Student Support Services
New York State became the 37th state to sign Erin’s Law into legislation which requires public schools to teach child sexual abuse and exploitation prevention classes to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Erin's Law is named for Erin Merryn, an abuse survivor and activist against child sexual abuse who has advocated for similar laws nationwide for over a decade. Erin’s Law is intended to help children, teachers, and parents in New York State schools identify sexual abuse, and to provide awareness, assistance, referral, or resource information for children and families who are victims of child sexual abuse.
This 2023-2024 school year, NECSD will be implementing Erin’s Law for the second time in grades 2, 5, and 8. We are thankful for the support of our community partners, Fearless Hudson Valley, MISN, and Planned Parenthood who have developed curriculum and offered to provide these lessons for our scholars. They will be supported by our district’s School Social Workers, School Psychologists, and School Counselors.
The district is grateful for the parents, teachers, administrators, counselors, social workers, and psychologists who have been meeting together this past year on our Erin’s Law planning committees to ensure that this curriculum is developmentally appropriate for each grade level so our scholars can best receive this information. The presenters have experience in teaching this content to children in a way that is supportive and easy to understand. For example, in the younger Elementary grade levels, the content presented will be focused on boundaries and healthy relationships.
Should you have any questions about Erin’s Law, you can email the Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Michael Jernegons, at mjernegons@necsd. More information on Erin's Law can be found by visiting and also .
Restorative Practices
