AB138 - Revises provisions relating to curriculum standards for teaching the personal safety of children. (BDR 34-922)

A.B. 138 - *AB138* ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 138–ASSEMBLYMEMBER GALLANT PREFILED JANUARY 28, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to curriculum standards for teaching the personal safety of children. (BDR 34-922) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No. Effect on the State: Yes. ~ EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. AN ACT relating to education; requiring the Department of Education to develop age-appropriate curriculum standards for teaching the awareness and prevention of sexual abuse to pupils; requiring the instruction of pupils in personal safety to include dangers of physical and sexual abuse; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law requires the Department of Education, in consultation with 1 persons and organizations who possess knowledge and expertise in the personal 2 safety of children, to develop age-appropriate curriculum standards for teaching the 3 personal safety of children to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12. (NRS 4 389.031) Section 1 of this bill: (1) additionally requires the Department to develop 5 age-appropriate curriculum standards for teaching the awareness and prevention of 6 sexual abuse to pupils; and (2) revises the definition of “personal safety of 7 children” to include an age-appropriate recognition of various hazards and dangers 8 that are particular to children, including physical and sexual abuse. 9 Existing law requires the board of trustees of each school district and the 10 governing body of each charter school to ensure that instruction in the personal 11 safety of children, based on the standards developed by the Department, is 12 implemented as part of the course of study in health which is required to be taught 13 as applicable for grade levels and to the extent practicable in all public schools. 14 (NRS 389.018, 389.064) Section 2 of this bill specifies that the awareness and 15 prevention of sexual abuse is included in the personal safety of children for the 16 purposes of the instruction which must be implemented as part of the course of 17 study in health. 18 – 2 – - *AB138* THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. NRS 389.031 is hereby amended to read as follows: 1 389.031 1. The Department, in consultation with persons and 2 organizations who possess knowledge and expertise in the teaching 3 of personal safety of children, shall develop: 4 (a) Age-appropriate curriculum standards based on best 5 practices for teaching the personal safety of children to pupils in 6 kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. 7 (b) Age-appropriate curriculum standards based on best 8 practices for teaching the awareness and prevention of sexual 9 abuse to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, 10 including, without limitation: 11 (1) Methods for increasing awareness among teachers, 12 pupils and parents, guardians or other caretakers of pupils of 13 issues regarding the sexual abuse of children, including, without 14 limitation, recognizing common indicators of sexual abuse; 15 (2) Actions that a child who is a victim of sexual abuse 16 should take to obtain assistance and intervention; and 17 (3) Counseling options that are available to pupils affected 18 by sexual abuse. 19 (c) Recommendations to assist a school district or charter school 20 in developing: 21 (1) A training plan to ensure that at least one employee at 22 each school, as designated by the principal, receives training on the 23 personal safety of children; 24 (2) Educational materials and information to be distributed to 25 parents, guardians or other caretakers of pupils regarding the 26 personal safety of children and how and when to teach and reinforce 27 concepts and skills of the personal safety of children; and 28 (3) Policies and procedures for the referral of a child who has 29 reported or experienced an incident that did or could have 30 threatened his or her personal safety, and his or her family or 31 guardian, if appropriate, to various services, including, without 32 limitation, counseling or any other available services or resources. 33 [(c)] (d) Recommendations of existing research-based programs 34 and curriculum samples to be considered for implementation. 35 2. The Department will review the standards and 36 recommendations developed pursuant to subsection 1 on an annual 37 basis to ensure that those standards and recommendations contain 38 current information. 39 3. The Department may apply for and accept grants, gifts, 40 donations, bequests or devises from any public or private source to 41 carry out the provisions of this section. 42 – 3 – - *AB138* 4. As used in this section, “personal safety of children” means 1 an age-appropriate recognition of various hazards and dangers that 2 are particular to children, including, without limitation, the danger 3 associated with unsafe persons, both known and unknown to the 4 child, physical and sexual abuse, becoming lost or separated from a 5 parent or guardian, and an awareness of age-appropriate steps a 6 child may take to avoid, lessen or alleviate those hazards and 7 dangers, including, without limitation, reporting threats of harm to a 8 responsible adult. 9 Sec. 2. NRS 389.064 is hereby amended to read as follows: 10 389.064 1. The board of trustees of each school district and 11 the governing body of each charter school shall ensure that 12 instruction in the personal safety of children, including, without 13 limitation, the awareness and prevention of sexual abuse, based on 14 the standards developed by the Department pursuant to NRS 15 389.031, be implemented as part of a course of study in health 16 prescribed pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 3 of 17 NRS 389.018. 18 2. The school district and the charter school, in accordance 19 with the recommendations provided by the Department pursuant to 20 subsection 1 of NRS 389.031, shall determine, for the instruction 21 required by subsection 1: 22 (a) The content of and materials to be used to provide the 23 instruction; and 24 (b) The grade levels in which the instruction will be provided. 25 3. A person who provides the instruction required by 26 subsection 1 must be: 27 (a) A licensed teacher; 28 (b) An employee of the school district with special knowledge 29 or training in the teaching of the personal safety of children; 30 (c) An employee of an agency which has as its primary purpose 31 the teaching of the personal safety of children; 32 (d) An employee of a law enforcement agency; or 33 (e) A volunteer of an agency which has as its primary purpose 34 the teaching of the personal safety of children and who meets the 35 requirements of subsection 8. 36 4. The school district and the charter school shall develop a 37 procedure for the notification of the parent or guardian of each pupil 38 to whom the instruction required by subsection 1 is to be provided. 39 The procedure must inform the parent or guardian that: 40 (a) The parent or guardian may submit a written request that the 41 pupil be excused from some or all of the instruction, except when 42 the instruction is included in a course which is required for 43 graduation; and 44 – 4 – - *AB138* (b) All instructional materials to be used in the instruction 1 required by subsection 1 are available for inspection by the parent or 2 guardian at reasonable times and locations before the instruction is 3 provided. 4 5. A pupil whose parent or guardian submits a written request 5 pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 4 must be excused from such 6 instruction without any penalty as to credits or academic standing. 7 6. The school district and the charter school shall consider the 8 recommendations developed by the Department pursuant to 9 paragraph [(b)] (c) of subsection 1 of NRS 389.031 and, to the 10 extent money is available for this purpose, develop and implement: 11 (a) A training plan to ensure that all school employees receive 12 training as to the teaching of the personal safety of children; 13 (b) Educational materials and information to be distributed to 14 parents, guardians or other caretakers of pupils regarding the 15 teaching of the personal safety of children; and 16 (c) Policies and procedures for the referral of a child who has 17 reported or experienced an incident that did or could have 18 threatened his or her personal safety, and his or her family or 19 guardian, if appropriate, to various services, including, without 20 limitation, counseling or any other available services or resources. 21 7. On or before August 1 of each year, each board of trustees 22 and each governing body shall report to the Department for the 23 preceding year: 24 (a) The grade levels in which the instruction required by 25 subsection 1 was conducted; 26 (b) The curriculum content and materials distributed and utilized 27 for the instruction required by subsection 1; 28 (c) The person, persons or agency utilized to provide the 29 instruction required by subsection 1; and 30 (d) The number of reports or disclosures by pupils of incidents 31 that did or could have threatened their personal safety during the 32 preceding school year. 33 8. An agency which has as its primary purpose the teaching of 34 the personal safety of children, before allowing any volunteer of the 35 agency to provide instruction pursuant to paragraph (e) of 36 subsection 3, must ensure that the volunteer has successfully 37 completed: 38 (a) A national background check, which must include, without 39 limitation, a report of the criminal history of the volunteer from the 40 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Repository for 41 Nevada Records of Criminal History; 42 (b) A child abuse and neglect screening through the Statewide 43 Central Registry for the Collection of Information Concerning the 44 – 5 – - *AB138* Abuse or Neglect of a Child established pursuant to NRS 432.100; 1 and 2 (c) Adequate and appropriate training specific to providing 3 instruction regarding the personal safety of children. 4 9. An agency which has as its primary purpose the teaching of 5 the personal safety of children shall, upon request from a school 6 district or charter school and to the extent allowed by federal law, 7 make available to the school district or charter school 8 documentation of the agency’s conclusions regarding a volunteer’s 9 successful completion of the requirements of subsection 8. 10 10. A board of trustees of a school district and a governing 11 body of a charter school may apply for and accept grants, gifts, 12 donations, bequests or devises from any public or private source to 13 carry out the provisions of this section. 14 11. As used in this section, “personal safety of children” has 15 the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 389.031. 16 Sec. 3. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025. 17 H