The state of Delaware continues to be a leader in child sexual abuse prevention. The state has joined more than 25 states that require prevention and awareness training for school officials, teachers and parents.
The legislation, which was signed on August 10th by Gov. Jack Markell, requires Delaware public schools to implement a curriculum to educate employees and parents of children in pre-kindergarten through grade six about personal body safety and child sexual abuse. The new law also provides for parental notification of the curriculum and requires school districts to report annually on implementation.
The Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children is based in Delaware and has partnered together with Darkness to Light to fulfill Beau’s vision of training 5% of the adult population in Delaware to better prevent, recognize, and respond to child sexual abuse. The foundation has begun offering Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® child sexual abuse prevention training to adults across the state.
“Beau Biden’s dream where all children are free to grow, learn, and thrive can be a reality and Darkness to Light is proud to partner in offering child sexual abuse prevention training in Delaware,” said Lyndon Haviland, CEO of Darkness to Light. “We believe Delaware will be a model state for the prevention of child sexual abuse and we hope every adult will attend a Stewards of Children® training.”
Beau Biden established this goal after he, along with the Delaware Department of Justice, prosecuted one of the worst pedophiles in the history of the United States, convicting nearly 200 child sexual abusers, and removing 120 children from abusive situations. Alongside partners such as Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, the YMCA of Delaware, and the Boys and Girls Club of Delaware, Beau pledged to train 35,000 adults in the Stewards of Children program. The Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children will train 18,000 adults, fulfilling Beau’s pledge to the state.
Read more about the new legislation here.
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