Setting boundaries starts young—so does learning how to respect them.

Bringing Consent Education to Middle Schoolers at Belmont Day School

Walking into Belmont Day School, there was a different kind of energy in the air. It wasn’t just another school day—it was the day of their school dance. For seventh graders, moments like these are exciting, but they also come with new experiences, social pressures, and unspoken expectations. That’s exactly why SafeBAE was there.

Today, Shael and Drew led a conversation tailored specifically for middle schoolers—teaching consent, boundaries, and healthy relationships in a way that made sense for their age and experiences. For many of them, this is the first time they’re thinking about what it means to set and respect boundaries with their peers. And that’s why these conversations need to happen now—before they face real-life situations where they don’t know what to do.

SafeBAE’s approach isn’t about lecturing—it’s about meeting students where they are. So instead of talking about relationships they might not have yet, we talked about things that actually felt relevant to them—like the school dance happening later that day. What does it mean to respect someone’s space? How do you handle it if someone doesn’t want to dance? What if you feel pressured to say yes? These moments matter, and learning how to navigate them now sets the foundation for safer, healthier relationships in the future.

A Full-School Approach – Training Faculty, Students & Parents

Teaching seventh graders about consent is an important step, but real culture change happens when an entire school community is involved. That’s why our work at Belmont Day School didn’t start and end with today’s classroom session—it’s part of a larger effort to ensure that faculty, students, and parents are all equipped to support healthy relationship education.

Earlier in the week, SafeBAE led a faculty training, giving teachers and staff the tools to recognize red flags in student interactions, handle disclosures with care, and reinforce healthy communication skills in their daily interactions with students. Educators are on the front lines of prevention, so making sure they feel confident and prepared to navigate these conversations is just as important as teaching students directly.

But the work isn’t stopping there. On April 1st, we’re coming back for a parent night, bringing families into the conversation. Too often, these topics are only discussed at school, leaving parents unsure of how to continue them at home. By engaging with parents, we’re ensuring that students are getting consistent, supportive messaging about consent and boundaries from every angle.

This full-school approach isn’t just about one presentation or one day of learning—it’s about shifting how an entire community thinks about respect, communication, and safety. And that’s how real change happens.

Why This Work Matters & How You Can Support It

Conversations about consent, boundaries, and healthy relationships shouldn’t start when students are already facing difficult situations—they should start early, in spaces where they feel safe to learn and ask questions. That’s exactly what SafeBAE is doing at Belmont Day School.

By working with faculty, students, and parents, we’re helping to create an environment where young people grow up understanding respect, communication, and personal agency. Whether it’s a seventh grader learning how to set boundaries at their first school dance, a teacher recognizing harmful dynamics in their classroom, or a parent feeling more prepared to have these conversations at home, this work is changing the way entire school communities approach prevention.

If you want to bring age-appropriate, youth-led consent education to your school, there are ways to get involved:

• Host a SafeBAE speaker and bring these conversations to your students.
• Sign up for Peer Educator Training if you’re a student ready to lead the movement.
• Donate to help us continue offering free programming to schools across the country.

Every student deserves real, practical education about boundaries and respect. With your support, we can keep bringing these conversations to schools before harm happens—not after.