SB131 - Revises provisions governing school curriculum relating to human trafficking. (BDR 34-29)

S.B. 131 - *SB131* SENATE BILL NO. 131–SENATOR BUCK PREFILED JANUARY 30, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions governing school curriculum relating to human trafficking. (BDR 34-29) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: May have Fiscal Impact. 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 curriculum standards for providing instruction to certain pupils in the prevention of human trafficking; requiring the board of trustees of each school district and the governing body of each charter school to implement instruction based on such standards; 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 teaching of 2 personal safety of children, to develop age-appropriate curriculum standards for 3 teaching the personal safety of children to pupils. (NRS 389.031) Section 1 of this 4 bill requires the Department to develop age-appropriate curriculum standards for 5 providing instruction in the prevention of human trafficking to pupils enrolled in 6 grades 6 to 12, inclusive. Section 1 additionally requires the Department to develop 7 recommendations to assist a school district or charter school in developing: (1) a 8 training plan to ensure that at least one employee at each school receives training 9 on the prevention of human trafficking; and (2) educational materials and 10 information to be distributed to parents, guardians or other caretakers of pupils 11 regarding instruction in the prevention of human trafficking. 12 Section 2 of this bill requires the board of trustees of each school district and 13 the governing body of each charter school to ensure that, in addition to instruction 14 on the personal safety of children, instruction in the prevention of human 15 trafficking, based on the standards developed by the Department is implemented as 16 part of a course of study in health. Section 2 requires a person who provides such 17 instruction to meet certain criteria. 18 – 2 – - *SB131* 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 [,] and the prevention of human 4 trafficking, shall develop: 5 (a) Age-appropriate curriculum standards based on best 6 practices for teaching the personal safety of children to pupils in 7 kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. 8 (b) Age-appropriate curriculum standards based on best 9 practices for providing instruction in the prevention of human 10 trafficking to pupils in grades 6 to 12, inclusive. 11 (c) Recommendations to assist a school district or charter school 12 in developing: 13 (1) A training plan to ensure that at least one employee at 14 each school, as designated by the principal, receives training on the 15 personal safety of children [;] and the prevention of human 16 trafficking; 17 (2) Educational materials and information to be distributed to 18 parents, guardians or other caretakers of pupils regarding the 19 personal safety of children and how and when to teach and reinforce 20 concepts and skills of the personal safety of children; [and] 21 (3) Educational materials and information to be distributed 22 to parents, guardians or other caretakers of pupils regarding 23 instruction in the prevention of human trafficking; and 24 (4) Policies and procedures for the referral of a child who has 25 reported or experienced an incident that did or could have 26 threatened his or her personal safety, and his or her family or 27 guardian, if appropriate, to various services, including, without 28 limitation, counseling or any other available services or resources. 29 [(c)] (d) Recommendations of existing research-based programs 30 and curriculum samples to be considered for implementation. 31 2. The Department will review the standards and 32 recommendations developed pursuant to subsection 1 on an annual 33 basis to ensure that those standards and recommendations contain 34 current information. 35 3. The Department may apply for and accept grants, gifts, 36 donations, bequests or devises from any public or private source to 37 carry out the provisions of this section. 38 4. As used in this section [, “personal] : 39 (a) “Instruction in the prevention of human trafficking” 40 means age-appropriate instruction regarding: 41 – 3 – - *SB131* (1) The prevalence and nature of human trafficking, 1 including human trafficking of minors; 2 (2) Strategies to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of 3 human trafficking; and 4 (3) Methods for safely seeking assistance if a pupil becomes 5 a victim of or is at risk of becoming a victim of human trafficking. 6 (b) “Personal safety of children” means an age-appropriate 7 recognition of various hazards and dangers that are particular to 8 children, including, without limitation, the danger associated with 9 unsafe persons, both known and unknown to the child, abuse, 10 becoming lost or separated from a parent or guardian, and an 11 awareness of age-appropriate steps a child may take to avoid, lessen 12 or alleviate those hazards and dangers, including, without limitation, 13 reporting threats of harm to a responsible adult. 14 Sec. 2. NRS 389.064 is hereby amended to read as follows: 15 389.064 1. The board of trustees of each school district and 16 the governing body of each charter school shall ensure that 17 instruction in the personal safety of children [,] and instruction in 18 the prevention of human trafficking, based on the standards 19 developed by the Department pursuant to NRS 389.031, be 20 implemented as part of a course of study in health prescribed 21 pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 3 of NRS 389.018. 22 2. The school district and the charter school, in accordance 23 with the recommendations provided by the Department pursuant to 24 subsection 1 of NRS 389.031, shall determine, for the instruction 25 required by subsection 1: 26 (a) The content of and materials to be used to provide the 27 instruction; and 28 (b) The grade levels in which the instruction will be provided. 29 3. A person who provides the instruction required by 30 subsection 1 must be: 31 (a) A licensed teacher; 32 (b) An employee of the school district with special knowledge 33 or training in the teaching of the personal safety of children [;] or 34 providing instruction in the prevention of human trafficking; 35 (c) An employee of an agency which has as its primary purpose 36 the teaching of the personal safety of children [;] or the prevention 37 of human trafficking; 38 (d) An employee of a law enforcement agency; or 39 (e) A volunteer of an agency which has as its primary purpose 40 the teaching of the personal safety of children or the prevention of 41 human trafficking and who meets the requirements of subsection 8. 42 4. The school district and the charter school shall develop a 43 procedure for the notification of the parent or guardian of each pupil 44 – 4 – - *SB131* to whom the instruction required by subsection 1 is to be provided. 1 The procedure must inform the parent or guardian that: 2 (a) The parent or guardian may submit a written request that the 3 pupil be excused from some or all of the instruction, except when 4 the instruction is included in a course which is required for 5 graduation; and 6 (b) All instructional materials to be used in the instruction 7 required by subsection 1 are available for inspection by the parent or 8 guardian at reasonable times and locations before the instruction is 9 provided. 10 5. A pupil whose parent or guardian submits a written request 11 pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 4 must be excused from such 12 instruction without any penalty as to credits or academic standing. 13 6. The school district and the charter school shall consider the 14 recommendations developed by the Department pursuant to 15 paragraph [(b)] (c) of subsection 1 of NRS 389.031 and, to the 16 extent money is available for this purpose, develop and implement: 17 (a) A training plan to ensure that all school employees receive 18 training as to the teaching of the personal safety of children [;] and 19 providing instruction in the prevention of human trafficking; 20 (b) Educational materials and information to be distributed to 21 parents, guardians or other caretakers of pupils regarding the 22 teaching of the personal safety of children [;] and instruction in the 23 prevention of human trafficking; and 24 (c) Policies and procedures for the referral of a child who has 25 reported or experienced an incident that did or could have 26 threatened his or her personal safety, and his or her family or 27 guardian, if appropriate, to various services, including, without 28 limitation, counseling or any other available services or resources. 29 7. On or before August 1 of each year, each board of trustees 30 and each governing body shall report to the Department for the 31 preceding year: 32 (a) The grade levels in which the instruction required by 33 subsection 1 was conducted; 34 (b) The curriculum content and materials distributed and utilized 35 for the instruction required by subsection 1; 36 (c) The person, persons or agency utilized to provide the 37 instruction required by subsection 1; and 38 (d) The number of reports or disclosures by pupils of incidents 39 that did or could have threatened their personal safety during the 40 preceding school year. 41 8. An agency which has as its primary purpose the teaching of 42 the personal safety of children [,] or the prevention of human 43 trafficking, before allowing any volunteer of the agency to provide 44 – 5 – - *SB131* instruction pursuant to paragraph (e) of subsection 3, must ensure 1 that the volunteer has successfully completed: 2 (a) A national background check, which must include, without 3 limitation, a report of the criminal history of the volunteer from the 4 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Repository for 5 Nevada Records of Criminal History; 6 (b) A child abuse and neglect screening through the Statewide 7 Central Registry for the Collection of Information Concerning the 8 Abuse or Neglect of a Child established pursuant to NRS 432.100; 9 and 10 (c) Adequate and appropriate training specific to providing 11 instruction regarding the personal safety of children [.] or 12 instruction in the prevention of human trafficking. 13 9. An agency which has as its primary purpose the teaching of 14 the personal safety of children or the prevention of human 15 trafficking shall, upon request from a school district or charter 16 school and to the extent allowed by federal law, make available to 17 the school district or charter school documentation of the agency’s 18 conclusions regarding a volunteer’s successful completion of the 19 requirements of subsection 8. 20 10. A board of trustees of a school district and a governing 21 body of a charter school may apply for and accept grants, gifts, 22 donations, bequests or devises from any public or private source to 23 carry out the provisions of this section. 24 11. As used in this section [, “personal] : 25 (a) “Instruction in the prevention of human trafficking” has 26 the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 389.031. 27 (b) “Personal safety of children” has the meaning ascribed to it 28 in NRS 389.031. 29 Sec. 3. 1. This section becomes effective upon passage and 30 approval. 31 2. Sections 1 and 2 of this act become effective: 32 (a) Upon passage and approval for the purpose of adopting any 33 regulations and performing any other preparatory administrative 34 tasks that are necessary to carry out the provisions of this act; and 35 (b) On July 1, 2026, for all other purposes. 36 H