Sexual Assault Reports Increase At US Military Academies

Reports of sexual assaults at the federal military academies increased sharply during the 2020-21 school year as students returned to in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic.

The increase continues what officials believe is an upward trend at the academies, despite new sexual assault prevention and treatment programs. But comparing the totals over the past three years is tricky.

The number of reports dropped at all the academies during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 school year, when in-person classes were canceled and students were sent home in the spring to finish the semester online.

But the number of reported assaults in 2020-21 was higher than the pre-pandemic school year of 2018-19.