Section 6. Preventing Child Sexual Abuse
WVDE shall establish standards, effective July 1, 2019, for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse (PCSA) training requirements of all public school employees focused on developing skills, knowledge, and capabilities related to preventing child sexual abuse and recognizing and responding to suspected abuse and neglect.
The required PCSA training shall include comprehensive instruction and information to better equip schools and their employees to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse, including: • recognizing effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and providing trauma-informed care. Public school employees shall be required to complete a PCSA training beginning July 1, 2019. The training shall be at least a cumulative four hours of instruction on the elements identified in this section and shall occur during non-instructional time. Training will not be assigned during teachers' planning time. A skills renewal training is required every two years thereafter. The mode of delivery for the trainings may include in-person or e-learning instruction and may include a series of trainings or modules. The WVBE will provide e-learning modules that cover the required standards and certificates of satisfactory completion. Should the county boards of education choose to provide in-person training, the standards stated above shall be covered, and the county boards of education shall provide the WVBE with a list of employees who have completed the required training. The WVBE shall provide certificates of satisfactory completion for the employee and the employer documenting that the employee completed the required training.