It is up to all of us to ensure that children and adults do not experience sexual assault. According to the U.S. Department of Education, an estimated 1 in 10 students will experience sexual misconduct by a school employee by the time they graduate from high school. An important bill, Sexual Assault On A Student By An Educator SB20-059, is moving its way through the legislative process and will ultimately ensure all children and youth have protections under the law with regard to adults in a position of trust, regardless of the age of the youth.

The bill specifically addresses the abuse of public trust by an educator, and enforces that sexual relationships between a student and a teacher or coach are inappropriate, even once a student turns eighteen years old. Such relationships have unbalanced power dynamics given a teacher or coach’s control over a student’s grades, discipline, or playing time.

Many organization, including Illuminate Colorado are collaborating through the Colorado Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Coalition to promote effective and comprehensive education, advocacy and communication to prevent child sexual abuse and protect children. We encourage anyone interested in preventing child sexual abuse in Colorado to get involved.

As an important reminder, if you suspect the sexual abuse of a minor, please make a report by calling 1-844-CO-4-KIDS.