Bill Text: NY S04070 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

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

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Bill Title: 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: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-08-29 - SIGNED CHAP.187 [S04070 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S04070-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4070--A
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    February 27, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by Sens. BIAGGI, MAYER -- read twice and ordered printed, and
          when  printed to be committed to the Committee on Education -- commit-
          tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and  recom-
          mitted to said committee
        AN  ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring a course of
          study in the prevention of child sexual exploitation and child  sexual
          abuse
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as "Erin's Law".
     2    § 2. The education law is amended by adding a  new  section  803-b  to
     3  read as follows:
     4    §  803-b.  Courses of study in prevention of child sexual exploitation
     5  and child sexual abuse. 1. All  pupils  in  grades  K-8  in  all  public
     6  schools in the state shall receive instruction designed to prevent child
     7  sexual  exploitation  and  child  sexual  abuse.  Such  program shall be
     8  defined by the commissioner in regulations after consultation  with  the
     9  department  of  health  and be designed to educate students, parents and
    10  school personnel about the prevention of child sexual  exploitation  and
    11  child  sexual  abuse  in grades kindergarten through eight. Such program
    12  shall include, but not be limited to:
    13    (a) age-appropriate model curriculum, exemplar lesson plans, and  best
    14  practice  instructional  resources  for  students,  parents  and  school
    15  personnel designed to promote the prevention of child  sexual  exploita-
    16  tion  and  child  sexual  abuse. Such model curriculum, lesson plans and
    17  instructional resources shall include but not be limited  to  guidelines
    18  and  methods  of  prevention,  including recommendations to address this
    19  issue;
    20    (b) instructional tools and materials for students, parents and school
    21  personnel developed in collaboration with the  commissioner  of  health,
    22  which  shall  include  updated data and information on the prevention of
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01177-05-9
        S. 4070--A                          2
     1  child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse, with a review of  such
     2  data  and  information to occur periodically, at intervals deemed appro-
     3  priate by the commissioner and the commissioner of health; and
     4    (c)  public  availability  of all materials related to such awareness,
     5  prevention and education programs on a dedicated webpage on the  depart-
     6  ment's  website, and provided at no cost to every school district, board
     7  of cooperative educational services, charter school and nonpublic school
     8  upon request. Such instruction shall be provided by or under the  direct
     9  supervision  of regular classroom teachers, provided, however, that such
    10  instruction may be provided by any other agency, 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 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, the state educa-
    24  tion department,  boards  of  cooperative  educational  services,  other
    25  school  districts  or any other agency, public or private. Such advisory
    26  councils shall consist of, but not be limited to, parents, school  trus-
    27  tees  and  board  members,  appropriate  school  personnel, business and
    28  community representatives, and law enforcement personnel having  experi-
    29  ence  in  the  prevention  of child sexual exploitation and child sexual
    30  abuse.
    31    4. The board of education or trustees of  every  school  district  may
    32  provide  appropriate  training  and curriculum materials for the regular
    33  teachers who provide such instruction.
    34    § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
    35  the  date  on  which it shall have become a law; provided, however, that
    36  effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
    37  or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
    38  tive date are authorized to be made  or  completed  on  or  before  such
    39  effective date.