Proviso 1.41 states, “(SDE: Health Education): Each district shall publish on its website the title and publisher of all health education materials it has approved, adopted, and used in the classroom.”

Proviso 1.48 states, ” (SDE: Health Education)  (1)  Each school district is required to ensure that all comprehensive health education, reproductive health education, and family life education conducted within the district, whether by school district employees or a private entity, must utilize curriculum that complies with the provisions contained in Chapter 32, Title 59 and aligns to all standards and regulations adopted by the South Carolina State Board of Education.  Each district shall publish on its website the title and publisher of all health education materials it has approved, adopted, and used in the classroom.  If the department determines that a district is non-compliant with mandated health education upon review of the district’s annual CHE Compliance Survey or if the district fails to publish the title and publisher of materials on its website, then the Department of Education shall withhold one percent of the district’s funds allocated in Part IA, Section 1, X – Student Health and Fitness Act until the department determines the district is in compliance.”

*Approved Curriculum via Imagine Learning.

C Whitmore School

Student Safety Policy: Erin’s Law and Gavin’s Law

At SC Whitmore, we prioritize the safety and well-being of our students in accordance with the laws of South Carolina.

In the year of 2014, the State of South Carolina passed Act 293 known as “Erin’s Law,” as part of health and safety education for its public schools. The purpose of the law is to ensure all students, pre-kindergarten through high school, receive this prevention instruction during the academic school year. The intent of Erin’s Law is to give students skills in knowing how to stay safe from sexual assault and how to report any incidents of sexual assault.

The South Carolina Department of Education created Erin’s Law instructional units in support of the new legislation that amended the Comprehensive Health Education Act. South Carolina Code of Laws Section 59-32-20 (B) was amended to read that the State Board of Education through the South Carolina Department of Education “shall select or develop instructional units in sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention, with separate units appropriate for each age level from four-year-old kindergarten through twelfth grade.”

In the year of 2023, the State of South Carolina passed Act 54 of 2023 known as “Gavin’s Law.” The legislation states the crimes are for “threaten(ing) to release, exhibit, or distribute a private image of another in order to compel or attempt to compel the victim to do any act or refrain from doing any act against” that person’s will. Convictions can be punished by up to 20 years in prison if the victim was a child or a vulnerable adult, and up to five years for the first conviction if the victim is an adult.

Gavin’s Law also requires that schools collaborate with the State Department of Education, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Attorney General’s office to implement a policy to educate and notify students of the law, which includes adequate notice to students, parents or guardians, the public, and school personnel of the change in law and the dangers of sexual extortion. The Department of Education recommends Gavin’s Law be taught as part of the Erin’s Law curriculum with age-appropriate instruction on the dangers and consequences of sexual extortion.

In line with our commitment to the safety and well-being of our students, we have implemented the following policies, as required by Erin’s Law, S.C. Code Section 59-32-20 and 59-32-30(G) and Gavin’s Law, S.C. Code Section 16-15-430, to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.