(a)Teen dating violence and sexual assault training program. —
The Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council shall identify and maintain a teen dating violence and sexual assault training program for school administrators, school nurses, and school counselors serving 1 or more of the grades in grades 7 through 12. The Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, in collaboration with the Department of Education, must review these trainings every 3 years, at a minimum, and update the trainings as needed to be relevant to Delaware students and conform with best practices.
(b)Teen dating violence and sexual assault policies. —
Each school district and charter school serving 1 or more of the grades in grades 7 through 12 shall establish a policy for responding to teen dating viole
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(a)Teen dating violence and sexual assault training program. —
The Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council shall identify and maintain a teen dating violence and sexual assault training program for school administrators, school nurses, and school counselors serving 1 or more of the grades in grades 7 through 12. The Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, in collaboration with the Department of Education, must review these trainings every 3 years, at a minimum, and update the trainings as needed to be relevant to Delaware students and conform with best practices.
(b)Teen dating violence and sexual assault policies. —
Each school district and charter school serving 1 or more of the grades in grades 7 through 12 shall establish a policy for responding to teen dating violence and sexual assault that includes, at a minimum, all of the following components:
(1) Definitions of teen dating violence and sexual assault, the behaviors which constitute each, and the consequences for committing offenses.
(2) Guidelines on mandatory reporting and confidentiality as required by the law of this State and school district or charter school policy.
(3) A protocol for responding to incidents of teen dating violence and sexual assault which includes all of the following:
a. Procedures regarding initial response.
b. Procedures for reporting incidents of teen dating violence and sexual assault when a report is required.
c. Procedures for the documentation of incidents.
d. Procedures for working with victims.
e. Procedures for working with perpetrators.
(c) [Repealed.]
(d) Each school district and charter school shall ensure existing health standard programming related to comprehensive healthy relationships, based on the health standards adopted by the Department of Education as approved by the State Board of Education, is provided in health education programs or related classes. The Domestic Violence Coordinating Council shall have the authority to review and advise on the implementation of school district policies and charter school policies related to teen dating violence and sexual assault.
(e)Dissemination of policy and accountability. —
(1) Each school district and charter school shall adopt a policy consistent with subsection (b) of this section. Following review by the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, each school district and charter school shall submit a copy to the Department of Education by January 5, 2015, or by January 5 of a newly approved charter school’s first year of operation.
(2) Each school district and charter school shall ensure that its policy adopted under subsection (b) of this section appears in the student and staff handbook. If no handbook is available, or if it is not practical to reprint new handbooks, each school district and charter school shall ensure that a copy of the policy is distributed annually to all students, parents, faculty, and staff.
(3) The Department of Education shall prepare an annual report, which shall include a summary of reported incidences of teen dating violence and sexual assault. The Department shall submit the report to the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council by October 15 of each year.
(f)Immunity. —
A school district or charter school employee, school district or charter school volunteer, or student is individually immune from a cause of action for damages arising from reporting teen dating violence or sexual assault in good faith and to the appropriate person using the procedures specified in the school district’s or charter school’s teen dating violence and sexual assault policy, but there is no such immunity if the act of reporting constituted gross negligence or reckless, wilful, or intentional conduct.
(g)Relationship to reporting requirements. —
Nothing in this section or in the policies promulgated as a result of this section prevents school officials from fulfilling all of the reporting requirements of § 4112 of this title or from reporting probable crimes that occur on school property or at a school function which are not required to be reported under that section. For purposes of this subsection, “school property” and “school function” mean as defined in § 4112 of this title. Nothing in this section abrogates the reporting requirements for child abuse or sexual abuse set forth in Chapter 9 of Title 16 or any other reporting requirement under state or federal law.
(h), (i) [Repealed.]
(j)Short title. —
This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Liane Sorenson Act.”