Legislature approves Amy Hestir student protection bill against sexual abuse
After a five-year legislative struggle, the General Assembly on Thursday passed the “Amy Hestir Student Protection Act,” which stiffens the rules against school districts that fail to report sexual abuse of students by employees. Named for a student who was repeatedly molested by a teacher who was allowed to move on to other districts and eventually retire with honors, the bill would require districts to report any abuse allegations to state authorities within 24 hours. It would also make districts liable if they fail to disclose suspected or known abuse by past employees to potential new employers. Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, who has sponsored the bill for the past five sessions, wanted to address the issue of school districts that “pass the trash” by quietly shuttling suspected child molesters to other districts. She said the credit belonged to Hestir – now Amy Surdin – for coming forward with her story. “I named the bill after her because it took great courage on her part to come forward and tell people what was happening,” Cunningham said. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk. – TLS (MNH News Nut: Posted 4:15 p.m., JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.)
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Posted by Tim Sampson on May 13, 2011. Filed under Featured.
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