Ohio Puts Teens First!

Did you hear the news? Last week Ohio governor Ted Strickland signed The Tina Croucher Act (House Bill 19), a new law that will require Ohio high schools to teach students about healthy relationships and the dangers of abusive relationships. Under this new law, students will learn how to identify the warning signs to help prevent abuse among teen relationships. Schools will also have to put policies into place that will help them respond to incidents of abuse at school.

We know that dating abuse affects one in three teens across the U.S. We also know that in Ohio, a teen who is in an abusive relationship does not qualify for a domestic violence protection order. With so many teens being affected by dating abuse, it’s extremely important to provide them with as much information and resources to help them get out safely.

While this new law does not mean that teens will now be able to get a domestic violence protection order, it does take them one step closer to helping them build healthy relationships and understand other actions they can take to protect themselves, like creating safety plans. Hopefully, this new law also means that teens will feel a little more comfortable reaching out for help and a lot more confident knowing there is someone to listen. And hopefully with all this great work, teens will also be given the ability to file for protection orders soon.

So what about your state? Is your school required to teach you about healthy relationships and how to prevent abuse? If your lawmakers haven’t taken this important step, tell them they can follow those of Gov. Strickland by sending them a letter—use our Sample Letter for guidance! Don’t let dating abuse to go silent in your community. Contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them your state is just as important!