During the month of April your child will be having
guidance lessons focused on how they can stay safe. Act 1 Section 3 of Vermont Law (V.S.A) states
ALL Vermont schools (K-12) are required to provide instruction about how to
recognize and prevent sexual abuse and sexual violence. I know this is a sensitive subject, but this
unit is a developmentally appropriate curriculum with an emphasis on equipping
students with the skills needed to respond to unsafe situations. Below you will find the topics covered for
this unit according to grade level:
·
Kindergarten
o
To use our words assertively to stay safe.
o
Being safe out in the community: How to handle
those situations when you may feel scared such as getting lost in a store.
o
“Uh Oh” feeling and what those feelings tell us
and how should we respond.
o
Safe touch; some touches makes us feel good,
some touches makes us feel uncomfortable like a push, punch, or when someone touches any of our body
parts that are private.
·
First Grade
o
Personal safety concepts:
being safe around people you know as well as around strangers, checking with a
parent or caregiver before going anywhere.
o
To be able to identify trusting adults in our
lives and what things we need to tell them.
o
Comfortable touch verses uncomfortable
touch: How to respond to uncomfortable
touch.
·
Second Grade
o
People are like the weather: We make an analogy between the weather and
people, how the weather is safe most of the time. There are those exceptions when the weather
is not safe. Just like the weather, most
people behave in safe ways, but there are times when people act in ways that
are not safe.
o
How to tell the difference between good (happy) secrets
and bad (uncomfortable) secrets, and the importance of telling secrets that
make you feel uncomfortable to a trusted adult.
o
Practice telling an adult
about unsafe situations: We’ll use role
playing to practice telling trusted adults about unsafe situations.
If you have questions or
concerns about this unit I will have detailed lesson plans posted on my blog or
you can feel free to email me at krigerg@csdvt.org or give me a call directly at 264-5927.
Sincerely,
Greg Kriger
