Protect Students Through School-Based Sexual Assault Reporting and Support Systems.

 

The purpose of this bill is to create a system where young victims can safely report sexual assault and harassment and

receive support, preventing further harm or incident and addressing the mental health impact of unreported assaults.

 

56% of women and 18% of men have reported that their first experience of sexual harassment or assault occurred before

age 18. These are just our reported cases. Estimates suggest that at least 75% of sexual assaults or harassment cases go

unreported.

This is an issue that needs to be addressed because not receiving help after being assaulted or harassed as a minor can

have significant negative impacts on the victims’ future. Additionally it allows the perpetrator to assault or harass

more victims. This bill will give victims a safe way to reach out and receive protection from their attacker as well

report their cases to authorities if they choose.

There is currently no school-based system to allow students to report their cases to those they are comfortable with,

victims currently have to go through an unfamiliar dean or counselor to explain their story. With this system schools

would create an online or physical reporting system where victims are not even required to share their stories out loud

if they don’t want to, but it will still offer guaranteed results, such as switching the perpetrators schedule to remove

them from the victims’ school life. Each school will be expected to formulate their own reporting systems based on the

example program offered and will be provided funding for the creation. This new system ensures students feel protected

and supported, and helps prevent further assaults by holding perpetrators accountable.

 

Sexual Assault: Sexual assault (SA) is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally sexually touches another person

without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will.

Sexual Harassment: behavior characterized by the making of unwelcome and inappropriate sexual remarks or physical

advances in a workplace or other professional or social situation.

Perpetrator: a person who carries out a harmful, illegal, or immoral act.

 

This program will be implemented at an annual cost of up to $110,000, covering staff training to handle these reports,

setting up software, and hiring a therapist to support victims. Funding will be sourced from existing allocations in the

Minnesota Department of Education's safe and supportive schools and Student Mental Health Service budgets.

This bill doesn’t take funding from textbooks or the already underpaid educators—It uses funding already set up to

protect the students and reallocates it to where it is most urgently needed.

 

It will be mandated by state law that the school hires a therapist, builds and enforces their own system, and trains a

percent of their staff to deal with reports by the effective date. If a school district has yet to set up their Report &

Support system by the effective date, it will incur a fine of $2,500 per month until the system is fully enacted.

 

September 2nd, 2026.