SB 78 is one of the bills that I couldn’t wait to work on this year and covers a topic that is extremely important to me. It passed the Senate earlier this year and made it through the House on the last day of session, meaning we are just one signature away from consent education becoming Delaware law.

Senate Bill 78 is a piece of legislation that would require public and charter schools to add instruction about the meaning of consent and respecting each other’s personal boundaries to existing health/sex ed curricula. The bill also provides a clear definition of consent to allow for consistent instruction across school districts.

Despite the work Delaware has done to implement sex education in our schools, it lags behind neighboring states like Maryland and New Jersey that already require public schools to include consent education in their health instruction.

Rather than simply instructing our children on how their bodies work, this bill will teach our kids how to better navigate adult relationships and respect others.

Consent is being talked about more now than ever before, and that’s welcome news to parents, educators, and legislators in our state. Teaching our children to respect personal boundaries isn’t an empty gesture, it’s a much-needed policy that can cut down on cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other violent crimes. When I volunteered in a rape crisis center, I saw first-hand the outcome of not talking about this issue. As a Senator, I am proud to do whatever I can to take us in a different direction.

Thank you to my colleagues in the House and Senate for passing this bill before the deadline. We got every single one of the 62 legislators representing our state to vote yes on SB 78 and I am so proud and encouraged to see something this important get unanimous support.

Onward to the bill signing!