Indiana law requires that all schools provide age appropriate and research based instruction on child abuse and child sexual abuse to students in kindergarten through grade 12. Penn-Harris-Madison has partnered with the Family Justice Center, Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County and the St. Joseph County Special Victims Unit to provide this instruction for our students.
In November, staff from the Family Justice Center and Youth Service Bureau St. Joseph County will present a series of age appropriate, short animated videos that will be followed by a short session asking the children what they learned from the videos, did they understand the messages etc. This curriculum, designed by the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower Medical Center, is called the “Protect Yourself Rules.”
The program’s main goal is to educate children about what to do when confronted with abusive behavior, safe and unsafe touches, going to a parent or another trusted adult if they are confronted in an unsafe situation, and that it is not their fault. An “Unsafe Touch” is defined as touching private parts of the body that are covered by a bathing suit. Stranger safety, Internet safety and other situations are also presented. The curriculum can be viewed at http://fightchildabuse.org/.
Please fill out the electronic permission form below to notify us of your wishes for your student(s) to participate in this curriculum. You can sign the form using a mouse or a touch pad screen. A copy of this form will be emailed to you and your student(s) school. *PLEASE NOTE, if you have more than one child in P-H-M, you must fill out a form FOR EACH CHILD. To do it electronically, you need to visit the website for each school your child attends.