Wyoming Child Sexual Abuse Education Bill Clears First Reading
A child sexual abuse education and prevention bill has passed first reading in the Wyoming Senate.
Senate File 93 would include age-appropriate education for students on topics such as personal boundaries, recognizing sexual abuse and other topics designed to help students recognize inappropriate touching and other danger signs of sexual abuse.
The bill would also authorize providing parents with information on warning signs of child sexual abuse, provide methods for responding to student reports of sexual abuse, and take a number of other steps designed to reduce child sexual abuse and respond to it when it is reported.
The bill's primary Senate sponsor, Sen. Lisa Anselmi-Dalton [D-Sweetwater County], told senators one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused, and the bill is designed to deal with the problem as well prevent it from happening in the first place.
She also said the purpose of the bill is to authorize Wyoming schools to take appropriate steps, not mandate a course of action. Because of that, she says there is no cost estimate attached to the bill.
The bill still faces two more reading in the Wyoming Senate before a third and decisive vote is taken.
If approved, it would then be sent to the Wyoming House for further consideration.