1.This Act may be cited as the
Stop Abuse for Every Teen
Act
or the SAFE
Teen Act
.
2.Amendments to
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act
(a)The
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (part A of title IV of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) is amended by inserting after
section 4001 (20 U.S.C. 7101) the following:
4001A.Congress finds the following:
(1)About 72 percent
of 8th and 9th graders report dating
.
(2)One in 4
adolescents reports emotional, physical, or sexual violence each year.
(3)One in 10
adolescents reports being a victim of physical dating violence.
(4)One in 4 teens in
a relationship say they have been called names, harassed or put down by their
partner through cell phones and texting.
(5)The severity of
violence among intimate partners has been shown to be greater in cases where
the pattern of violence has been established in adolescence.
(6)Witnessing
violence has been associated with decreased school attendance and academic
performance.
(7)The U.S.
Department of Education analyzed the findings in the U.S. Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance 2009 study and found that students who experience teen dating
violence have lower grades than their peers.
(8)Students who
experienced physical violence had lower grades; 20 percent of these students
had mostly D’s and F’s and only 6 percent had mostly A’s.
(9)Students who
experienced sexual violence had lower grades; 18 percent had mostly D’s and F’s
and only 5 percent had mostly A’s.
(10)Data from the
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health found that teens and young
adults in grades 7 through 12 who were exposed to violent crime (seeing someone
shot or stabbed) were 32 percent more likely to be victims of physical dating
abuse.
(11)Bullying may be
an indicator of future teen dating violence behavior; students who reported
being physically abusive in romantic relationships were nearly 5 times more
likely to report perpetrating physical peer violence.
(12)There are serious
public health impacts from teen dating violence; teen victims of physical
dating violence are more likely than their non-abused peers to smoke, use
drugs, engage in unhealthy diet behaviors (taking diet pills or laxatives and
vomiting to lose weight), engage in risky sexual behaviors, and attempt or
consider suicide.
(13)Teen girls who
are physically and sexually abused are up to 6 times more likely to become
pregnant, and more than 2 times as likely to report a sexually transmitted
disease, than teen girls who are not abused.
(14)Teens in same-sex
relationships experience rates of violence and abuse similar to rates
experienced by teens in heterosexual relationships.
(15)Most adolescent risk behaviors, such as
substance use, unsafe sex, and violence, occur in the context of relationships.
Accordingly, school-based prevention programs can equip all students with
skills and knowledge they need to build healthy relationships and to reduce
violence and related risk behaviors.
(16)The collaboration among community-based
organizations and governmental agencies serving children and youth, providers
of health and mental health services, schools, and local providers of dating
violence victim services is necessary to prevent this violence and
abuse.
(17)Teen dating violence is an important part
of the violence in and around schools; an effective prevention program meets
youth where they are in
schools.
.
(b)Section
4002 (20 U.S.C. 7102) of that Act is amended—
(1)in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
striking violence
and inserting violence, including
dating violence
;
(2)in paragraph (1)
by striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting
drug, and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
;
(3)in paragraph (2)
by striking drug and violence prevention
in both places such
term appears and inserting drug and violence prevention, including
dating violence prevention
; and
(4)in paragraph
(4)—
(A)by striking
drug and violence prevention
and inserting drug and
violence prevention, including dating violence prevention
; and
(B)by striking
drug use and violence
and inserting drug use and
violence, including dating violence
.
(c)Reservation of
State Funds for Safe and Drug-Free SchoolsSection 4112 of that
Act (20 U.S.C. 7112) is amended—
(1)in subsection
(a)—
(A)in paragraph (2),
in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking drug use and
violence
and inserting drug use and violence, including dating
violence
;
(B)in paragraph (3)
by striking drug and violence prevention
both places such term
appears and inserting drug and violence prevention, including dating
violence prevention
; and
(C)in paragraph
(5)—
(i)in
the matter preceding subparagraph (A) by striking drug and violence
prevention
and inserting drug and violence prevention, including
dating violence prevention
;
(ii)in
subparagraph (A) by striking violence
and inserting
violence, including dating violence
; and
(iii)in
each of subparagraphs (B) and (C) by striking drug and violence
prevention
and inserting drug and violence prevention, including
dating violence prevention
; and
(2)in subsection
(c)—
(A)in paragraph
(2)(D)—
(i)in
each of clauses (i) and (iii) by striking drug and violence
prevention
inserting drug and violence prevention, including
dating violence prevention
; and
(ii)in
clause (ii) by striking violence that is associated
and
inserting violence, including dating violence, that is
associated
; and
(B)in paragraph
(3)(B)—
(i)in
clause (ii) by striking violence and drug-related
and inserting
violence, including dating violence, and drug-related
;
(ii)in
clause (iii) by striking and
;
(iii)in
clause (iv) by striking the period at the end and inserting ;
and
; and
(iv)by
adding at the end the following:
(v)the incidence and prevalence, age of onset,
perception of health risk, and perception of social disapproval of dating
violence by youth in schools and
communities.
.
(d)Section 4113 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7113) is amended
in subsection (a)—
(1)in each of
paragraphs (4) and (5) by striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
;
(2)in paragraph
(9)—
(A)in the matter
preceding subparagraph (A) by striking drug and violence
prevention
and inserting drug and violence prevention, and
including dating violence prevention
; and
(B)in subparagraph
(A) by striking the term drug use and violence
and inserting
drug use and violence, including dating violence
;
(3)in paragraph (10)
by striking drug and violence prevention
both places such term
appears and inserting drug and violence prevention, including dating
violence prevention
; and
(4)in paragraph (14)
by striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting
drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
.
(e)Local
Educational Agency ProgramSection 4114 of that Act (20 U.S.C.
7114) is amended—
(1)in subsection
(a)(1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking drug and
violence prevention
and inserting drug and violence prevention,
including dating violence prevention
;
(2)in subsection
(c)(1)(A) by striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting
drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
; and
(3)in subsection
(d)—
(A)in paragraph
(2)—
(i)in
the matter preceding subparagraph (A), and in subparagraph (A), by striking
drug and violence prevention
and inserting drug and
violence prevention, including dating violence prevention
;
(ii)in
subparagraph (B), in the matter preceding clause (i), and in clause (i), by
striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting drug
and violence prevention, including dating violence prevention
;
and
(iii)in
subparagraph (D), by striking drug and violence prevention
and
inserting drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
; and
(B)in paragraph
(6)—
(i)by
striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting drug
and violence prevention, including dating violence prevention
;
and
(ii)by
striking acts of violence
and inserting acts of violence,
including dating violence
.
(f)Section 4115 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7115) is
amended—
(1)in subsection
(a)—
(A)in paragraph
(1)—
(i)in
subparagraph (A)—
(I)by striking
violence and illegal drug use
both places such term appears and
inserting violence, including dating violence, and illegal drug
use
; and
(II)by striking
drug and violence prevention
and inserting drug and
violence prevention, including dating violence prevention
; and
(ii)in
subparagraph (C) by striking violence and illegal drug use
and
inserting violence, including dating violence, and illegal drug
use
; and
(B)in paragraph
(2)(A) by striking violence and illegal drug use
and inserting
violence, including dating violence, and illegal drug
use
;
(2)in subsection
(b)—
(A)in paragraph
(1)(C)—
(i)in
clause (i) by striking violence
and inserting violence,
including dating violence
; and
(ii)in
clause (ii) by striking drug use and violence
and inserting
drug use and violence, including dating violence
; and
(B)in paragraph
(2)—
(i)in
subparagraph (A)—
(I)in clause (i) by
striking violence
and inserting violence, including
dating violence
;
(II)in clause (vi) by
striking and
at the end;
(III)in clause (vii)
by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(IV)by adding at the
end of the following:
(viii)teach students
how to identify dating and sexual violence and the appropriate steps to take to
address incidences of dating or sexual violence when it happens to themselves
or
others.
;
(ii)in
subparagraph (B)—
(I)by striking
drug and violence prevention
and inserting drug and
violence prevention, including dating violence prevention
; and
(II)by striking
violence and illegal use of drugs
both places such term appears
and inserting violence, including dating violence, and illegal use of
drugs
;
(iii)in
each of subparagraphs (C) and (D) by striking drug and violence
prevention
and inserting drug and violence prevention, including
dating violence prevention
; and
(iv)in
subparagraph (E)—
(I)in the matter
preceding clause (i) by striking Drug and violence prevention
and inserting Drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
;
(II)in clause (i) by
striking violence and illegal drug use
and inserting
violence, including dating violence, and illegal drug
use
;
(III)in clause (vi)
by striking drug and violence prevention
each place such term
appears and inserting drug and violence prevention, including dating
violence prevention
;
(IV)in clause
(vii)—
- (aa)by
striking
illegal drug use and violence
and inserting
illegal drug use and violence, including dating violence
;
and
- (bb)by
striking
violence and illegal drug use
and inserting
violence, including dating violence, and illegal drug
use
;
(V)in clause (ix) by
striking violent or drug abusing students
and inserting
students who engage in violence, including dating violence, or drug
abuse
;
(VI)in clause (x) by
striking violent behavior and illegal use of drugs
and inserting
violent behavior, including dating violence, and illegal use of
drugs
;
(VII)in clause (xi)
by striking violence and illegal drug use
and inserting
violence, including dating violence, and illegal drug
use
;
(VIII)in clause (xii)
by striking Drug and violence prevention
and inserting
Drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
;
(IX)in clause
(xiii)—
- (aa)by
striking
violence prevention and education programs
and
inserting violence prevention, including dating violence, and education
programs
; and
- (bb)by
striking
resolve conflicts without violence
and inserting
resolve conflicts without violence, including dating
violence
;
(X)in clause (xvii)
by striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting
drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
;
(XI)in clause (xxii)
by striking the period at the end, and inserting a semicolon; and
(XII)by adding at the
end the following:
(xxiii)Peer support groups addressing dating
violence for youth who have experienced violence in their dating relationships
or in their families, which may be provided on campus by qualified school
personnel or community organizations specializing in domestic and sexual
violence prevention, including healthy relationships education, which provide
an emotionally safe and confidential setting for youth to learn and practice
healthy relationship skills, including single gender programs, in a manner
consistent with the requirements of title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.). Participants in such groups may include, but are
not limited to, youth who have been victims of dating violence and youth who
have engaged or participated in dating violence behaviors (although at no time
should either be placed together in the same support
group).
;
and
(3)in subsection (d)
by striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting
drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
.
(g)Section
4116 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7116) is amended—
(1)in subsection
(a)—
(A)in paragraph
(1)—
(i)in
subparagraph (B) by striking drug and violence prevention
and
inserting drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
; and
(ii)in
subparagraph (C) by striking violence and drug prevention
and
inserting violence, including dating violence, and drug
prevention
; and
(B)in paragraph
(2)(B) by striking drug use and violence
and inserting
drug use and violence, including dating violence
; and
(2)in subsection
(b)(1) by striking violence and drug prevention
and inserting
violence, including dating violence, and drug prevention
.
(h)Section 4121 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7131) is amended
in subsection (a)—
(1)in the matter
preceding paragraph (1) by striking illegal use of drugs and
violence
and inserting illegal use of drugs and violence,
including dating violence,
;
(2)in paragraph (1)
by striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting
drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
;
(3)in paragraph (4)
by striking violence prevention and education
and inserting
violence and dating violence prevention and education, and education on
building healthy relationships,
;
(4)in paragraph (5)
by striking drug and violence prevention
and inserting
drug and violence prevention, including dating violence
prevention
; and
(5)in each of
paragraphs (6) and (8) by striking drug and violence problems
and inserting drug and violence, including dating violence,
problems
;
(6)by redesignating
paragraph (9) as paragraph (11); and
(7)by inserting after
paragraph (8) the following:
(9)the development, demonstration,
scientifically based evaluation, and dissemination of innovative and
high-quality healthy relationship skill-building programs as a way to reduce
unhealthy or abusive teen relationships, based on State and local needs;
(10)the provision of
information on dating violence education and prevention, including healthy
relationships education, and data on the incidence of dating violence in the
school environment and relevant behavioral indicators of exposure to violence,
collected in conjunction with existing relevant survey instruments and studies,
including but not limited to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
administered by the Centers for Disease Control;
and
.
(i)Section 4122 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7132) is
amended—
(1)in subsection
(a)—
(A)in the matter
preceding paragraph (1) by striking violence and illegal drug
use
and inserting violence, including dating violence, and
illegal drug use
; and
(B)in paragraph (2)
by striking States
and inserting States and the incidence
and prevalence of dating violence among secondary school
students
;
(2)in subsection (b)
by striking illegal drug use and violence
and inserting
illegal drug use and violence, including dating violence
;
and
(3)in subsection (c)
by striking drug use and violence
and inserting drug use
and violence, including dating violence
.
(j)Safe and
Drug-Free Schools and Communities Advisory CommitteeSection 4124
of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7134) is amended—
(1)in subsection (a),
in each of paragraphs (1)(B) and (3), by striking substance abuse and
violence prevention
and inserting substance abuse and violence
prevention, including dating violence prevention
; and
(2)in subsection
(b)(4)(A)(i) by striking substance abuse and violence problem
and inserting substance abuse and violence problem, including dating
violence
.
(k)School Security
Technology and Resource CenterSection 4127 of that Act (20
U.S.C. 7137) is amended in subsection (c) by striking school violence
research
and inserting school violence, including dating
violence, research
.
(l)National Center
for School and Youth SafetySection 4128 of that Act (20 U.S.C.
7138) is amended in subsection (b)—
(1)in paragraph (2)
by striking such as substance abuse
and inserting such as
dating violence, substance abuse
; and
(2)in paragraph (4)
by striking school violence prevention
and inserting
school violence, including dating violence, prevention
.
(m)Section 4130 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7140) is amended in
subsection (b)—
(1)in paragraph
(1)(B)(iv) by striking violence, use of dangerous weapons
and
inserting violence, including dating violence, use of dangerous
weapons
; and
(2)in paragraph
(5)(B)(i) by striking schools with violence problems
and
inserting schools with violence, including dating violence,
problems
.
(n)Section
4151 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7161) is amended—
(1)in paragraph
(3)(B) by striking with respect to violence
and inserting
with respect to violence, including dating violence
; and
(2)in each of
paragraphs (6) and (7) by striking violent behavior
and
inserting violent behavior, including dating violence
.
(o)Section 4152(a) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7162(a)) is
amended in subsection (a)—
(1)by striking
Drug and violence prevention
and inserting Drug and
violence prevention, including dating violence prevention
; and
(2)by striking
acts of violence
and inserting acts of violence,
including dating violence
.
3.Reform of data
collection related to teen dating violenceThe Secretary of Education, in coordination
with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other
relevant agencies, shall collect data on the incidence of dating violence,
sexual violence, emotional abuse, and relevant behavioral indicators of
exposure to such types of violence, among individuals aged 11 through 19. The
data shall be collected in relevant survey instruments and studies, including
the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. The Secretary shall publicly
disseminate the resulting findings and data.
4.Safe
Schools/Healthy Students InitiativeSection 4121 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7131) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
(c)Grant
application requirementIn
order to receive a grant under the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative
established under this section, the grant application shall conduct an
assessment of their crime, verbal and emotional abuse (such as relational
aggression), and violence problems and needs in the community to be served,
including dating violence, and describe how it will address the formation of
healthy relationship skills and prevention of dating violence, as appropriate,
and provide program support to address the formation of healthy relationships
and prevention of dating violence, as
appropriate.
.
5.Section 4151 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7161) is amended by inserting after paragraph
(1) the following:
(1A)The term
dating violence
means behavior involving the use or attempted
use of physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, economic, or technological abuse or
other abusive behavior by a person to harm, threaten, intimidate, harass,
coerce, control, isolate, restrain, or monitor another person with whom they
have or have had a social relationship that involves a physical, sexual, or
emotional component, regardless of the length of the relationship, or the
number of interactions between the individuals
involved.
.
6.Subpart 4 of part A
of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7161) is amended by adding at the end the following:
4156.The State shall
provide technical assistance to local education agencies and schools in their
efforts to prevent and appropriately respond to incidents of dating violence.
To provide such assistance, a State may use—
(1)administrative
funds consolidated under section 9201; or
(2)other funds
available to the State under this Act, to the extent consistent with the
authorized uses of such
funds.
.
7.
(a)The Secretary of Education, acting in
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney
General, shall establish the Innovation Fund (hereinafter in this section
referred to as the Fund
) for the replication, refinement, and
testing of model strategies and projects to prevent and respond to dating
violence for youth. The purpose is to provide and evaluate dating violence
prevention and early intervention education and programming for youth,
including healthy relationships education.
(b)Strategies or
projects implemented under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1)The enhancement of
age-appropriate, culturally competent dating and sexual violence prevention
education and healthy relationship strategies and projects to be administered
in school, in the community, or in health care settings, including gender
environments, in a manner consistent with the requirements of title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.).
(2)The enhancement of collaborative strategies
to engage parents and caregivers on the prevention and early intervention of
dating and sexual violence.
(3)Process and
outcomes evaluation using a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, with
comparison groups when feasible.
(c)Strategies or
projects implemented under subsection (a) may prioritize projects that focus on
youth ages 11 through 14 and may include the following:
(1)The enhancement of
collaborative strategies to engage youth and youth influencers in the community
such as teachers, school counselors, coaches, informal educators, older teens,
or other mentors on prevention and early intervention of dating and sexual
violence and promoting healthy relationship strategies.
(2)The enhancement of
social marketing strategies to change environmental factors and engage young
men, but not to the exclusion of young women.
(3)The implementation of a school-based policy
to reduce teen dating violence and promote healthy teen relationships.
(d)Authorization of
appropriations; report
(1)There are authorized
to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years
2012 through 2016 to carry out the duties and purposes of this Act.
(2)Amounts
appropriated under paragraph (1)—
(A)are authorized to
remain available until expended; and
(B)are in addition to
amounts otherwise available for such purposes.
(3)Not later than one
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education,
acting in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the
Attorney General, shall submit to the Congress a report on the activities
authorized under this section.