002.