Sponsored by:
Senator ANTHONY R. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts to incorporate age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education in grades preschool through 12 as part of Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning instruction on sexual assault prevention in public schools and supplementing chapters 35 and 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Each school district shall incorporate age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education in grades preschool through 12 as part of the district's implementation of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. The instruction shall be provided by a school nurse. The Commissioner of Education shall provide school districts with age-appropriate sample learning activities and resources designed to implement this requirement.
2. A teaching staff member may satisfy in each professional development cycle one or more hours of the professional development requirement established by the State Board of Education through participation in training programs on sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention.
3. This act shall take effect immediately and section 1 shall first apply to the 2016-2017 school year.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each school district to incorporate age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education in grades preschool through 12 as part of the district's implementation of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. The instruction will be provided by a school nurse. The bill directs the Commissioner of Education to provide school districts with age-appropriate sample learning activities and resources designed to implement this requirement.
The bill also provides that a teaching staff member may satisfy in each professional development cycle one or more hours of the professional development requirement established by the State Board of Education through participation in training programs on sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention.
This bill is modeled on legislation adopted in a number of other states. The legislation in those states is often referred to as "Erin's Law" in honor of the young woman, Erin Merryn, who was a child victim of sexual abuse and has been advocating for the passage of the legislation to better educate and empower children.