-2. Act 87 of 2010: Must use federal snack program reimbursement system.
- 3. Misc education bill.. 16 V.S.A. § 563(11)(B)
The third area regards the public warning law for local school budgets where if districts overspend, they have to warn their public budgets as 2 articles. 21c funds are not included in this calculation. Therefore, there is no disincentive for local communities to support their afterschool programs as they see fit.
11. ACT 1:AN ACT RELATING TO IMPROVING VERMONT’S SEXUAL ABUSE RESPONSE SYSTEM
The DOE and DCF were required to develop resources to help school communities build local capacity to provide this information to their staff. Commit to Kids was distributed to all building principals in November. This dvd includes a 35 minute video which, through stories, identifies how offenders groom and is designed to use with youth serving organizations. In addition, it includes a resource guide which provides guidance as to what policies and procedures schools should be looking at to help prevent child sexual abuse. It really is good food for thought. If you would like a copy, please contact Priscilla White at priscilla.white@state.vt.us.
DCF has developed Protect Kids, which isdesigned for parents, guardians and other interested persons. In addition DCF has developed a community outreach plan called STEP UP, which you might have seen on television or heard on the radio. Both are available on the Protect Kids website of DCF: http://dcf.vermont.gov/protectkids/
We have encouraged schools to send teams (administration, SAP, school counselor, nurse, health educator, social worker) to trainings that were offered throughout the fall and begin to develop a plan as to how they will roll out this information. Considering the alarming statistics that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys have been victims of sexual abuse by the age of 18 and that some of the staff might also have been victims, so schools need to move carefully and thoughtfully. In addition, it is my understanding that about 1/3 of the identified offenders are under the age of 21 which means that there are offenders within the school. One suggestion that I would make is for the person in charge of the afterschool program to identify who within the building is involved in this work and have a conversation around what has been done (if it has) and what would be the best way to provide this information to people involved in the afterschool program.
Section 2. COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE APPROACH TO THE PREVENTION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
(a)Prevention is the most important and most often overlooked tool available to the state to fight sexual violence against children. While there are a number of programs and organizations developed to raising awareness about sexual abuse of children, a coordinated and properly funded statewide approach is needed to ensure that we are devoting appropriate resources and programming to stopping abuse before it happens, not just responding to the crime. The Vermont approach, Vermont’s strategic plan for comprehensive collaborative sexual violence prevention, should continue to be supported in the efforts to prevent sexual violence. Proper funding will increase the state’s ability to fight child sexual abuse and to provide needed services to victims and communities.
Sec. 3. 16 V.S.A. § 131 is amended to read:
§ 131. DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of this subchapter: “Comprehensive , “comprehensive
health education” means a systematic and extensive elementary and secondary
educational program designed to provide a variety of learning experiences
based upon knowledge of the human organism as it functions within its
environment. The term includes, but is not limited to, a the study of:
(11) How to recognize and prevent sexual abuse and sexual violence,
including developmentally appropriate instruction about promoting healthy and
respectful relationships, developing and maintaining effective communication
with trusted adults, recognizing sexually offending behaviors, and gaining
awareness of available school and community resources.
Sec. 9. 16 V.S.A. § 563a is added to read:
§ 563a. SCHOOL BOARDS; PREVENTION, IDENTIFICATION, AND
REPORTING OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AND SEXUAL
VIOLENCE
The school board of a school district shall ensure that adults employed in
the schools maintained by the district receive orientation, information, or
instruction on the prevention, identification, and reporting of child sexual
abuse, as defined in subdivision 4912(8) of Title 33, and sexual violence. This
shall include information regarding the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse,
sexual violence, grooming processes, recognizing the dangers of child sexual
abuse in and close to the home, and other predatory behaviors of sex offenders.
The school board shall also provide opportunities for parents, guardians, and
other interested persons to receive the same information. The department of
education and the agency of human services shall provide materials and
technical support to any school board that requests assistance in implementing
this section.
Sec. 5. 16 V.S.A. § 255 is amended to read:
§ 255. PUBLIC AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOL EMPLOYEES;
CONTRACTORS
(a) Superintendents, headmasters of recognized or approved Vermont
independent schools, and their contractors shall request criminal record
information for the following:
(1) The person a superintendent or headmaster is prepared to
recommend for any full-time, part-time or temporary employment
(2) Any person directly under contract to an independent school or
school district who may have unsupervised contact with school children.
(3) Any employee of a contractor under contract to an independent
school or school district who is in a position that may result in unsupervised
contact with school children.
(4) Any student working toward a degree in teaching who is a student
teacher in a school within the superintendent’s or headmaster’s jurisdiction.
Sec. 7. VOLUNTEERS; STUDY
The commissioner of education shall examine ways to ensure that students
are not placed in situations where they may be vulnerable to sexual
exploitation or abuse without creating barriers that make it impossible or
impractical for volunteers to assist school staff. The commissioner shall
propose mechanisms for ensuring that registered sex offenders do not have
unsupervised contact with students as volunteers. On or before January 15,
2010, the commissioner shall submit recommendations to the house and senate
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