State of Vermont
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
For Immediate Release:
November 15, 2010
Contact: David M. Coriell
(802) 828-3333
Montpelier, Vt. – At a State House press conference today, Governor Jim Douglas, Department of Education (DOE) Commissioner Armando Vilaseca, and Department for Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Steve Dale outlined the steps the State is taking to help Vermont schools meet their requirements under Act One: An Act Relating to Improving Vermont’s Sexual Abuse Response System, signed into law in March of 2009.
“I am delighted to join Commissioners Vilaseca and Dale in talking about the ways state government is helping schools across the state educate children, staff, and parents about preventing child sexual abuse,” said Governor Douglas. “I would like to thank the employees of their respective departments as well as other state employees, members of the Sexual Violence Prevention Task Force, and community organizations who worked collaboratively over the past many months to develop resources for schools. Their hard work and dedication will help make Vermont an even safer place for our children.”
Section 3 of the Act requires schools to educate children on how to recognize and prevent sexual abuse and sexual violence. A multi-disciplinary working group — convened by DOE and DCF and led by the Sexual Violence Prevention Task Force — developed a Technical Assistance Resource Guide to help schools meet this requirement.
“Schools have a vital role to play in prevention efforts,” said DOE Commissioner Vilaseca. “Helping our students to develop positive, healthy attitudes and behaviors around relationships and sexuality can help to prevent sexual violence. The Resource Guide will help schools identify and implement developmentally-appropriate prevention curricula that will work best in their schools and communities.”
Section 9 of the Act requires schools to ensure school staff receive orientation on the prevention, identification, and reporting of child sexual abuse. A working group led by DCF and DOE partnered with the Canadian Center for Child Protection to develop a special Vermont edition of their Commit to Kids program — a program that helps child-serving organizations create safer environments for children.
“While teaching children about healthy sexuality and personal safety are important parts of prevention, keeping them safe from sexual predators is an adult responsibility,” said DCF Commissioner Steve Dale. “The Commit to Kids program will help schools to educate teachers, administrators, and other school staff about sexual abuse and their role in preventing it. It will also help schools to go beyond awareness, to identify areas of risk within their schools and implement organizational change that can help children be safer.”
Information about what Act One requires of schools and the resources available to help them were mailed out to schools principals in late October. They also received copies of outreach materials they can order from DCF to help educate parents about child sexual abuse. These materials include a parent’s guide, poster, and rack card, which can also be downloaded free from www.protectkids.vt.gov.
Additionally, the Agency of Human Services created an online system in 2009 that makes it easier for schools to request checks of both the adult abuse and child protection registries for school staff as required by Vermont statute.
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David M. Coriell
Communications Director
109 State Street ¨ The Pavilion ¨ Montpelier , VT 05609-0101
Telephone: 802.828.3333 Fax: 802.828.3339 TDD: 802.828.3345
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