An Act To Establish a Model Dating Violence Prevention Policy" ,
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1105
Sponsors: ALFOND, BERRY, CASAVANT, PINGREE, WAGNER
Amends: 20-A MRSA §6554

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124th MAl E LEGISLATURE ' 
'Legislative Document 
, No. 1105 
H.P, 760 , 
House of Representatives, March 20, 2009 
An Act To Establish a Model Dating Violence Prevention Policy" , 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggeste<:i and ordered 
printed.' 
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Pr~sented by Representative WAGNER of Lyman. 
Cosponsored by Senator ALFOND of Cumberland and 
7r/A-~ frl.11l1LC~{ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BERRY of Bowdoinham, CASAVANT of Biddeford, Speaker PINGREE of 
North Haven; RANKIN of Hiram, WAGNER of Lewiston. 
. Printed ll~ ,:ccyclet.1 paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §6554 is enacted to read: 
§6554. Dating violence 
1.. Definitions. As used in this section, Unless the context otherwise indicates, the· 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A. 
"At-school" means occurring ill a classroom, on or immediately adjacent to 
. school premises, on a school bus or other school-related vehicle, at an official school 
bus stop or at any school-sponsored activity or event regardless of whether the 
activity or event is on school premises. 
B. "Dating partner" means a person, regardless of gender, who is involved in an 
intimate'. relationship with another· person and the relationship is primarily 
characterized by the expectation of affectionate involvement whether casual, serious 
or long-term. 
C. "Dating violence" means an act or pattern of behavior when a person threatens to 
use or actually uses physical, sexual, verbal or emotional abuse to control the person's 
dating partner. 
2. Dating violence policy. The department shall implement a model dating violence 
policy to assist a school administrative unit in developing a policy for dating violence and 
response by FebruarY 1, 2010. A school administrative unit shall implement a dating 
violence policy consistent with the model dating violence policy required by this 
subsection by September 1, 2010. A dating violence policy under this subsection must 
include: 
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A. A statement that dating violence will not be tolerated; 
B. Dating violence reporting procedures; and 
C. Guidelines for responding to at-school incidents of dating violence and discipline 
procedures for specific incidents. 
.. Notice. 
A school administrative unit shall publish a dating violence policy 
implemented under subsection 2 and include the policy in any handbook or publication 
that sets forth rules, procedures or standards of conduct for students of the unit. A school 
administrative unit shall inform each parent and legal guardian of a 7th to 12th grade 
student of the unit's dating violence policy implemented under subsection 2 and provide a 
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copy of the policy to a parent or legal guardian of the student of the unit upon request of 
the parent or guardian: 
4. Training. A school administrative unit shall provide dating violence training to 
each administrator, teacher, nurse and physician of the school administrative unit who has 
contact with a 7th to 12th grade student and may provide dating violence training to other 
school persormel·· or dating violence parent awareness trairung to a parent or legal 
guardian of a 7th to 12th grade student. Dating violence training must ensure that. 
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training participants are trained to appropriately respond to at-school incidents of dating 
violence and must include: 
A. Basic principles of dating violence; 
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B. Warning signs of dating violence; and 
5C. The school administrative unit's dating violence policy under subsection 2. 
5. Dating Violence education. A school administrative unit shall incomorate dating 
violence education that is age-appropriate fOr health and physical education under 
sections 4711 and 4723 for grades 7 to 12. The department 'shali develop guidelines for 
the curriculum of dating violence education required under this subsection, including: 
A. Defining dating violence; 
B. Recognizing dating violence warning signs: 
C. Appropriate actions and responses to dating violence; and 
D. Chara<;:teristics of a healthy relationship. 
Each student receiving dating violence education under this subsection must receive a 
copy of the school administrative unit's dating violence policy under subsection 2. A 
parent Or legal guardian of a 7th to '12th grade student under 18 years of age or a student 
years of age or older may inspect the dating violence curriculum at the school in which 
the student is emolled. 
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6~ Liability. This section does not create Or alter any tort liability and does not 
prevent a victim of dating violence to' seek redress under any other law either civil or 
criminal. 
7. Rules. The department may adopt rules to cam out the purposes of this section. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5; 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
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SUMMARY 
This bill requires school administrative units, with the help of the Department of 
Education's model· dating violence policy, to implement. dating violence policies and 
provide dating violence training to school personnel and dating violence education to 
students from the 7th to the 12th grade. This bill also requires school administrative units 
to provide a COpy of the unit's dating violence policy to school personnel and 7th to 12th 
grade students and 1'0 send notice of the policy to parents and legal guardians of 7th to 
12th grade students and a copy of the policy upon request.