Full Senate Approves Victim's Rights Bill for Students, Faculty

A bill to ensure school-age victims of violence have a greater say in limiting contact with their attacker is headed to the full Senate for consideration. Sen. Charlie Laster is author of SB 1597 which has now won approval from the full Senate.

“Right now, if a student has been beaten or sexually assaulted by a classmate, they could soon see their attacker back in class with them. We want to make sure that when these juvenile offenders are eligible to return to school, the student they assaulted will be notified and will be able to tell the school he or she wants to avoid contact with the attacker,” said Laster, D-Shawnee. The provisions would also apply to faculty members who have been attacked by a student.

Laster said the school may then consider options such as alternative education, ensuring the offender is not enrolled in the same classes at the same time as their victim, or perhaps transferring the student to another facility.

“This legislation simply lets the victim know beforehand that the attacker is returning to school. It also ensures the victim has the right to say if he or she doesn’t feel safe around the offending student so that other arrangements can be made,” Laster said.

“A student or teacher who has already endured a violent assault doesn’t need to be further harassed or intimidated because their attacker has been placed back in their classroom.”

SB 1597 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.