WHAT IS JENNA'S LAW?

Jenna's Law is named after survivor, Jenna Quinn. In 2007, Jenna reached out to Texas legislators about the need for schools to adopt an age-appropriate curriculum requiring students and teachers to learn about child sexual abuse prevention. Texas Representative Tan Parker asked to honor Jenna's name and championed what is now known as Jenna’s Law. 

 

In May of 2009, Jenna’s Law passed the state senate unanimously, making it the first child sexual abuse prevention requirement in the U.S. named after a survivor mandating K-12 sexual abuse prevention training for:

 

1) students

2) School staff  

3) caregivers  

 

Each independent school district chooses its own method of implementation for training. Schools are also required to maintain records of those who participated in the training. 

 

Moreover, Jenna’s Law was amended and expanded to include other forms of abuse, requiring more child-serving agencies to educate. 

Additional institutions such as childcare centers, foster care centers, child placing agencies, and universities are now included. 

 

Again, in 2017, Jenna’s Law was recently amended to include sex trafficking prevention for students and teachers in schools. 

 

Since Jenna’s Law passed in 2009, she has worked with over 26 states to implement prevention education policies. Now, over half the country has followed suit, adopting legislation reflecting the principles of Jenna's Law.

 

In 2019, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (TX) and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (NH) filed S. 924, The Jenna Quinn Law federally.