Erin’s Law in Ohio requires public school districts, community schools, and STEM schools to provide annual, age-appropriate instruction on child sexual abuse prevention, dating violence, and sexual violence for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The requirement was enacted as part of Senate Bill 288 and took effect for the 2023–2024 school year. Parents must be notified, may review the materials, and can submit a written request to excuse their child.
What Schools Teach by Grade
The curriculum splits at seventh grade.
Kindergarten Through Sixth Grade
Younger students receive annual, age-appropriate instruction in child sexual abuse prevention along with personal safety and assault prevention education. Lessons teach children that they have the right to control who touches their body, how to recognize situations that feel wrong, and how to tell a trusted adult when they feel unsafe. Schools must also provide information about counseling and other resources available to children who have experienced sexual abuse.1Graham Local Schools. SB 288 Child Sexual Abuse, Dating Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention
Seventh Through Twelfth Grade
Older students receive instruction focused on dating violence prevention and sexual violence prevention.1Graham Local Schools. SB 288 Child Sexual Abuse, Dating Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention The content covers warning signs of dating violence, what healthy relationships look like, and how to set and communicate personal boundaries while respecting those set by others.
Which Schools Must Comply
The law applies to traditional public school districts, community schools (Ohio’s term for charter schools), and STEM schools.1Graham Local Schools. SB 288 Child Sexual Abuse, Dating Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention Senate Bill 288 created new code sections for community schools and STEM schools so the same requirements reach them. Nonpublic schools may be subject to related provisions, but the obligations can differ from what public schools must provide.
Parent Notification and Opt-Out
Schools must notify parents and guardians about the instruction their children will receive, and parents have the right to examine the materials before they reach the classroom. A parent who objects can submit a written request to excuse the child.2Fairfield City School District. Erin’s Law
The written-request process applies at both grade bands. For kindergarten through sixth grade, it excuses the child from child sexual abuse prevention instruction. For grades seven through twelve, the same process excuses the child from dating violence and sexual violence prevention lessons.2Fairfield City School District. Erin’s Law
To find the specific curriculum and timeline your child will see, start with your district’s SB 288 compliance page. Districts typically post the curriculum selected and when during the year it’s taught.
Staff Training and What Happens If a Child Discloses
School personnel must receive in-service training on child sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention, covering risk factors and warning signs, how to respond to a student disclosure, and Ohio’s reporting obligations. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce provides guidelines and links schools to free curricula and training resources.
Prevention instruction often prompts children to speak up, and Ohio’s mandatory reporting law takes over at that point. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2151.421, school teachers, school employees, and school authorities who know or have reasonable cause to suspect that a child under 18 has been abused or neglected must immediately report that information. The duty does not require certainty; reasonable suspicion is enough. Failing to report is itself a criminal offense under Ohio law.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code Section 2151.421 For parents, that means a disclosure prompted by an Erin’s Law lesson will trigger a report, not a conversation held in confidence at the school.