SB 203 Summary

• Department of Children and Families, in collaboration with the Department of Education and Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc., must identify or develop a state-wide sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention program by July 1, 2015.

• Program must include teacher training modules on prevention, identification, and response to child sexual abuse and assault, plus resources for student, teacher, and parental awareness.

• Program must provide age-appropriate educational materials for students in kindergarten through grade 12 on recognizing abuse, boundary violations, grooming tactics, and strategies for disclosure and bystander intervention.

• Program must establish uniform child sexual abuse and assault response policies and reporting procedures addressing victim assistance, counseling options, educational support, and school staff reporting procedures.

• Each local and regional board of education must implement the program by October 1, 2015, but students may be exempted by written parental request, with schools providing alternative academic activities during program time.