HB 2797 would require Arizona’s Department of Child Safety, working with the Department of Education, to identify or develop a statewide child sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention program for use in every public school by July 1, 2026. The program would include teacher training on prevention, identification, and response; age-appropriate student materials for kindergarten through grade 12; and a uniform response and reporting policy for schools. The student materials could cover recognizing abuse and boundary violations, encouraging disclosure, reducing self-blame, and mobilizing bystanders.
Each public school would be required to implement the program by October 1, 2026. The bill also creates a parental exemption: a student could be excused from participating, in whole or in part, if a parent or legal guardian provides written notice to the school. The act may be cited as “Erin’s Law,” a name commonly used for similar child sexual abuse prevention legislation in other states.
Impact
The bill would add a new section 15-160.03 to Title 15 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, placing a statewide child sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention mandate into law for public schools. It would assign implementation responsibilities to the Department of Child Safety and the Department of Education, require school-level adoption of the program, and establish a uniform reporting and response framework for school staff. It would also affect parents and students by creating an opt-out process for participation in the program or any part of it.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill had not advanced far at the time of the record, as it was held in the House Education Committee on February 18, 2025, with no recorded yeas or nays. Because there are no committee transcripts or floor debate excerpts provided, there is no direct evidence of broad support or opposition in the supplied materials. The bill’s subject matter and its framing as child safety legislation indicate a protective public-policy purpose, but the lack of recorded votes or discussion means sentiment cannot be measured beyond the committee hold.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the balance between mandatory school-based prevention education and parental control over student participation. The bill requires all public schools to implement the program, but it also allows parents or guardians to exempt students by written notice, which may reflect an attempt to address concerns about age-appropriate content or family discretion. Another possible area of debate is the scope of the required curriculum and reporting procedures, including how much discretion schools would have in selecting materials and how the statewide program would be developed and standardized.