Senate Bill S3719

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3719
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 29, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  LANZA,  MATTERA, MURRAY -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Educa-
   tion
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to teen dating violence
   education programs
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  7  of  section  11  of the education law, as
 amended by chapter 102 of the laws  of  2012,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   7.  "Harassment"  and  "bullying" shall mean the creation of a hostile
 environment by conduct or by threats, intimidation, COERCION  or  abuse,
 including  cyberbullying  OR TEEN DATING VIOLENCE, that (a) has or would
 have the effect of unreasonably and  substantially  interfering  with  a
 student's educational performance, opportunities or benefits, or mental,
 emotional  or  physical  well-being;  or  (b) reasonably causes or would
 reasonably be expected to cause a student to fear for [his or her] THEIR
 physical safety;  or  (c)  reasonably  causes  or  would  reasonably  be
 expected to cause physical injury or emotional harm to a student; or (d)
 occurs  off  school  property  and creates or would foreseeably create a
 risk of substantial disruption within the school environment,  where  it
 is  foreseeable  that  the conduct, threats, intimidation or abuse might
 reach school property. Acts of harassment and  bullying  shall  include,
 but  not  be  limited  to,  those  acts  based  on  a person's actual or
 perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group,  religion,
 religious  practice,  disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex. For
 the purposes of this  definition  the  term  "threats,  intimidation  or
 abuse" shall include verbal and non-verbal actions.
   § 2. Section 11 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdi-
 vision 11 to read as follows:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07408-01-5
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   11.  "TEEN  DATING  VIOLENCE"  SHALL  MEAN EMOTIONAL ABUSE, ELECTRONIC
 ABUSE, SEXUAL ABUSE WHICH  INCLUDES  SEXUAL  COERCION,  AND/OR  PHYSICAL
 ABUSE BY A PERSON TO HARM, THREATEN, INTIMIDATE, CONTROL, AND/OR ATTEMPT
 TO  CONTROL  ANOTHER  PERSON IN A RELATIONSHIP OF A ROMANTIC OR INTIMATE
 NATURE,  REGARDLESS  OF  WHETHER  THAT RELATIONSHIP IS CONTINUING OR HAD
 CONCLUDED  OR  THE  NUMBER  OF  INTERACTIONS  BETWEEN  THE   INDIVIDUALS
 INVOLVED.
   § 3. Section 13 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdi-
 vision 6 to read as follows:
   6.  GUIDELINES RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIES AND RESPONSES
 TO TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AS PROVIDED IN SECTION THIRTEEN-A OF THIS  ARTI-
 CLE.
   § 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 13-a to read
 as follows:
   §  13-A.  POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES FOR TEEN DATING VIOLENCE
 EDUCATION PROGRAMS.  1. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE TRUSTEES OR  SOLE
 TRUSTEE  OF  EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT SHALL 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 THAT INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
   A. INCORPORATING AGE-APPROPRIATE INFORMATION ABOUT  HEALTHY  RELATION-
 SHIPS  AND  TEEN  DATING  VIOLENCE INTO THE SCHOOL'S EXISTING CURRICULUM
 THAT INCLUDES: (I) A DEFINITION OF TEEN DATING VIOLENCE;  (II)  RECOGNI-
 TION  OF WARNING SIGNS; (III) CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP;
 (IV) LINKS BETWEEN BULLYING AND TEEN DATING  VIOLENCE;  (V)  RESPONSIBLE
 USE OF TECHNOLOGY; AND (VI) RESPONSIBLE BYSTANDER SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS;
   B.  PROVIDING  TRAINING  PROGRAMS  FOR  TEACHERS,  ADMINISTRATORS  AND
 PERSONNEL;
   C. DESIGNATING AT LEAST ONE PERSON AS  A  PREVENTION  LIAISON  WHO  IS
 RESPONSIBLE  FOR  COORDINATING  ALL  TEEN  DATING  VIOLENCE  AND HEALTHY
 RELATIONSHIP INITIATIVES; AND
   D. DEVELOPING A RESPONSE PROGRAM TO INCIDENTS OF TEEN DATING VIOLENCE,
 WHICH INCLUDES MONITORING AND REPORTING COMPONENTS.
   2. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE TRUSTEES OR SOLE  TRUSTEE  OF  EVERY
 SCHOOL DISTRICT SHALL CREATE SUCH POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES IN
 CONSULTATION WITH THE NEW YORK STATE COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
 AND LOCAL COMMUNITY PROVIDERS, AND INCLUDE WITHOUT LIMITATION SUCH MODEL
 PROVISIONS  AS  ARE  RECOMMENDED BY THE NEW YORK STATE COALITION AGAINST
 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
   § 5. Paragraph j of subdivision 2 of section 2801-a of  the  education
 law,  as  amended  by  section  1 of part B of chapter 54 of the laws of
 2016, is amended to read as follows:
   j. strategies for improving communication among students  and  between
 students  and staff and reporting of potentially violent incidents, such
 as the establishment of youth-run  programs,  peer  mediation,  conflict
 resolution,  creating  a  forum  or  designating  a  mentor for students
 concerned with bullying or violence, INCLUDING TEEN DATING VIOLENCE, and
 establishing anonymous reporting mechanisms for school violence;
   § 6. Section 801-a of the education law, as amended by chapter 102  of
 the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
   § 801-a. Instruction in civility, citizenship and character education.
 The  regents  shall  ensure  that  the  course  of instruction in grades
 kindergarten through twelve includes a component on  civility,  citizen-
 ship  and character education. Such component shall instruct students on
 the principles of honesty, tolerance, personal  responsibility,  respect
 for  others,  with  an  emphasis  on PREVENTING AND discouraging acts of
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 harassment, bullying, INCLUDING TEEN  DATING  VIOLENCE,  discrimination,
 observance  of  laws and rules, courtesy, dignity and other traits which
 will enhance the quality of their experiences in, and contributions  to,
 the community. Such component shall include instruction of safe, respon-
 sible  use  of  the  internet and electronic communications. The regents
 shall determine how to incorporate such component in existing  curricula
 and  the  commissioner  shall promulgate any regulations needed to carry
 out such determination of the regents. For the purposes of this section,
 "tolerance," "respect for others" and "dignity" shall include  awareness
 and sensitivity to harassment, bullying, INCLUDING TEEN DATING VIOLENCE,
 discrimination  and  civility  in  the  relations of people of different
 races, weights, national origins, ethnic  groups,  religions,  religious
 practices,  mental  or physical abilities, sexual orientations, genders,
 and sexes.
   § 7. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately the addition,  amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation  of  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
 completed on or before such date.