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, district attorney of Indiana County, told lawmakers that the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association supports HB 460 and said the bill should explicitly cover cyber charter students because remote learners “may not be seen on a regular basis by teachers or others in a community who might notice visible signs of injury or neglect.”

Benjamin Levi, MD, PhD, a pediatrician and researcher who helped develop Penn State’s mandated‑reporter and prevention work, cautioned against rushing statewide implementation without vetting. “We don't wanna rush in to implementing something that we don't know if it will make a positive impact,” Levi told the committee, adding that many widely used trainings lack pre/post testing and that sustained, longitudinal approaches are likelier to change behavior than a one‑time lesson.

Witnesses pointed to existing Pennsylvania work as a starting point. Panelists cited a Penn State program developed with PCCD endowment funding after the Jerry Sandusky scandal; that “Safe and Healthy Communities” effort was published in JAMA and reached more than 14,000 second graders in the trial cited by testifiers. Newman said Mission Kids has delivered prevention content to 14 of Montgomery County’s 26 school districts, trained roughly 60,000 children in grades K–12 since 2022, handles about 600 new cases a year (more than 400 of them abuse cases), and—by operational scale—has delivered the Penn State program to some students for about $25 per pupil versus the study’s average of $43 per pupil.

Panelists also discussed training for mandated reporters. Levi described iLookout, a researched online program used in Head Start programs nationwide, and urged stronger evaluation and follow‑up so knowledge is retained and reporting quality improves. Manzi and others emphasized multidisciplinary investigative teams—law enforcement, CACs, prosecutors, behavioral health and children and youth caseworkers—are necessary to respond when disclosures occur.

Committee members asked about homeschool and cyber‑school students, parental outreach, and how to avoid overwhelming existing intake systems. Newman said CACs and community partners can offer parent and community sessions as part of a “braiding” model that combines child, parent and community education. She recommended parents contact local CACs (penncac.org and local center websites were cited) for resources. Levi and other witnesses warned that increasing reports without bolstering intake and response capacity could create “noise” that obscures credible disclosures.

Rep. Daley, sponsor of HB 460, told the committee she modeled the bill on laws adopted in other states (often called “Jenna’s Law”) and said the bill would amend Pennsylvania’s Public School Code of 1949 to add student instruction alongside existing mandated‑reporter training for educators. The committee did not take a vote during the hearing; members said they would continue the conversation and review options for implementation, including outreach to homeschool and cyber‑school populations.

The hearing record includes technical recommendations from witnesses: use validated, evidence‑based curricula when available; couple child lessons with parent and community education; fund accredited CACs and licensed clinicians to assist delivery; build longitudinal reinforcement into programs; and ensure state intake and follow‑up systems can handle increased reporting.

The committee concluded the hearing with an offer from Rep. Daley to work with members on adjustments to the bill; no formal committee action was taken that day.