Bill Text: NY A00090 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Assembly Bill 90 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Enacts "Erin Merryn's law"; requires the commissioner of education to make recommendations to the board of regents relating to instruction on preventing child sexual exploitation and child abuse in grades kindergarten through eight.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 25-12)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-02 - print number 90b [A00090 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A00090-Introduced.html

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                          90
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 7, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by M. of A. DINOWITZ, MARKEY, HIKIND, SIMOTAS, COOK, COLTON,
         TITONE, ENGLEBRIGHT, MOYA, ROBERTS, GUNTHER,  PAULIN,  HOOPER,  TITUS,
         CLARK -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ABBATE, ARROYO, BARCLAY, FAHY,
         GRAF,  MALLIOTAKIS,  McDONOUGH,  ORTIZ, RA, RAIA, SALADINO, TEDISCO --
         read once and referred to the Committee on Education
       AN ACT to amend  the  education  law,  in  relation  to  enacting  "Erin
         Merryn's law"
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
    2  "Erin Merryn's law".
    3    S  2.  Legislative  findings  and  intent.  The  legislature finds and
    4  declares that child sexual abuse, estimated to affect up to one in  four
    5  girls  and up to one in six boys, poses a grave threat to the health and
    6  safety of young people, and its damaging effects can last a lifetime.
    7    The legislature also finds and declares that  child  sexual  exploita-
    8  tion, including the use of children in pornography and prostitution, and
    9  child  abduction pose a similar threat to the health and safety of young
   10  people, and put child victims at grave risk of death  or  severe  bodily
   11  harm.
   12    The  legislature  also  finds and declares that the incidence of child
   13  sexual abuse, child sexual  exploitation  and  child  abduction  can  be
   14  reduced  by raising awareness among young children of common dangers and
   15  warning signs, empowering children to  better  protect  themselves  from
   16  sexual  predators,  and  teaching  children  how to obtain any necessary
   17  assistance or services.
   18    It is hereby declared to be the public policy and in the public inter-
   19  est of this state to establish a comprehensive  program  to  provide  an
   20  age-appropriate  course of instruction in the prevention of child abduc-
   21  tion, child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD01551-01-5
       A. 90                               2
    1    S 3. Section 803-a of the education law, as added by  chapter  658  of
    2  the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
    3    S 803-a. Courses  of  study  in  prevention  of child abduction, CHILD
    4  SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE.   1. All  pupils  in  grades
    5  [K-8]  KINDERGARTEN  THROUGH  EIGHT  in  all public schools in the state
    6  shall receive instruction designed to prevent the  abduction,  EXPLOITA-
    7  TION  OR SEXUAL ABUSE of children. Such instruction shall be provided by
    8  or under the direct supervision of regular classroom teachers, provided,
    9  however, that such instruction may be  provided  by  any  other  agency,
   10  public or private.
   11    2.  The  commissioner, shall provide technical assistance to assist in
   12  the development of curricula for such courses of study  which  shall  be
   13  age  appropriate  and  developed according to the needs and abilities of
   14  pupils at successive grade levels in order to provide awareness  skills,
   15  information,  self-confidence  and  support  to aid in the prevention of
   16  child abduction, CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE.
   17    3. For purposes of developing such courses  of  study,  the  board  of
   18  education or trustees of every school district may establish local advi-
   19  sory  councils  or  utilize  the school-based shared decision making and
   20  planning committee established pursuant to regulations  of  the  commis-
   21  sioner to make recommendations concerning the content and implementation
   22  of  such  courses. School districts may alternatively utilize courses of
   23  instruction developed by consortia of school district, boards of cooper-
   24  ative educational services, other school districts or any other  agency,
   25  public  or  private. Such advisory councils shall consist of, but not be
   26  limited to, parents, school  trustees  and  board  members,  appropriate
   27  school  personnel,  business  and  community  representatives,  and  law
   28  enforcement personnel having  experience  in  the  prevention  of  child
   29  abduction, CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE.
   30    4.  The  board of education or trustees of every school district shall
   31  provide appropriate training and curriculum materials  for  the  regular
   32  teachers who provide such instruction.
   33    S  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect  on  the first of September next
   34  succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.