State to help combat sex crimes in secondary, postsecondary institutions

A series of new legislation was introduced Tuesday by Gov. Tom Wolf to help protect secondary and postsecondary students from sex crimes by broadening the scope of several mandates.

While Bellefonte Area Superintendent Michelle Saylor said she’s in favor of the enhanced regulations, she would also like schools to be recognized for their current efforts.

“Although we agree wholeheartedly with the statement that ‘we cannot allow sexual assault in Pennsylvania to continue, and we will no longer tolerate its existence in our educational institutions,’ it is my hope that the legislators consider the positive and proactive efforts many educational institutions are already implementing prior to handing down mandates that may hamper their progress,” Saylor said in an email.

Like many districts that serve Centre County, Bellefonte Area has policies and procedures in place to help combat sexual harassment and violence.

“We have policies related to victims of violent crimes, which include sexual violence, unlawful harassment, bullying and cyberbullying, as well as corresponding proactive procedures and protocols inclusive of our schoolwide positive behavior and safety supports,” Saylor said.

At the high school, there are also plans in place to incorporate a session on sexual harassment and violence for all seniors prior to graduation.

According to a report from the governor’s press secretary J.J. Abbott, the six new pieces of legislation that will be proposed to the General Assembly are part of Wolf’s “It’s On Us PA” campaign, which was launched last year.

The initiative is the state’s version of the “It’s On Us” national movement to address sexual assaults in schools and on college campuses.

The goals, according to a report from the state, are to improve awareness, prevention, reporting and response systems; reduce barriers that prevent alleged victims from reporting abuse; and find proactive and sustainable ways to improve school environments.

“These steps, along with those we have already taken to combat sexual assault, will strengthen the systems we currently have, and create better standards for reporting and responding to sexual assaults whenever they occur,” Wolf said in a statement. “It is critically important that we continue the progress we’ve already made, and continue our work to ensure that our K-12 and postsecondary institutions have the tools they need to combat sexual assault.”

The legislative proposals include expanding the state Department of Education’s Office for Safe Schools; publishing annual reports on sex crimes in schools; requiring postsecondary institutions to adopt consent standards for responding to allegations of sexual violence; amending state School Code to create a consolidated, comprehensive anti-violence and anti-harassment policy for K-12 schools; establishing amnesty policies protecting students who report sexual assault to postsecondary institutions from being disciplined; and requiring institutions to offer anonymous digital reporting options.

The Wolf administration also secured $1 million in funding in the 2016-17 budget to help support evidence-based sexual assault prevention, reporting and response systems on college campuses.

This story was originally published April 19, 2017 at 7:41 PM with the headline "State to help combat sex crimes in secondary, postsecondary institutions."