Bill Text: NY A00819 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: An act to amend the education law, in relation to providing dating violence education and dating violence policies in school districts, boards of cooperative educational services and county vocational education and extension boards
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - referred to education [A00819 Detail]
Download: New_York-2009-A00819-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 819 2009-2010 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y (PREFILED) January 7, 2009 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. DelMONTE -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to providing dating violence education and dating violence policies in school districts, boards of cooperative educational services and county vocational education and extension boards 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 the "Kari Ann Gorman act." 3 S 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature finds, deter- 4 mines and declares that when a student is a victim of dating violence, 5 his or her academic life suffers and his or her safety at school is 6 jeopardized. The legislature finds that a policy to create an environ- 7 ment free of dating violence shall be a part of each school district. It 8 is the intent of the legislature to enact legislation that would require 9 each school district to establish a policy for responding to incidents 10 of dating violence and to provide dating violence education to students, 11 parents, staff, faculty and administrators, in order to prevent dating 12 violence and to address incidents involving dating violence. 13 S 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 815 to read 14 as follows: 15 S 815. DATING VIOLENCE EDUCATION. 1. EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT SHALL 16 INCORPORATE DATING VIOLENCE EDUCATION THAT IS AGE-APPROPRIATE INTO THE 17 ANNUAL HEALTH CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES SEVEN THROUGH 18 TWELVE. 19 (A) DATING VIOLENCE EDUCATION SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, 20 DEFINING DATING VIOLENCE, RECOGNIZING DATING VIOLENCE WARNING SIGNS AND 21 CHARACTERISTICS OF HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS SHALL EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01529-02-9 A. 819 2 1 BE PROVIDED WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S DATING VIOLENCE POLICY AS 2 PROVIDED IN SECTION TWENTY-EIGHT HUNDRED THREE OF THIS CHAPTER. 3 (B) FOR THE PROPOSES OF THIS SECTION: 4 (I) "DATING VIOLENCE" MEANS A PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR WHERE ONE PERSON 5 USES THREATS OF, OR ACTUALLY USES, PHYSICAL, SEXUAL, VERBAL OR EMOTIONAL 6 ABUSE TO CONTROL HIS OR HER DATING PARTNER. 7 (II) "DATING PARTNER" MEANS ANY PERSON INVOLVED IN AN INTIMATE ASSOCI- 8 ATION WITH ANOTHER PRIMARILY CHARACTERIZED BY THE EXPECTATION OF AFFEC- 9 TIONATE INVOLVEMENT WHETHER CASUAL, SERIOUS OR LONG-TERM. 10 (III) "AT SCHOOL" MEANS IN A CLASSROOM, ON OR IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO 11 SUCH SCHOOL PREMISES, ON A SCHOOL BUS OR OTHER SCHOOL-RELATED VEHICLE, 12 AT AN OFFICIAL SCHOOL BUS STOP, OR AT ANY SCHOOL-SPONSORED ACTIVITY OR 13 EVENT WHETHER OR NOT IT IS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. 14 (C) TO ASSIST SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN DEVELOPING A DATING VIOLENCE EDUCA- 15 TION PROGRAM, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL REVIEW AND APPROVE THE GRADE LEVEL 16 TOPICS RELATING TO DATING VIOLENCE AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. 17 2. UPON WRITTEN REQUEST TO THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, A PARENT OR LEGAL 18 GUARDIAN OF A PUPIL LESS THAN EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE, WITHIN A REASONABLE 19 PERIOD OF TIME AFTER THE REQUEST IS MADE, SHALL BE PERMITTED TO EXAMINE 20 THE DATING VIOLENCE EDUCATION PROGRAM INSTRUCTION MATERIALS AT THE 21 SCHOOL IN WHICH HIS OR HER CHILD IS ENROLLED. 22 S 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 2803 to read 23 as follows: 24 S 2803. DATING VIOLENCE POLICY. 1. AS USED IN THIS SECTION: 25 (A) "DATING VIOLENCE" MEANS A PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR WHERE ONE PERSON 26 USES THREATS OF, OR ACTUALLY USES, PHYSICAL, SEXUAL, VERBAL OR EMOTIONAL 27 ABUSE TO CONTROL HIS OR HER DATING PARTNER. 28 (B) "DATING PARTNER" MEANS ANY PERSON, REGARDLESS OF GENDER, INVOLVED 29 IN AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER PRIMARILY CHARACTERIZED BY THE 30 EXPECTATION OF AFFECTIONATE INVOLVEMENT WHETHER CASUAL, SERIOUS OF 31 LONG-TERM. 32 (C) "AT SCHOOL" MEANS IN A CLASSROOM, ON OR IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO 33 SCHOOL PREMISES, ON A SCHOOL BUS OR OTHER SCHOOL-RELATED VEHICLE, AT AN 34 OFFICIAL SCHOOL BUS STOP, OR AT ANY SCHOOL-SPONSORED ACTIVITY OR EVENT 35 WHETHER OR NOT IT IS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. 36 2. THE DEPARTMENT, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE OFFICE FOR THE PREVENTION 37 OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SHALL DEVELOP A MODEL DATING VIOLENCE POLICY TO 38 ASSIST SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BOARDS OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND 39 COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION BOARDS IN DEVELOPING POLICIES 40 FOR DATING VIOLENCE REPORTING AND RESPONSE. THE MODEL POLICY SHALL BE 41 ISSUED ON OR BEFORE APRIL 1, 2010. 42 3. EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND 43 COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION BOARD SHALL ESTABLISH A 44 SPECIFIC POLICY TO ADDRESS INCIDENTS OF DATING VIOLENCE INVOLVING 45 STUDENTS AT SCHOOL BY DECEMBER 1, 2010. EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT, BOARD OF 46 COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND 47 EXTENSION BOARD SHALL VERIFY COMPLIANCE WITH THE DEPARTMENT ON AN ANNUAL 48 BASIS THROUGH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT REPORT CARDS OR BOARD OF COOPERATIVE 49 EDUCATIONAL SERVICES REPORT CARD REQUIRED BY THIS CHAPTER. 50 (A) SUCH POLICY SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, A STATEMENT THAT 51 DATING VIOLENCE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED, DATING VIOLENCE REPORTING PROCE- 52 DURES, GUIDELINES TO RESPONDING TO AT-SCHOOL INCIDENTS OF DATING 53 VIOLENCE AND DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES SPECIFIC TO SUCH INCIDENTS. 54 (B) TO ENSURE NOTICE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE 55 EDUCATIONAL SERVICES' AND COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION 56 BOARD'S DATING VIOLENCE POLICY, THE POLICY SHALL BE PUBLISHED IN ANY A. 819 3 1 SCHOOL DISTRICT, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND COUNTY 2 VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION BOARD POLICY AND HANDBOOK THAT SETS 3 FORTH THE COMPREHENSIVE RULES, PROCEDURES AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR 4 STUDENTS AT SCHOOL. 5 4. EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND 6 COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION BOARD SHALL PROVIDE DATING 7 VIOLENCE TRAINING TO ALL ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHERS, NURSES AND MENTAL 8 HEALTH STAFF AT THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS. UPON THE RECOMMENDA- 9 TION OF THE ADMINISTRATOR, OTHER STAFF MAY BE INCLUDED OR MAY ATTEND THE 10 TRAINING ON A VOLUNTEER BASIS. THE DATING VIOLENCE TRAINING SHALL 11 INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DATING VIOLENCE, 12 WARNINGS SIGNS OF DATING VIOLENCE AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S DATING 13 VIOLENCE POLICY, TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO APPROPRIATELY RESPOND 14 TO INCIDENTS OF DATING VIOLENCE AT SCHOOL. THEREAFTER, THIS TRAINING 15 SHALL BE PROVIDED YEARLY TO ALL NEWLY HIRED STAFF DEEMED APPROPRIATE TO 16 RECEIVE THE TRAINING BY THE SCHOOL'S ADMINISTRATION. 17 5. EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND 18 COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION BOARD SHALL INFORM THE 19 STUDENTS' PARENTS OR LEGAL GUARDIANS OF THE DATING VIOLENCE POLICY. IF 20 REQUESTED, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL 21 SERVICES OR COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION BOARD SHALL 22 PROVIDE THE PARENTS OR LEGAL GUARDIANS WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S DATING 23 VIOLENCE POLICY AND RELEVANT INFORMATION. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED 24 THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES OR 25 COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION BOARD PROVIDE PARENT AWARENESS 26 TRAINING. 27 6. THIS SECTION DOES NOT PREVENT A VICTIM FROM SEEKING REDRESS UNDER 28 ANY OTHER AVAILABLE LAW, EITHER CIVIL OR CRIMINAL. THIS SECTION DOES NOT 29 CREATE OR ALTER ANY TORT LIABILITY. 30 S 5. This act shall take effect immediately.