Assembly Bill A5354A

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5354
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 8, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. PAULIN, GOTTFRIED -- read once and referred to
   the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the creation of  a
   school-based teen dating violence prevention program
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 25
 to read as follows:
   § 25. SCHOOL-BASED TEEN DATING VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM.  1.    THE
 COMMISSIONER,  IN  COOPERATION  WITH  THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, AND
 COUNTY BOARDS OF COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, SHALL ENCOURAGE  THE  ESTABLISH-
 MENT  OF  A  SCHOOL-BASED  TEEN  DATING  VIOLENCE  PREVENTION PROGRAM AS
 PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION.
   2. THE PROGRAM SHALL BE DESIGNED TO  BE  INCORPORATED  INTO  A  SCHOOL
 DISTRICT'S  EXISTING  HEALTH  CURRICULUM TO PREVENT AND REDUCE THE INCI-
 DENCE AND PREVALENCE OF TEEN DATING  VIOLENCE.  THE  PROGRAM  SHALL  USE
 RECOMMENDATIONS AND GOALS OF THE NEW YORK STATE COALITION AGAINST DOMES-
 TIC  VIOLENCE, OR ITS SUCCESSOR, AND LOCAL COMMUNITY PROVIDERS IN DEVEL-
 OPING AND IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES RELATING TO EDUCATION, STRATEGIES  AND
 RESPONSES  TO  TEEN DATING VIOLENCE FOR STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH
 TWELFTH GRADE TO PREVENT, DETER AND ADDRESS  INCIDENTS  OF  TEEN  DATING
 VIOLENCE.
   3.  THE  TEEN  DATING  VIOLENCE  PREVENTION PROGRAM SHALL INCLUDE AGE-
 APPROPRIATE INFORMATION ABOUT  HEALTHY  RELATIONSHIPS  AND  TEEN  DATING
 VIOLENCE INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
   (A)  SUCH  MODEL  PROVISIONS  AS ARE RECOMMENDED BY THE NEW YORK STATE
 COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, OR ITS SUCCESSOR;
   (B) FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH  FOURTH  GRADE:    (I)
 IDENTIFICATION  AND EXAMINATION OF IDEAS ABOUT HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS AND
 BEHAVIORS LEARNED FROM THE HOME, FAMILY AND THE MEDIA; (II)  SELF-ESTEEM
 AND SELF-WORTH; AND (III) FRIENDSHIP AND EMPATHY;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD06550-02-7

 A. 5354                             2
 
   (C)  FOR  STUDENTS  IN  FIFTH GRADE THROUGH TWELFTH GRADE: (I) A DEFI-
 NITION OF TEEN DATING VIOLENCE; (II) RECOGNITION OF WARNING SIGNS EXHIB-
 ITED BY A DATING PARTNER; (III) CHARACTERISTICS OF A  HEALTHY  RELATION-
 SHIP; (IV) LINKS BETWEEN BULLYING AND TEEN DATING VIOLENCE; (V) SAFE USE
 OF TECHNOLOGY; (VI) SAFE AND APPROPRIATE BYSTANDER SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS;
 (VII)  A  DISCUSSION  OF  LOCAL  COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR THOSE IN A TEEN
 DATING VIOLENCE RELATIONSHIP; AND (VIII) AN  OVERVIEW  OF  THE  SCHOOL'S
 POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ON TEEN DATING VIOLENCE;
   (D) TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, NURSES, AND MENTAL
 HEALTH  STAFF  FROM  KINDERGARTEN  THROUGH  TWELFTH  GRADE,  WHICH SHALL
 INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  DATING  VIOLENCE,
 RISK  FACTORS  AND  WARNING  SIGNS  OF DATING VIOLENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL
 DATING ABUSE;
   (E) DESIGNATION OF AT LEAST ONE PERSON AS A PREVENTION LIAISON WHO  IS
 RESPONSIBLE  FOR  COORDINATING  ALL  TEEN  DATING  VIOLENCE  AND HEALTHY
 RELATIONSHIP INITIATIVES. THE PREVENTION LIAISON SHALL RECEIVE  TRAINING
 ON  TEEN  DATING  VIOLENCE AS REQUIRED BY THE COMMISSIONER. THE NAME AND
 CONTACT INFORMATION OF THE PREVENTION LIAISON WILL BE PUBLISHED  ON  THE
 SCHOOL  DISTRICT'S  WEBSITE  AND  IN  THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S POLICIES AND
 PROCEDURES ON TEEN DATING VIOLENCE;
   (F) DEVELOPING A RESPONSE PROGRAM TO INCIDENTS OF TEEN DATING VIOLENCE
 AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP INITIATIVES, WHICH WILL INCLUDE MONITORING  AND
 REPORTING COMPONENTS;
   (G)  ADOPTING  A  POLICY WHICH SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, A
 DEFINITION OF DATING VIOLENCE, A STATEMENT  THAT  TEEN  DATING  VIOLENCE
 WILL  NOT BE TOLERATED, GUIDELINES FOR RESPONDING TO INCIDENTS OF DATING
 VIOLENCE.
   4. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION:
   (A) "TEEN DATING VIOLENCE" MEANS A PATTERN OF  POWER  AND  CONTROL  IN
 WHICH  ONE  DATING  PARTNER  USES  THREATS OF AND/OR ACTUALLY ENGAGES IN
 EMOTIONAL, VERBAL, PHYSICAL, SEXUAL, FINANCIAL AND/OR SPIRITUAL ABUSE IN
 ORDER TO HARM, COERCE,  THREATEN,  INTIMIDATE,  CONTROL  AND/OR  ISOLATE
 ANOTHER  DATING  PARTNER  IN  A  RELATIONSHIP  OF A ROMANTIC OR INTIMATE
 NATURE.
   (B) "DATING PARTNER" MEANS ANY PERSON REGARDLESS OF GENDER INVOLVED IN
 AN ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER, REGARDLESS OF
 WHETHER THE RELATIONSHIP IS  CONTINUING,  FORMER,  CASUAL,  SERIOUS,  OR
 LONG-TERM   OR  THE  NUMBER  OF  INTERACTIONS  BETWEEN  THE  INDIVIDUALS
 INVOLVED.
   (C) "THREAT" SHALL INCLUDE THOSE MADE THROUGH ELECTRONIC MEANS INCLUD-
 ING SOCIAL MEDIA, TEXT MESSAGE, PHONE, EMAIL, AND/OR THE INTERNET.
   5. THE COMMISSIONER MAY ADMINISTER DIRECTLY OR THROUGH CONTRACT, WITH-
 IN THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS ALLOCATED AND WITHIN  AMOUNTS  APPROPRIATED,  THE
 TEEN DATING VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.