As the trial of two Ohio high school football players accused of rape begins this week, there are fresh calls for requiring school officials to be trained in preventing and addressing cases of sexual violence.
Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond of Steubenville, Ohio, face a judge and jury this week over charges that they raped a 16-year-old woman from West Virginia while she was too drunk to resist at a party just before the start of the 2012-13 school year. The night of partying began at the home of one of the Steubenville High School football coaches. The two were not allowed on the team this year, but other players who witnessed the events were.
Now, people are calling for rape prevention education for all high school coaches. Already, more than 27,000 people have signed a petition on change.org asking the National Federation of High School Associations, which accredits coaches, to work on creating a course on sexual violence prevention for high school coaches.
