Bill Text: NY A02577 | 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: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 47-10)

Status: (Passed) 2019-08-29 - SIGNED CHAP.187 [A02577 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A02577-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2577--A
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 24, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  DINOWITZ,  GOTTFRIED, PAULIN, SIMOTAS, COOK,
          COLTON, ENGLEBRIGHT, GUNTHER, TITUS, WALKER,  RODRIGUEZ,  MALLIOTAKIS,
          L. ROSENTHAL  --  Multi-Sponsored  by  --  M.  of  A.  ABBATE, ARROYO,
          BARCLAY, FAHY, GIGLIO, LAVINE, McDONOUGH, ORTIZ, RA, RAIA,  THIELE  --
          read  once  and  referred  to  the Committee on Education -- committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          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;
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01177-04-9
        A. 2577--A                          2
     1    (b) instructional tools and materials for students, parents and school
     2  personnel  developed  in  collaboration with the commissioner of health,
     3  which shall include updated data and information on  the  prevention  of
     4  child  sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse, with a review of such
     5  data  and  information to occur periodically, at intervals deemed appro-
     6  priate by the commissioner and the commissioner of health; and
     7    (c) public availability of all materials related  to  such  awareness,
     8  prevention  and education programs on a dedicated webpage on the depart-
     9  ment's website, and provided at no cost to every school district,  board
    10  of cooperative educational services, charter school and nonpublic school
    11  upon  request. Such instruction shall be provided by or under the direct
    12  supervision of regular classroom teachers, provided, however, that  such
    13  instruction may be provided by any other agency, public or private.
    14    2.  The  commissioner  shall provide technical assistance to assist in
    15  the development of curricula for such courses of study  which  shall  be
    16  age  appropriate  and  developed according to the needs and abilities of
    17  pupils at successive grade levels in order to provide awareness  skills,
    18  information,  self-confidence  and  support  to aid in the prevention of
    19  child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse.
    20    3. For purposes of developing such courses  of  study,  the  board  of
    21  education or trustees of every school district may establish local advi-
    22  sory  councils  or  utilize  the school-based shared decision making and
    23  planning committee established pursuant to regulations  of  the  commis-
    24  sioner to make recommendations concerning the content and implementation
    25  of  such  courses. School districts may alternatively utilize courses of
    26  instruction developed by consortia of school district, the state  educa-
    27  tion  department,  boards  of  cooperative  educational  services, other
    28  school districts or any other agency, public or private.  Such  advisory
    29  councils  shall consist of, but not be limited to, parents, school trus-
    30  tees and board  members,  appropriate  school  personnel,  business  and
    31  community  representatives, and law enforcement personnel having experi-
    32  ence in the prevention of child sexual  exploitation  and  child  sexual
    33  abuse.
    34    4.  The  board  of  education or trustees of every school district may
    35  provide appropriate training and curriculum materials  for  the  regular
    36  teachers who provide such instruction.
    37    §  3.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
    38  the date on which it shall have become a law;  provided,  however,  that
    39  effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
    40  or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
    41  tive  date  are  authorized  to  be  made or completed on or before such
    42  effective date.