S 3719: Relates to teen dating violence education programs; requires school districts to create policies, procedures and guidelines to implement education programs for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade to prevent, deter and address incidents of teen dating violence; defines teen dating violence.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3719 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 29, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. LANZA, MATTERA, MURRAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Educa- tion AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to teen dating violence education programs The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 7 of section 11 of the education law, as 2 amended by chapter 102 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 7. "Harassment" and "bullying" shall mean the creation of a hostile 5 environment by conduct or by threats, intimidation, coercion or abuse, 6 including cyberbullying or teen dating violence, that (a) has or would 7 have the effect of unreasonably and substantially interfering with a 8 student's educational performance, opportunities or benefits, or mental, 9 emotional or physical well-being; or (b) reasonably causes or would 10 reasonably be expected to cause a student to fear for [his or her] their 11 physical safety; or (c) reasonably causes or would reasonably be 12 expected to cause physical injury or emotional harm to a student; or (d) 13 occurs off school property and creates or would foreseeably create a 14 risk of substantial disruption within the school environment, where it 15 is foreseeable that the conduct, threats, intimidation or abuse might 16 reach school property. Acts of harassment and bullying shall include, 17 but not be limited to, those acts based on a person's actual or 18 perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, 19 religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex. For 20 the purposes of this definition the term "threats, intimidation or 21 abuse" shall include verbal and non-verbal actions. 22 § 2. Section 11 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdi- 23 vision 11 to read as follows: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07408-01-5 
 S. 3719 2 1 11. "Teen dating violence" shall mean emotional abuse, electronic 2 abuse, sexual abuse which includes sexual coercion, and/or physical 3 abuse by a person to harm, threaten, intimidate, control, and/or attempt 4 to control another person in a relationship of a romantic or intimate 5 nature, regardless of whether that relationship is continuing or had 6 concluded or the number of interactions between the individuals 7 involved. 8 § 3. Section 13 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdi- 9 vision 6 to read as follows: 10 6. Guidelines relating to the development of strategies and responses 11 to teen dating violence as provided in section thirteen-a of this arti- 12 cle. 13 § 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 13-a to read 14 as follows: 15 § 13-a. Policies, procedures and guidelines for teen dating violence 16 education programs. 1. The board of education and the trustees or sole 17 trustee of every school district shall create policies, procedures and 18 guidelines to implement education programs for students in kindergarten 19 through twelfth grade to prevent, deter and address incidents of teen 20 dating violence that include, but are not limited to: 21 a. incorporating age-appropriate information about healthy relation- 22 ships and teen dating violence into the school's existing curriculum 23 that includes: (i) a definition of teen dating violence; (ii) recogni- 24 tion of warning signs; (iii) characteristics of a healthy relationship; 25 (iv) links between bullying and teen dating violence; (v) responsible 26 use of technology; and (vi) responsible bystander skills and behaviors; 27 b. providing training programs for teachers, administrators and 28 personnel; 29 c. designating at least one person as a prevention liaison who is 30 responsible for coordinating all teen dating violence and healthy 31 relationship initiatives; and 32 d. developing a response program to incidents of teen dating violence, 33 which includes monitoring and reporting components. 34 2. The board of education and the trustees or sole trustee of every 35 school district shall create such policies, procedures and guidelines in 36 consultation with the New York state coalition against domestic violence 37 and local community providers, and include without limitation such model 38 provisions as are recommended by the New York state coalition against 39 domestic violence. 40 § 5. Paragraph j of subdivision 2 of section 2801-a of the education 41 law, as amended by section 1 of part B of chapter 54 of the laws of 42 2016, is amended to read as follows: 43 j. strategies for improving communication among students and between 44 students and staff and reporting of potentially violent incidents, such 45 as the establishment of youth-run programs, peer mediation, conflict 46 resolution, creating a forum or designating a mentor for students 47 concerned with bullying or violence, including teen dating violence, and 48 establishing anonymous reporting mechanisms for school violence; 49 § 6. Section 801-a of the education law, as amended by chapter 102 of 50 the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows: 51 § 801-a. Instruction in civility, citizenship and character education. 52 The regents shall ensure that the course of instruction in grades 53 kindergarten through twelve includes a component on civility, citizen- 54 ship and character education. Such component shall instruct students on 55 the principles of honesty, tolerance, personal responsibility, respect 56 for others, with an emphasis on preventing and discouraging acts of 
 S. 3719 3 1 harassment, bullying, including teen dating violence, discrimination, 2 observance of laws and rules, courtesy, dignity and other traits which 3 will enhance the quality of their experiences in, and contributions to, 4 the community. Such component shall include instruction of safe, respon- 5 sible use of the internet and electronic communications. The regents 6 shall determine how to incorporate such component in existing curricula 7 and the commissioner shall promulgate any regulations needed to carry 8 out such determination of the regents. For the purposes of this section, 9 "tolerance," "respect for others" and "dignity" shall include awareness 10 and sensitivity to harassment, bullying, including teen dating violence, 11 discrimination and civility in the relations of people of different 12 races, weights, national origins, ethnic groups, religions, religious 13 practices, mental or physical abilities, sexual orientations, genders, 14 and sexes. 15 § 7. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 16 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately the addition, amend- 17 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 18 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 19 completed on or before such date.