Bills Requiring Schools to Adopt Child Sex Abuse Policy Pass Senate

A package of bills designed to prevent child sex abuse (SB 1112, SB 1113, and SB 1114) and referred to collectively as “Erin’s Law,” passed the Senate last week with unanimous support.

Of the three bills in the package, only two directly impact schools. SB 1113 would require that every school in the state develop and implement a policy addressing child sexual abuse. SB 1114 requires that if a school “provides instruction to pupils on child sexual abuse” pursuant to the policy required under SB 1113, then the school must notify parents, give them the opportunity to review instructional materials and provide them with an opportunity to opt their children out of that particular unit. SB 1113 suggests several things that schools could include in their policy, but none are mandatory.

The bills are named after Erin Merryn, a sexual abuse survivor from Illinois who is pushing for similar legislation in every state in the nation. Four other states have already passed laws along these lines and bills have been introduced in three others.

The bills now move to the House for concurrence. MASSP will continue to update members as this legislation moves through the process.