Youth advocate on sexual assault: 'There's no consent that can be given'

Nov. 3—PARK TWP. — In the final days of October, the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office announced a long-term substitute teacher at West Ottawa High School had been charged with criminal sexual conduct against a student.

The investigation, which began in August, found Jill Ann Edstrom, 50, entered into a months-long "relationship" with a 16-year-old male student. The Sentinel does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Edstrom returns to court Wednesday, Nov. 3, for a probable cause conference. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 15 years in prison.

The case has rekindled public discussion of sexual assault against teenagers, including what should be considered consent. But experts in youth advocacy take a hard line against the idea that children in their late teens — particularly boys — suffer any less than their younger counterparts.

"Even the hardest, most grown-up kids just seem that way," said Shyra Williams, program director at Children's Advocacy Center in Holland. Williams did not comment on the specifics of the case at West Ottawa High School.

"They're just children trying to get their needs met. All children are just trying to survive and get their needs met. Sometimes, their behaviors don't make sense to us, but we aren't in their world and we don't know what their needs are."

The human brain doesn't reach full maturity until the mid-20s, Williams said. As children grow and mature into adulthood, they may come to understand abuse differently than before.

"The younger kids are, the less they truly understand all of the impacts of sexual abuse," Williams said. "That's why we offer counseling and support services for kids up to age 18, because we know as they go through those developmental stages, they're going to understand what happened in different ways."

There are many reasons abuse may continue for months before a child comes forward.

"Children are often worried about the negative consequences if they disclose the abuse," Williams said. "They are often afraid of not being believed; of creating a problem in their family."

They also question themselves, Williams said. Why didn't I fight back? Why didn't I scream or yell?

"But just being the age they are, there's no consent that can be given," Williams said. "We believe that child sexual abuse can be like a backpack full of rocks. The very first step is letting somebody into their experience. What we find, every day, is when kids come in and disclose what happened to them, they feel lighter.

"They don't need to feel the weight of what somebody else put on their back. They didn't choose this. They didn't want this to happen."

Williams warns that abusers are rarely strangers — and they aren't always men.

"They can be family, women and other children," she said. "We've come to think of sexual predators as monsters — people we would never like, respect or even love. But if that was true, children wouldn't be at risk as much as they are, and predators wouldn't be as effective as they are."

An abuser seeks to break down boundaries and gauge reactions over time. They often trick the child with gifts or affection to show they, too, are invested in the relationship.

"The bottom line is, until it happens to you, you have no idea how it feels," Williams said. "Everyone deserves a safe space for whatever their feelings are, to be heard and validated and supported and to make meaning of their experience."

Officials have yet to disclose the details of Edstrom's case. She was placed on unpaid leave from EduStaff — a Grand Rapids-based agency that provides subs to schools across Michigan — in August. She hasn't worked since June.

"In August 2021, EduStaff learned from the Ottawa County Police Department that a contracted staff member was under investigation for sexual assault of a minor," the company wrote in a statement. "Upon notification, we took immediate action to put this employee on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

"EduStaff, like our district partners, is committed to student safety, and we ensure that all our contracted employees are subject to the same rigorous background checks as regular public school employees. We are fully supportive and cooperative of the police in this matter and will provide whatever assistance we can."

Edstrom was first approved to work within West Ottawa Public Schools in August 2014. She faces a felony charge of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree.

Although the law typically applies to cases where a person is at least 13 and younger than 16, it also applies to students aged 16 to 18 in public and nonpublic schools when the suspect is "a teacher, substitute teacher, or administrator of that (school.)"

— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at cassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.

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