JASPER — Child abuse prevention education could become required for Indiana students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
State Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, has proposed a bill that would require the Indiana Department of Education to publish model educational material and response policies regarding child abuse and give school corporations until July 1, 2018 to implement educational programs for all grades and to provide training to certain employees and volunteers about how to recognize and respond to child abuse. The bill — Senate Bill 355 — passed committee last week and is on the Senate floor today.
“All the response to the bill so far has been positive,” Messmer said.
Messmer’s inspiration for the bill came from a meeting with Southwestern Indiana Child Advocacy Center Coalition Director Tammy Lampert. SWICACC brings law enforcement, prosecutors, Indiana Department of Child Services staff and medical staff together to help children who are victims of abuse. Lampert often conducts forensic interviews with victims which can be used in courts and keep victims from having to relive the trauma repeatedly. SWICACC serves Dubois, Spencer, Crawford, Daviess, Martin, Orange and Perry counties. The idea behind SWICACC is to give victims a safe place to come for interviews and evidence collection that isn’t a police station, such as a home-like environment.
“If there is a kid out there that something has happened to, they need to know there’s a place they can come where they’re not going to be judged, they’re not going to get in trouble,” Lampert said.
In 2016, SWICACC performed 325 forensic interviews, compared to 280 in 2015, and more than 75 of those victims came from Dubois County. Lampert said this year is on track to match or surpass 2016 with interviews. Two weeks ago, she said, she conducted eight interviews in one week. One of the children Lampert interviewed was 10 years old, but the abuse began when the child was 6. Some of the children Lampert interviews haven’t started school yet, and others are older than fifth grade, the age where current legislation ends child abuse education. That’s why Lampert believes education for all grades and training for school staff on how to identify and respond to victims is so important.
“It just goes back to the simple questions, ‘Has someone hurt you?’” Lampert said. “It’s such a simple question.”
Lampert traveled to Indianapolis last week to testify in support of the Senate bill before the Family and Children Services Committee. Child abuse survivors, representatives from Prevent Child Abuse Indiana and two high school students also spoke in support of the law. The high school students were part of a club that looks at and discusses legislation. Lampert said the girls testified that their club had examined Messmer’s bill and unanimously supported it.
“I thought that was so interesting that these high school students saw the need for the law,” Lampert said.
Messmer’s bill would expand a bill already on the books, Senate Enrolled Act No. 267. Under that law, the IDOE is required to provide model materials for training and age-appropriate education for second through fifth grades, but the programs are optional. Messmer said he spoke with legislative liaisons from the state’s department of education, and they were on board with the expanded programming.
“It can only help,” Messmer said. “And if it helps anybody, it’s worthwhile.”
Locally, Lampert is already working with schools to implement child abuse prevention education among students and staff. Lampert said that while child abuse isn’t often talked about locally, it is an issue. Data from the Department of Child Services backs up Lampert’s claim. According to last year’s report of assessment decisions, there was an average of 19 substantiated claims of child abuse per month in Dubois County, an average of 24 in Spencer county and an average of 12 in Pike County. Statistically, victims of child abuse are more likely to develop mental health and substance abuse issues later in life, costing society millions of dollars annually, Messmer said.
Messmer is optimistic the bill will pass the Senate and advance to the House of Representatives in the second half of the legislative session.
“Nothing came up in committee that would need amending,” Messmer said. “It should go through no problem.”
The final vote on the bill is scheduled for Monday’s session.
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