TOPEKA — Advocates and survivors of child sexual abuse are urging legislators to pass Erin’s Law, which requires K-12 schools teach about body safety and sexual abuse prevention at an age-appropriate level once per school year.

Members of Protecting Kansas Children from Predators introduced the bill to members of the House Education Committee Thursday with hopes Kansas joins the 38 states with Erin’s Law on the books. Co-directors Kim Bergman and Tess Ramirez received support for the bill from both Republicans and Democrats on Thursday, with plans to continue talking to legislators. 

“It became our mission for the year to focus on Erin’s Law to prevent children from being abused,” Bergman said. “Prevention is important. Kids start talking after these presentations. Getting kids comfortable reporting can prevent other children from being abused.”

Erin Merryn, whom the law is named after, has traveled across the country for 15 years speaking to state legislators about implementing the law in schools. Merryn testified for Kansas legislators in 2013, but the law did not pass that year. 

“It’s 2026 and Kansas has still not passed my law, yet 38 other states have,” Merryn said. “This is teaching kids the difference between safe and unsafe touch, safe and unsafe secrets. What you’re teaching your first graders is not what you’re teaching sixth graders.”

Bergman and Ramirez said that legislators  seem open to the bill this time, after having both Republicans and Democrats express support for a potential hearing. 

“This is not a party-affiliated bill,” Bergman said. “We had support from both sides. I think this is more likely to pass if we’re not pointing a finger at one party or the other. This is the first year we’ve been pushing Erin’s Law in a while, and Republicans have been taking it really well.”

Rep. Rebecca Schmoe, an Ottawa Republican, sees this bill as a way to ensure child predators have no “safe haven” within the state. 

“Erin’s Law represents an age-appropriate, proactive step in what is too often a reactive battle against child abuse,” Schmoe said. “Empowerment through education breaks the silence, prompts early disclosures to stop ongoing harm, and safeguards our most innocent and vulnerable before abuse occurs.”

If passed in Kansas, school boards would have to select the curriculum for their district and teachers would be required to have special training in recognizing warnings signs of sexual abuse. The Erin’s Law foundation offers its own free curriculum as well as a list of other resources for parents and educators.

“We think the best choice for schools is to have a local child advocacy center come into schools and do a presentation themselves,” Bergman said. “Some places in western Kansas won’t have that, but that’s why Erin’s Law curriculum is a great option. It’s free but also understands that every community is different.”

While curriculum decisions are generally left to the Kansas Board of Education, House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard said the topic is too important for lawmakers to overlook.

“If we’re not putting this in curriculum for teaching, the longer we act like it’s not happening, that is how you end up with people learning on their own or sex abuse happening because they don’t know what boundaries and appropriate limits are,” Woodard said. 

Merryn said typically red state lawmakers criticize the law and its curriculum claiming it’s sex education. In reality, the curriculum focuses on creating boundaries, how to talk to a trusted adult and how to identify grooming, she says.

“This is not teaching kids about changing your gender, how to have sex. What an abortion is, you name it,” Merryn said. “Anyone that wants to look at it can view my curriculum, and it’s free. There’s no reason to not want kids to learn this. Anyone that’s still skeptical, parents can opt their children out.”

Merryn said that children who are abused often exhibit behavior signs that teachers can catch to get them the help they need. One lesson per year outweighs skepticism of the curriculum when you see the effect it can have on a child’s life, she said. 

“Look at the consequences of what happens when a kid is abused,” Merryn said. “Nobody knows what’s going on at home. Children that are being abused or taking up far more time in our classrooms, being a disruption and acting out. Just because you talk to your kids about this, doesn’t mean your best friend or your children’s best friends’ parents talk to their kids about it.”

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.

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