SB24-162 Summary

• Public schools must provide harassment and discrimination training to all employees by December 31, 2025, with new employees trained upon hiring and every three years thereafter, or when transferring between elementary and secondary positions.

• Training must cover recognizing harassment and discrimination (including grooming and child sexual abuse), distinguishing harassment from bullying, trauma-informed responses, and employee responsibilities for reporting.

• Department of Education must contract with an organization to develop best practices for schools responding to harassment and discrimination reports, with an evaluation committee including school representatives, student advocates, individuals with lived experience, students in grades 7-12, and Office of School Safety representatives.

• Selected organization must develop and deliver best practices by December 31, 2024, regarding notification procedures, employee response protocols, trauma-informed approaches, and employee training; organization must also create a training program available to schools at no cost by April 1, 2025.

• $111,111 appropriated to the Department of Education from the State Education Fund for fiscal year 2024-25, with no more than 10% used for administrative costs.