Representative Stephanie Kifowit (Oswego-D) filed the first piece of legislation in the State General Assembly authored by the members of the 84th District Youth Advisory Council. It focuses on the need of high school students to participate in a more in-depth discussion of what constitutes consent and sexually-abusive behavior through a necessary update to sexual education curricula meant to help prevent sexual harassment and assault.
“As we learn more horrendous stories about sexual harassment in the workplace and sexual assault on college campuses and in our communities at large, we must recognize that changing our culture and protecting our children from future abuse requires us to change the way we talk about consent and inappropriate behavior from an early age,” Kifowit said. “High school sexual education classes should reflect the higher standards of conduct we expect of any respectful adult.”
The idea for this bill originated from Laura Walsh, a member of the 84th District Youth Advisory Council and a student at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, a District 204 school.
“We, the students, hear about this topic all the time,” stated Ms Walsh. “My worry, and the concerns of the Youth Council, is that students may not have a clear understanding of what the boundaries are and what behaviors should be reported.”
Kifowit has introduced House Bill 5148, which would expand the scope of the course content taught in Illinois schools’ sex education classes by having course instructors discuss sexual consent with students and provide common examples of sexual harassment and assault that occur in workplaces and colleges. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women will experience rape or attempted rape. Even more will experience other forms of inappropriate sexual behavior in a workplace. By instilling young people with a strong understanding of what constitutes consent and what types of behaviors violate the consent of others, Kifowit hopes this legislation, which originated from the Youth Advisory Council, will not only help high school students identify and report abusive behavior, but help develop a culture where such behavior does not occur.
“In addition to reporting assault after it occurs, our efforts on sexual assault and harassment should include emphasizing prevention,” Kifowit said. “Teaching young people how to behave like respectful adults will move us towards creating safer, more inclusive environments to live and work in.”
—Illinois House of Representatives
