Pasco board proclaims January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month; task force members urge awareness

The Pasco County School Board approved a proclamation recognizing National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and said the district will continue partnering with community agencies to raise awareness and provide trauma-informed supports to affected students.

Liana Dean, chair of the local human trafficking commission, and Laura Henderson, vice chair, joined the meeting to present the proclamation. Dean told the board that human trafficking occurs locally and that “our young people are very vulnerable,” listing social media exposure, family disruption and recent moves as examples of risk factors.

The proclamation, read into the record earlier in the meeting and then formally adopted under action item 16.3, frames human trafficking as a public-health and criminal issue and encourages coordinated community responses and survivor-informed services. The board approved the proclamation by voice vote.

Board members thanked the commission and noted the district’s role in prevention education and student support. The proclamation states resources and a federal web page (acf.hhs.gov/endtrafficking) for those seeking information.

The board’s vote accepted the proclamation; no district policy change or funding commitment was announced at the meeting.