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WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

 

Bill looks to define consent for students

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Lawmakers in Lansing are looking at requiring schools to offer education about what constitutes consent in an effort to prevent sexual assaults.

The idea has been before the state Legislature before and failed to become law, but that was before some of the high-profile cases of sexual assault that have dominated headlines over the past year.

"By the time individual students are getting to colleges, they do not have a shared language around what is consent and that’s really scary," said Tara Aday, director of prevention and education for Safe Haven Ministries, which offers help and education for abused women and children.

Senate Bill 270 would require that, in addition to teaching about sexually transmitted diseases and emphasizing that abstinence is the safest route, students learn about the concept of consent in sexual situations.

Emily Nyquist is a sophomore at Northview High School and a member of Young Leaders Against Violence, a group of students who are raising awareness about sexual assault.

"No one really knows what consent is. I told one of my friends, 'Yeah, I’m doing an interview about consent' and they didn’t know what that was," she said.

"For some people, it’s confusing all the different layers of it, that consent is not only saying yes one time but saying yes every single time and understanding that consent can be withdrawn at any time," she continued.

More at WOODTV.com


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