Victims, families support bill protecting victims of sexual assault in schools

By Sean Reed | The Center Square contributor
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – State lawmakers gathered with victims, parents and advocates in support of a bill requiring Illinois schools expel any student who commits or attempts to commit sexual assault for a minimum of one year.

State Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, introduced the bill last year, after hearing of a case within his district, which alerted him to a lack of such protections in the Illinois school code.

The bill was introduced again in the current legislative session after not making it to the Senate floor previously.

“The survivors of such violence deserve to go to school without fear of running into their rapist. Other students should not have to fear being the next victim,” McClure said. “And the students who commit such acts should go to an alternative learning center, like a safe school, where they can get treatment and be around staff who can ensure that everyone is protected.”

The legislation as presented will treat sexual assault similar to a violation involving a weapon being brought to school, where school boards and superintendents may modify their response on a case-by-case basis.

Multiple stories of sexual assaults in schools, with little-to-no action being taken by school districts against alleged attackers, were shared by victims and family members.

Springfield educator Ashley Peden said it took multiple court orders before she was able to get a similar outcome for her 10-year-old daughter.

“After several meetings with several different levels of the school administration and multiple court orders, the student was finally removed from the public school and sent to an alternative school setting,” Peden said.

She also emphasized that the school district initially provided a safety plan to separate her daughter from the offender, but it did not provide safety from the offender to other students.

“Ultimately, it was the court system, not the school district that provided a resolution,” Peden said. “This begs a haunting question. If the legal system clearly recognizes the danger of this individual that he poses to our children, why is our school system still failing to see it?”

The bill currently has 36 co-sponsors and was assigned to the Senate’s Criminal Law committee.

McClure said he hopes the bill will pass into law later this year.