Pennsylvania hearing spotlights House Bill 460 to require age‑appropriate child abuse prevention curriculum K–12

The House Children & Youth Committee on Wednesday heard testimony on House Bill 460, legislation sponsored by Rep. Mary Jo Daley that would require school entities to adopt age‑appropriate child abuse awareness and prevention curricula for students in kindergarten through grade 12 and task the Pennsylvania Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Human Services, to produce a model curriculum.

Supporters told the committee that school‑based prevention education can reduce harm if programs are evidence‑based, repeated over time and delivered by trained professionals rather than left to classroom teachers alone. Abby Newman, chief executive officer for external and global affairs at Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center, said, “Child abuse remains a critical issue in Pennsylvania,” and described the state’s 40 child advocacy centers (CACs) serving about 15,000 children annually.

The testimony centered on three themes: (1) program quality and evidence, (2) who should deliver the instruction, and (3) operational capacity and funding. Newman urged the committee to rely on existing evidence‑based programs and CACs to deliver or support delivery. Robert Manzi,…