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Survivors and advocates push civil remedy for abuse by adults in authority
Summary
Survivors and advocates urged committee support for S.152 to create a civil cause of action against adults in positions of authority who engage in sexual relationships with students under 19, arguing power imbalances and grooming make meaningful consent impossible.
Survivors, school-safety advocates and officials urged the committee to favorably report S.152, a proposal to create a civil cause of action for adults who engage in sexual relationships with students under 19 (and under 22 for students receiving special education), arguing the existing age-of-consent law creates a loophole that predators exploit.
"While the age of consent in our Commonwealth is 16, there's no doubt an imbalance of power exists between a student and a trusted adult," Sen. Joan Lovely said, introducing the bill. She and multiple survivors described grooming tactics and the difficulty teenagers face when an adult in a position of authority uses status to coerce or manipulate them.
Hillary Simon, a survivor who was abused by a teacher beginning at 15, told the committee that the law allowed the adult to "hide behind a loophole" once a student turns 16. Advocates said when the abuser is a teacher, coach, or dorm parent, the imbalance of power makes meaningful consent impossible.
Witnesses described national and state data on educator sexual misconduct and called for both civil remedies and companion criminal penalties under other pending bills. Advocates also urged improved screening of school employees and required prevention education in schools.
Proponents recommended S.152 as a civil remedy to provide survivors recourse in cases where criminal prosecution is impractical or where the statutory framework fails to capture the power imbalance described in testimony.
