Bill Tracker: SB 86 and HB 121 – Dating Violence Policies

SB 86 would require each school district to adopt and implement a policy to address dating violence. The bill dictates that a definition of dating violence must be included in the policy. Dating violence is defined in the proposed legislation as the intentional use of physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse by a person to harm, threaten, intimidate, or control another person in a continuing relationship of a romantic or intimate nature. According to the bill, districts' policies must also address how the school district would deal with dating violence in terms of safety planning, counseling, and awareness.

The real crux of the bill is not the definition of dating violence; rather, it is the safety planning, enforcement, training, counseling, and awareness that the bill mandates. Many of the tools that are mentioned in this bill are already being used by a number of school districts. The difference is that the bill emphasizes predatory sexual actions as opposed to general violence.

The bill analysis states that the issue affects over 40% of the student body, yet dating violence remains a silent ill on school campuses. Addressing the issue by pulling it out of the shadows can definitely improve the safety of our campuses.