SB 213 Summary

• Establishes "Erin's Law" requiring the Child Protection Accountability Commission and Division of Family Services to develop a curriculum on personal body safety and child sexual abuse awareness for schools, employees, students, and parents.

• Mandates evidence-based training for all public school employees at schools serving pre-kindergarten through grade 6 to recognize warning signs of abuse, respond to disclosures, and fulfill mandatory reporting requirements.

• Requires age-appropriate instruction for students in grades pre-kindergarten through 6 on appropriate versus inappropriate touching and actions to protect themselves from sexual abuse, building on skills from previous years.

• Directs school districts to provide written materials to parents annually covering warning signs of abuse, methods to discuss body safety with children, reporting resources, and available counseling services.

• Requires each school district to designate an individual to oversee curriculum implementation and report to the Department of Education by November 15 annually; Department of Education must submit annual report to Governor and General Assembly by January 15.

• Implementation of the curriculum must begin no later than the 2017-2018 school year.