Faith's Story

My name is Faith Colson, and when I was 17, my science teacher groomed, abused, and assaulted me. 

At the time, I saw him as a mentor. He said I excelled in his class. He asked me to stay after school to discuss college and careers. He invited me to church. He let me cry on his shoulder. But then one day he kissed me, and within weeks, he sexually assaulted me.

That’s the legal term, but at the time, I didn’t see it as a violation. I thought he loved me. I thought he cared about me. And I knew that if I said anything, I would ruin his life. He didn’t ask me to keep his secret, but I knew I had to, because he said he was afraid of going to jail. It took me four years to leave.

When I left, I was just glad to be out of that situation. I tried to move on with life. I put the whole experience in my rearview mirror, not realizing the impact it had had on me. Over a decade later, as a mom with young children, I started rethinking it. I saw how vulnerable my own children were, and I went to therapy to process what happened. I realized that I had been telling myself the lie that I should have known better. But I didn’t know better—he did.

I never intended to make a report, but then I started to worry if he could hurt someone else. I also worried what if he came after me, and it took weeks of talking to friends and loved ones to work up the courage to call the police and report it. The months-long investigation was agonizing to wait and wonder if anything would happen, but in the end, I was able to press charges. He was arrested, and I remember how surreal it felt to see him on the news. In all, it was about a year from when I reported to when I went to court to read a victim impact statement.

Afterward, I filed a request to get a copy of the police report, and that is when I found out that there were warning signs that I never knew about as a student. It was heartbreaking to know that my abuse was preventable and that bystanders did not take appropriate action. I had first read about institutional betrayal in Judith Herman’s Trauma and Recovery, but reading my case file was the lowest point for me. However, that low point has become my soapbox to stand on because it helped me focus on where to make change.

I decided to reach out to a legislator, with only my first name, to see if she could change Illinois law and help prevent this from happening to other students. I never expected to hear back, but that one mousy email led to over two years of collaboration and two laws collectively termed Faith’s Law. I will always feel honored that they named it after me, and having my name attached to it has opened doors to connect to other survivors and advocates.

Behind the scenes, I have supported bills in several other states, and I have provided testimony in several as well. I have written and presented about abuse in schools, supported research, and been interviewed for media and podcasts. I’m grateful that my efforts have helped raise awareness and that my story can help save other children from suffering as I did.

I am the daughter, sister, and niece of teachers. Most teachers would never harm a student and would save them if they could. I tell my story not to villainize educators but to empower them to better protect students by recognizing the warning signs and taking appropriate action. Our children need an education to have a future, and they can only learn if they are safe.