Advocate: Faith's Law is 'important expansion' that will 'keep kids safer'

[August 03, 2022]  By Elyse Kelly | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – Illinois is tightening its laws around sexual misconduct and abuse at schools.

Thanks to Faith’s Law, named after Illinois resident Faith Colson, who was sexually abused as a high school student, some loopholes have been closed and laws expanded around sexual abuse involving students at school.

Because kids spend so much time at school, there is more opportunity for them to be victimized there, said Carrie Ward, CEO of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Grooming is one way adults begin the process of sexual abuse with children, she said.

“One thing we know about grooming is that people who want to commit sexual assault look for people who are vulnerable, and children can be vulnerable because they’re in a place where they have trusted adults,” Ward told The Center Square. “Grooming is taking advantage of that vulnerability and trying to create a scenario with the goal of soliciting some type of inappropriate behavior with or from this child.”

Grooming can take many forms but until now the legal definition was confined to electronic communication.

“One of the things that happens with Faith’s Law is that the criminal definition of grooming is expanded to include things like written communication or acts that are committed in person, which I think that logistically seems like that would have been something that was included, but it wasn’t specifically in the initial definition,” Ward said.

In addition to expanding the definition of grooming, Faith’s law adds a new section to the Illinois code pertaining to sexual misconduct. All school districts are now required to develop an employee code of professional conduct and make it public.

There can be conduct that may arise that doesn't fall under criminal law but is still inappropriate, Ward said.

“It has to include the specific statutory definition of sexual misconduct and it has to then identify what the expectations are for maintaining professional relationships between students and staff or educators as well,” she said.

The code also must address guidelines for taking and possessing photos of students as well as meeting or transporting students outside of school.
 

“We definitely think it was an important expansion, and we think it will serve to help keep students safer in the future,” she said.

Ward adds there are things parents can do to help keep their kids' safe while at school. Keeping the lines of communication open with their kids about what’s happening at school is extremely important, she said, as well as making sure kids know they have agency over their own bodies.

“Letting them know there are trusted adults they can go to when they have concerns, and that they should be able to really disclose when they have been talked to, touched or acted inappropriately around, I think that’s something that’s really important,” she said.