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'Yes means yes' | As sexual misconduct cases rise, Montgomery Co. holds special discussion with students

On Tuesday, more than a thousand Montgomery County students took part in a special webinar dealing with sex crimes and ways to stay safe.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — More than a thousand Montgomery County Public Schools students logged on for a special webinar on Tuesday night dealing with sex crimes, as the district has seen an alarming rise in sexual misconduct cases this year.

According to records provided to WUSA9, the district reported 162 cases of students committing sexual misconduct or harassment just 59 days into the school year, putting it on pace for over 480 total cases.

For comparison, 320 cases were reported during the 2018-19 school year, the last full school year not impacted by the pandemic. 

During the event on Tuesday, organizers spoke to students about topics like consent, defining sexual assault and rape, criminal offenses, and what it means to be a bystander to sexual crimes.

Debbie Feinstein of the State Attorney's Office said the information could help students when witnessing or experiencing an uncomfortable situation.

"We want to get out in front of this issue," she said. "What we’re doing and what we want to educate you all to do is to be armed with the information, to have the information about what is sexual assault and what isn’t.” 

Feinstein was joined by a member of the Montgomery County Police Department as well as members of victim assistance and sexual assault programs.

One slide during the presentation implored students to remember "yes means yes" when needing consent.

"We want to make it clear that silence does not equal yes," said Smita Varia of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.

"The bottom line is without consent, sexual touching is a crime," said Feinstein during a later part of the presentation dealing with sex crimes.

Moving forward, Maryland State Attorney John McCarthy said discussions like the one held on Tuesday could have far-reaching impacts in the future.

"In the long term, if you learn the proper boundaries and if you learn to demand respect, I think we reduce domestic violence long term," he told WUSA9.

Montgomery County Public School said it planned to hold similar events for students in the months ahead.

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