Bill Text: CT SB00203 | 2014 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: An Act Concerning A State-wide Sexual Abuse And Assault Awareness Program.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-5-1)
Status: (Passed) 2014-06-12 - Signed by the Governor [SB00203 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2014-SB00203-Introduced.html
General Assembly |
Raised Bill No. 203 | ||
February Session, 2014 |
LCO No. 1182 | ||
*01182_______KID* | |||
Referred to Committee on COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN |
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Introduced by: |
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(KID) |
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AN ACT CONCERNING A STATE-WIDE SEXUAL ABUSE AND ASSAULT AWARENESS PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2014) (a) Not later than January 1, 2015, the Department of Children and Families, in collaboration with the Departments of Education and Social Services, shall identify or develop a state-wide sexual abuse and assault awareness program for use by local and regional boards of education. Such program shall be implemented in each public school and shall include:
(1) Instructional modules for all teachers to include training regarding the prevention and identification of, and response to, child sexual abuse and assault;
(2) Age-appropriate educational materials for grades two to five, inclusive, regarding child sexual abuse and assault that may include, but not be limited to: (A) Warning signs that a child victim of sexual abuse or assault may display, and (B) resources to further student, teacher and parental education and outreach; and
(3) A uniform child sexual abuse and assault response policy and reporting procedure that may include, but not be limited to: (A) Actions that child victims of sexual abuse and assault may take to obtain assistance, (B) intervention and counseling options for child victims of sexual abuse and assault, (C) access to educational resources to enable child victims of sexual abuse and assault to succeed in school, and (D) uniform procedures for reporting instances of child sexual abuse and assault within the school.
(b) Not later than July 1, 2015, the State Board of Education shall implement the sexual abuse and assault awareness program identified or developed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
(c) No student in grades two to five, inclusive, may be required by any local or regional board of education to participate in the sexual abuse and assault awareness program offered within the public schools. A written notification to the local or regional board by the student's parent or legal guardian shall be sufficient to exempt the student from such program in its entirety or from any portion thereof so specified by the parent or legal guardian.
(d) If a student is exempted from the sexual abuse and assault awareness program pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, the local or regional board of education shall provide, during the period of time in which the student would otherwise be participating in such program, an opportunity for other study or academic work.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
July 1, 2014 |
New section |
Statement of Purpose:
To educate children in the state about the dangers of sexual assault and abuse and to establish uniform policies and procedures to assist children in the state who may be victims of sexual abuse and assault.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]