Relates to teen dating violence education programs; requires school districts to create policies, procedures and guidelines to implement education programs for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade to prevent, deter and address incidents of teen dating violence; defines teen dating violence.
This bill amends the Education Law to add teen dating violence to New York’s definitions and school safety framework, and to require school districts to adopt policies, procedures, and guidelines for education programs addressing teen dating violence for students in kindergarten through grade 12. It defines “teen dating violence” to include emotional, electronic, sexual, and physical abuse used to harm, threaten, intimidate, or control a person in a romantic or intimate relationship, whether current or ended.
The bill requires schools to incorporate age-appropriate instruction on healthy relationships, warning signs, the connection between bullying and teen dating violence, responsible technology use, and bystander skills into existing curricula. It also requires training for school staff, designation of a prevention liaison, and a response program with monitoring and reporting components. In addition, the bill directs school districts to consult with the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and local providers when developing these policies, and it updates related provisions on school violence reporting and civility/character education to include teen dating violence.
If enacted, the bill would expand state education law by formally recognizing teen dating violence within the statutory definitions of harassment and bullying and by creating a new section of law requiring K-12 school districts to implement prevention and response programs. It would affect school boards, trustees, administrators, teachers, and students by mandating curriculum content, staff training, reporting structures, and coordination with domestic violence organizations. The bill would also require conforming updates to existing school safety and civility education provisions to incorporate teen dating violence.
The available record shows the bill was introduced and referred to the Senate Education Committee, but there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided. Based on the bill’s content, the measure appears to be framed as a student safety and prevention initiative, with an emphasis on education, early intervention, and school-based support. No formal opposition or support is documented in the supplied materials.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided context. Potential areas of debate, based on the bill text, could include the scope of required K-12 instruction, the administrative burden on school districts, the need for staff training and designated liaisons, and how schools would implement monitoring and reporting requirements. The bill’s consultation requirement with domestic violence organizations suggests an effort to ground the program in outside expertise, which may reduce controversy over content and implementation.