This book describes the many instances of sexual exploitation inside of St. Louis Public Schools. A teacher details reporting sexual misconduct of adults that went ignored by administration and the school board. Solutions are suggested that will provide safety for vulnerable students. The Author has taught at 11 at-risk failing schools and describes countless incidents of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse of underage students. The schools where these incidents occurred range from elementary to high schools. Students and staff reported sex-trafficking, prostitution and sexual abuse which at times happened right inside of the school building. Administration covered up and supported predators who were family and friend of theirs. Students were encouraged to engage in sexual activity. These incidents were daily significant violations that became part of the school culture. Students were exposed to immoral staff, harassment and exploitation all throughout the day. These book was written to alarm parents and other stakeholders to the criminal activity that are inside of schools because the institutions choose to hide this culture because they fear being shut down. There are millions of dollars involved in every school building that exists in America. Many parents are not aware of the extent of these exploitations. The first school that is mentioned in the book is located in a community filled with strip clubs! This school also gave citizens who were found hanging in the streets, jobs as a means to increase employment in Illinois. These adults preyed upon the students because they grew up in a culture of sex in their neighborhoods. These adults would make sexual explicit comments right in front of the teacher. Administrators and Board Members were aware of the culture but chose to blame the victims because they were family and/or friends. The teacher receives death threats for intervening. Towards the end of the book, the teacher accounts experiences with attempting to report sexual harassment and sexual assault of a 2nd grade student by fellow students along with an incident involving a security officer and a kindergartner. In both cases, administrators fell to inquire about her complaints and at times discouraged her from filing an incident report. The book also describes incidents in the surrounding community involving sexual exploitation and rape of young girls which police officers and elected officials fail to take the report. Surprisingly, in one incident an elected official joined in with exploiting a 13 year old girl. The author gives solutions at the end of the book which she believes would be a step in solving the problem. This book is part of a 'Me Too', 3 book series. Each book includes a situation in which she filed a lawsuit against a school for reporting sexual misconduct and and was terminated and harrassed. These incidents spanned almost 2 decades and the schools are located in St. Louis Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. That Same Ten Dollars is the first book in the series. The other books have not been titled or released yet.
About the Author: Crystal Washington, an educator since 2000 has spent most of her career advocating for injustices effecting students while at school. She has taken 3 schools to court after being harassed for reporting sexual exploitation inside of public schools.