Erin’s Law – House Bill 1539
Contact Information
Sexual Violence Prevention
Overview of Erin’s Law
SHB 1539 (Erin’s Law), passed by the WA legislature in 2018, addresses child sexual abuse prevention in Washington state schools. The bill encourages schools to provide sexual abuse prevention instruction to students as well as to adults working in schools. OSPI was named the lead agency tasked with reviewing curricula and assisting the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) with developing a coordinated program for the prevention of child sexual abuse in grades K-12. OSPI collected information and comments from school districts and other relevant stakeholders to develop recommendations to assist DCYF and schools as they establish prevention programs.
Stakeholders were involved in three types of activities during the 2018-19 implementation of HB 1539:
- Regional meetings to collect advice and comments, held in Spokane, Yakima, Everett, and Olympia
- A curriculum review of sexual abuse prevention materials
- Development of recommendations for schools, DCYF and community groups providing sexual abuse prevention education and programming.
Background of Erin’s Law
Erin’s Law is named after child sexual assault survivor, author, speaker, and activist, Erin Merryn. Erin’s Law was first introduced in Erin’s home state of Illinois in 2009. Since that time, at least 34 additional states have passed a version of Erin’s Law. For more information on Erin’s Law throughout the United States, please visit the Erin’s Law webpage.
Erin's Law 2018 Curriculum Review
Erin's Law charged OSPI with reviewing curricula related to sexual abuse/sexual violence prevention. The Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Instructional Materials Review was completed in 2018 with the assistance of a panel of expert reviewers representing school districts and community-based sexual abuse prevention specialists. A summary report is available.
In 2018, OSPI staff identified thirty-eight curricula at the elementary, middle, and high school levels which addressed child sexual abuse prevention. The online resource posted below shows the detailed results from this review by curriculum, including reviewer comments.
Erin's Law Recommendations Report
The recommendations report posted here is based on advice and comments collected from stakeholders at four regional meetings and the work of a 27-member workgroup that met over a five-month period. The recommendations are intended to support schools that wish to provide evidence-informed sexual abuse prevention instruction.