Hermon Students Talk About Teen Dating Abuse

Students at Hermon High School have been working this week to spread awareness for teen dating abuse.

To help them get the conversation going with their peers, Spruce Run set up a table outside their lunchroom Wednesday.

Throughout the lunch hour, there were a few words that came up a lot, like trust, communication, respect.

"Write down the thing you think is the most important part of a healthy relationship," says Joy Walters, from Spruce Run. She was getting the conversation going about what makes a healthy dating relationship.

"Your partner should respect you for you and who you are, and be able to love you for you," says junior Kayla Turner.

Students in a conflict resolution class have already started talking about the issue, learning to watch for warning signs of unhealthy relationships.

"One in two teens report that they've had to give up their beliefs and values in order to please their partner. And those kinds of stats are really common," Walters says.

They tell us this week they're hoping to inform others about dating abuse, through billboards and announcements.

"We know it's out there, but sometimes we don't realize it's so close to us. So just to get some of the warning signs out to people beforehand, before it gets too out of control," says senior Justin Cullens.

"It's often thought about by adults as a thing that only happens in adult relationships. It really does happen to teens. So it's important to start the conversation and let them know there are resources in their school and in the community," Walters says.

Walters says students at this age can be a good resource for each other if they're informed, to encourage healthy relationships and to provide help if there are problems.

"They can get help for it if they get stuck in a situation," says senior Emily Roy. "There are people out there that can help them out."

If you have questions about dating abuse, or would like to connect with more resources, you can call the Spruce Run 24-hour hotline at 1-800-863-9909. Or, or find more out more online at SpruceRun.net.