New school curriculum will align with Erin’s Law that was passed in 2014

In the recent White County School Board meeting, officials announced an important partnership with the Upper Cumberland Child Advocacy Center aimed at enhancing student education on digital safety. This initiative is designed to expand the existing safety curriculum for students, addressing the growing concerns of online dangers related to social media and gaming.

The Tennessee Legislature passed Erin's Law in 2014. Other states have also adopted the law.

Senate Bill 2421: The preexisting law required the departments of education and children's services, and the state board of education, to work together on the enhancement or adaptation of curriculum materials to assist instructional personnel in providing instruction through a multi-disciplinary approach on the detection, intervention, prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse. The curriculum materials must be geared toward a sequential program of instruction at progressional levels for kindergarten through grade six. Strategies for utilizing the curriculum must be included in the comprehensive plan.

This bill (Erin's Law) requires that the curriculum materials provide instruction on the detection, intervention, prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse that may occur in the home as well. This bill also requires that the curriculum materials be geared toward a sequential program of instruction, from kindergarten through grade 12, instead of through grade six.

ON MARCH 24, 2014, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2421, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #2 gives this bill the short title of "Erin's Law" and revises two of the findings to provide that:

(1) 93 percent of all sexual abuse is inflicted by a family member or acquaintance in the child's home environment; and
(2) A comprehensive approach should be developed and used as a basis for finding.

 The new curriculum, which aligns with Erin’s Law passed in 2014, emphasizes age-appropriate instruction on personal body safety and reporting mechanisms for sexual abuse. Family Resource Center Director Beverly Dronebarger was present to discuss the curriculum and the partnership.

“As get older, [we are] recognizing that there is a real need now in the area of digital citizenship, social media, just kids on computers and gaming,” Dronebarger stated as the driving force behind the initiative. “I reached out to some of our neighboring counties, and they are using the Child Advocacy Center.”

 The Child Advocacy Center will provide dedicated sessions for each class, with counselors present to reinforce the teachings in subsequent weeks. Additionally, parents will know about the sessions and will have the opportunity to request that their children not participate.

“I have found, especially when they get to this level and I’m working with my students, a lot of them get caught up online with like, whether they’re playing games or they’re on Snapchat, social media, they don’t know what the law is really” Dronebarger said. “And when you make them aware of like, you don’t really know who this person is. And it’s against the law for you to send a photo like this, and it’s against the law for them to ask for it.”

Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger noted the alarming frequency of online harassment reported by students through the system’s STOPit App and emphasized the importance of equipping students with the knowledge to navigate these challenges.

“They’re about ways that children are being harassed online, or they’re being just being, maybe I’ve used the word bullied, but they’re just being aggravated, harassed in a number of different ways or upset,” the director of schools said. “And, so, we realized we need to do a better job of teaching our students on how to deal with those things from a digital standpoint. And that’s what this curriculum does, is it moves up through the grade levels. It focuses more on that side of things.”

In addition to the new curriculum, the meeting also focused on the academic performance of White County students. School officials presented the TISA Accountability Report, revealing that the district met 15 of its 18 academic goals last year. Notably, third graders achieved a 49.3 percent proficiency rate in reading and language arts, surpassing the year’s goal by 4 percent.

 The director of schools acknowledged the progress made, stating, “While we recognize that 49 percent in some categories is not our target, we are making significant strides and our teachers are doing an excellent job.”

 The report indicated that six out of seven grade levels in middle and high school English met their performance targets, and seven out of nine grades achieved their math goals. Federal Programs Director Shelia Felton shared insights into the district’s five-year plan, which includes a focus on college readiness at the high school level. White County High School students have already met their initial goals in this area.

 “We want to work toward the state’s 70 percent proficiency goal,” Felton said.”

The TISA report is now available for public review on the school system’s website.

 In other business, the board approved making Presidents’ Day as a paid holiday for support staff, established a committee to evaluate a new science textbook, and approved selling one of the district’s school buses due to it reaching the age at which the school’s bus garage can no longer keep it in service.