STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2138

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2232

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2232 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish age appropriate curricula within the department of education to educate public school students on sexual abuse prevention.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; American Association of University Women, Hawaii; Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii; Hawaii Youth Services Network; The Sex Abuse Treatment Center; Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii; Parents and Children Together; and four individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Public Charter School Commission, and Executive Office on Early Learning.

     Your Committee finds that sexual abuse is a serious and ongoing threat to the safety, health, and wellbeing of children and young people in the State of Hawaii.  Sexual abuse is often a difficult subject to discuss and many school teachers and staff do not receive sufficient training on talking to students about child sexual abuse prevention or how to handle disclosures of sexual abuse.  As a result, there is no age appropriate curriculum to educate students on how to prevent sexual abuse or the importance of reporting it.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Incorporating provisions of S.B. No. 2235 establishing a task force within the Department of Education to guide the creation of age appropriate curricula;

     (2)  Amending the composition of the task force, and requiring the Department of Education to implement the recommendations of the task force in the 2017-2018 school year; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2232, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2232, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair