Trigger Warning: Childhood Sexual Abuse and Grooming
There have been important pieces of legislation designed to prevent and address childhood sexual abuse. One such law, Erin’s Law, is the basis for the sexual abuse prevention education that Safe Passage presents on in schools throughout DeKalb County. Erin’s Law requires that public schools K-12 provide sexual abuse prevention education to students. Through these lessons, students learn about the difference between safe versus unsafe touch, safe versus unsafe secrets, and how to report abuse to trusted adults. Erin’s Law was created by Erin Merryn, who grew up in Illinois and experienced childhood sexual abuse for years by a family member. She travels the country with the intention of getting Erin’s Law passed in all 38 states. It has been an Illinois law since 2013.
In 2023, a similar Illinois law called Faith’s Law emerged to address and prevent sexual misconduct in school environments. Faith’s Law is named after Faith Colson, who grew up and attended high school here in Illinois where she was unfortunately sexually abused by a high school teacher. Years later during legal proceedings, Faith learned that school staff did not report their concerns despite awareness of inappropriate behavior. From there, she was motivated to ensure that schools would have clear guidelines for identifying and reporting sexual misconduct.
So, what does Faith’s Law specifically include, and how does this help students?
Faith’s law requires that Illinois schools have a clear definition of “Sexual Misconduct” within the school code and guidelines for how schools handle employee sexual misconduct. The law further requires schools to inform parents/guardians about sexual misconduct allegations involving their student. These requirements ensure that there is a clear and thorough process for staff to report sexual misconduct in schools, especially if they are aware of another staff member’s behavior. Another key tenant of Faith’s Law is that it includes and expands on the definition of “Grooming” to be included as an example of an Abused Child under mandated reporting guidelines. Grooming refers to when a person attempts to gain a minor’s trust in order to gradually prepare them for and to normalize sexual abuse. Certain professionals, including school staff, are mandated reporters under Illinois Law. This means that if a mandated reporter has reasonable belief that a child has experienced abuse by a caregiver or authority figure, they are legally required to report this to the Department of Children and Family Services. Previously, “grooming” was not a listed example of an “Abuse Child” under mandated reporting guidelines. This is to say, the provision addressing grooming under Faith’s Law would require school staff to report to DCFS if they believe another school staff (an individual in charge of and responsible for the well-being of the child) is engaging in or attempting to engage in inappropriate behavior (such as grooming or any other sexual misconduct) with a student. Examples from Section 22-85.5(c) of the Illinois School Code define “sexual misconduct” as:
- A sexual or romantic invitation.
- Dating or solicitating a date.
- Engaging in sexualized or romantic dialog.
- Making sexually suggestive comments that are directed toward or with a student.
- Self-disclosure or physical exposure of a sexual, romantic, or erotic nature.
- A sexual, indecent, romantic, or erotic contact with a student.
Faith’s Law has further provisions in the prevention of child sexual abuse, including requiring schools to have employment reviews in background checks, professional development training opportunities in order to renew educator licenses, and schools being required to publish their professional code of conduct and the Illinois State Board of Education Resource Guide on their school website.
These provisions serve to protect students. It also serves to address some misconceptions surrounding what childhood sexual abuse looks like. There is a commonly held belief that sexual abuse is predominantly perpetrated by a stranger, when in actuality, 93% of minors who experienced sexual abuse were sexually abused by someone they knew and trusted. Additionally, there is a misconception that childhood sexual abuse only happens to younger children. The reality is that of all children under 18 years old who experienced sexual abuse, 2/3 of those children were between the ages of 12-17 years old. This was the case for Faith’s Colson, who was in high school when abused by a school staff member.
Perpetrators may target this age range because they believe that they can groom and frame the abuse as a “relationship” to a teenager, they believe they may be more likely to “get away with it”, and it is an age where society may instead blame the victim. Faith’s Law is a measure that protects children and raises awareness about grooming that could be happening in schools. It further requires school staff to report concerning grooming behaviors, as failure to report abuse as a mandated report could result in legal trouble under Illinois mandated reporting laws. If a school staff member is concerned that the school is not appropriately applying Faith’s Law guidelines, the staff member could either address it with the school board or go to the regional office of education. While Faith’s Law does not specifically outline what a staff member should do if their school is not within compliance, if a staff member is made aware of alleged abuse or neglect of a child, the staff member must report it to DCFS.
Safe Passage offers trainings on Faith’s Law. If you would like to learn more or schedule a presentation, please contact Beth Ganion, Prevention and Communications Program Manager at bganion@safepassagedv.org. If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence or sexual assault, our hotline and textline are available 24/7 for further support and resources. Abuse is never the fault of the survivor. No matter how long ago the abuse happened, or if someone thought they could consent, it is still never the survivor’s fault and all survivors are deserving of help. Grooming is designed to manipulate and make a child feel like they cannot tell others, which is why measures such as Faith’s Law are powerful tools to bring this to light.
Safe Passage Hotline: 815-756-5228
Safe Passage Textline: 815-393-1995
Resources:
Erin’s Law: https://ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=010500050K10-23.13
Faith’s Law: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/102/102-0676.htm
Illinois Board of Education Resource Guide for Faith’s Law: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Faiths-Law-Guidance-FAQ.pdf
Illinois Department of Child and Family Services: https://dcfs.illinois.gov/
Illinois School Code: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=010500050HArt.+2&ActID=1005&ChapterID=17&SeqStart=14200000&SeqEnd=36700000
Online reporting or Phone: 1-800-25-ABUSE (252-2873)
Cory Jewell Jensen Research: https://www.pcsda.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Child_Protection_Plan_-_Prevention.pdf
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network: https://rainn.org/statistics/children-and-teens
Written by: Shayna Smith
