In Hillsborough County, Florida, a nine-year-old boy is facing the possibility of sexual harassment charges for passing notes to his crush in class. The fourth grader wrote the girl a few different notes and passed them to her at different points over the course of several days. There has been no comment from either the girl or the girl’s mother about whether or not she also had a crush on the boy, whether she liked the notes, or if she ever asked him to stop in any way.
However, when the principal was alerted about the notes, the boy’s mother was called in and told that if her son wrote one more note to the girl, sexual harassment charges would be filed against him.
Hillsborough School district officials defend their stance, saying that the girl did not ask for any of the notes, so therefore, they were unwanted. They stated that the boy’s continued pursuit of his crush despite any reciprocation should be considered a form of stalking and sexual harassment and, therefore, a crime.
The handwritten love notes, say essentially what anyone would expect them to say. One says his crush is “pretty and cute”, while another says “I like you” surrounded by a big heart. Most of the notes were short and sweet, the longest of the few, said, “I like you. I like your hair because it is not sloppy. I like your eyes because they sparkle like diamonds.”
However, after the incident, other students found out about the note-passing and started teasing the boy, starting rumors that he wanted to see the girl naked. This has been part of the fuel behind the possibility of the sexual harassment charges.
Though the girl’s parents have not been heard from, the little boy’s Mom had quite a bit to say. She doesn’t think her son should be criminally charged for something that is considered normal and innocent behavior, for a young boy his age. She told reporters, “He’s 9. What little kid doesn’t write love notes? My 9-year-old doesn’t even know what sexual harassment means.“
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