Mandatory Curriculum Communication
Elm Road Elementary
Mandatory Curriculum Communication for District Wide Program
Dear Elm Road Parents:
Indiana law requires that all schools provide age appropriate and research based instruction on child abuse and child sexual abuse to students in kindergarten through grade 12. Penn-Harris-Madison has partnered with the Family Justice Center, Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County and the St. Joseph County Special Victims Unit to provide this instruction for our students.
In November, staff from the Family Justice Center and Youth Service Bureau St Joseph County will present a series of age appropriate, short animated videos that will be followed by a short session asking the children what they learned from the videos, did they understand the messages etc. This curriculum, designed by the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower Medical Center, is called the “Protect Yourself Rules.”
The program’s main goal is to educate children about what to do when confronted with abusive behavior, safe and unsafe touches, going to a parent or another trusted adult if they are confronted in an unsafe situation, and that it is not their fault. An “Unsafe Touch” is defined as touching private parts of the body that are covered by a bathing suit. Stranger safety, Internet safety and other situations are also presented. The curriculum can be viewed at http://fightchildabuse.org/.
To learn more about the program, an optional parent information night will be held at 5:30 pm on Tuesday October 15th at Schmucker Middle School, 56045 N Bittersweet Rd.
Please click here to complete the electronic permission slip to notify us of your wishes for your student to participate in this curriculum. Please note that if you have more than one child attending a P-H-M School, you must complete a permission slip for each child from the school they attend. Electronic permission slips are posted on each of our school websites.