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Bill would require safety plans and possible separation when a student victim faces an offender at school
Summary
Representative Dan Johnston told the Senate Education Committee House Bill 1247 is intended to protect student survivors of sexual assault by requiring school districts to implement safety plans and, when necessary, separate victims from responsible students to prevent retraumatization.
Representative Dan Johnston introduced House Bill 1247, saying the measure responds to cases in which alleged perpetrators remain in the same school building as victims of sexual assault and can retraumatize survivors. Johnston described the bill as intended to give school districts tools — including safety plans and alternative placements — to protect victims and preserve the educational environment.
Multiple witnesses testified in support and recommended amendments to sharpen the bill. Alexis Dion spoke on behalf of her daughter, describing the lasting psychological and academic harm her daughter experienced after being targeted, threatened and assaulted by a classmate; Dion urged the committee to support any measures that allow a victim to continue their education without daily contact with the offender.
Chrisann Norby Jonner, in‑house counsel for the North Dakota School Boards Association, testified in…
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