As of December 28, 2009 Gov. T. Strickland signed House Bill 19 into law that each school district must adopt a policy to prevent and address incidents of dating violence at school; provide staff training on dating violence prevention and include dating prevention education for 7th through 12th grade health classes. Safe DATES meets all of HB 19 mandates.

Does your school's health, family life, or violence prevention curriculum address dating abuse? Given the fact that up to 38% of high school students report having been a victim of dating violence, this is a critical issue to address in any comprehensive middle or high school violence prevention program. As the only research-based curriculum of its kind, Safe DATES helps young people recognize the difference between healthy, caring and supportive relationships, and controlling, manipulative, and abusive dating relationships. Safe DATES meets the curricula guidelines set forth by the State of Ohio.

Highly engaging and interactive, Safe DATES gets young people thinking about: 

• how they want to be treated by a dating partner
• how they want to treat a girlfriend or boyfriend
• what abusive dating relationships look like
• why dating abuse happens - Its causes and consequences
• how to tell if they are in an abusive relationship
• what to do about feelings of anger and jealousy
• how to help a friend who might be in an abusive relationship 

PVFF staff members can provide both the one-day facilitator training for school staff, teaching them how to deliver this evidence-based programming to their students or present the ten-week school-based program within the Allen County area. For more information on how to bring Safe DATES into your community, email Donna at ddickman@pvff.org or call 419-549-8530.