Resolution No. 158-25A1, In Support of Countering Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.pdf (137 KB)
Adopted by the Board of Education, as amended, at its Regular Meeting of October 13, 2015
Subject: Resolution No. 158-25A1
In Support of Countering Human Trafficking and Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children
– Commissioner Emily M. Murase, Ph.D. and Student Delegates Teresia Chen and Miguel Tantiado
WHEREAS: According to both the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
(reauthorized in 2013) and the 2012 Californians Against Slavery and Exploitation Act, all
commercial sex involving a minor is defined as human trafficking; and
WHEREAS: The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified San Francisco as 1 of 13 “High
Intensity Child Exploitation Areas” in the country; and
WHEREAS: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children testified before Congress
that the average age of commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) survivors is 11 to 13
for boys and 12 to 14 for girls, many of whom are recruited from middle and high schools;
particularly vulnerable students are homeless, LGBTQ, unaccompanied minors, undocumented,
in the foster youth system, and/or possess special education needs, and
WHEREAS: In 2014, President Barack Obama signed into law the Preventing Sex Trafficking
and Strengthening Families Act that calls for states to adopt an interagency protocol to address
commercial sex involving minors, emphasizing consultation and collaboration with schools and
educational agencies as part of the formation of the protocol; and
WHEREAS: The same year, the California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 300 was
amended to recognize child sex trafficking as a form of child abuse and that, therefore, sexually
trafficked children fell within the jurisdiction of the child welfare system; the California
Department of Social Services’ program for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC)
was established to provide funding to patticipating counties for training, prevention, and
implementation of a CSEC protocol; and ;
WHEREAS: The City and County of San Francisco opted into the California Department of
Social Service’s CSEC Program and the Human Services Agency Family and Children’s
Services Division began to develop the city’s interagency protocol for responding to sexually
trafficked youth that is expected to be completed by October 2015; and
WHEREAS: In January 2015, the US Department of Education issued the Human Trafficking
in America’s Schools Report, which calls on school districts to 1) train staff to understand and
identify human trafficking; 2) increase awareness about the issue among parents and students;
and 3) develop a clear and comprehensive policy on responding to trafficking and CSEC; and
WHEREAS: Trafficked youth often do not recognize that they are human trafficking victims
due a lack of understanding or denial of exploitation; and studies have indicated that 68% of
CSEC survivors suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with a documented increased risk of
suicide and depression; and
Resolution No. 158-25A1
In Support of Countering Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children –
Commissioner Emily M. Murase, Ph.D. and Student Delegates Teresia Chen and Miguel Tantiado
Page 2
WHEREAS: The US Department of Education reports that trauma from sexual exploitation
impacts learning environment for CSEC survivors, often manifesting as behavioral problems due
to low self-esteem, aggression, and truancy; and
WHEREAS: CSEC survivors often reject law enforcement and social services and require
support and assistance from adults they trust, such as school administrators, teachers, counselors,
social workers, nurses, other wellness and support staff who should therefore be trained in how
to respond in a trauma-informed manner; and
WHEREAS: The California CSEC Model Interagency Protocol Framework urges educational
agencies in each county to develop a mechanism for tracking CSEC as well as responding to
exploited youth’s educational needs, such as enrollment, truancy, and credit completion, and
schools should have a clear procedure for coordinating CSEC response with other public
agencies, such as the Police Department, District Attorney’s Office, and Child Welfare Services;
and
WHEREAS: In 2004, the Board of Education previously passed Resolution No. 45-25A16 to
request that training be made available to school district staff on harassment, assault, abuse
identification, and mandatory reporting; and
WHEREAS: The San Francisco Unified School District has already initiated training to staff at
each of the high school Wellness Centers and student support staff pre-K — 8 on signs of and
resources to address child sex trafficking and is a standing member of the Mayor’s Task Force on
Anti-Human Trafficking as well as the Human Services Agency Interagency CSEC Program
Steering Committee; and
WHEREAS: Building on existing SFUSD initiatives to counter teen dating violence and
bullying, students can play an important role in helping to identify CSEC among their peers;
already, the SFUSD Student Advisory Council, composed of representatives from each of the
high schools; Peer Resources; and the Wellness Center Youth Outreach Workers have
demonstrated their effectiveness in reaching various groups of students.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Board of Education of the San Francisco Unified
School District requests that the Superintendent and district staff work with community partners
to add language to the existing Child Abuse Reporting Board Policy to address human trafficking
and commercial sexual exploitation of children and enforce a mandatory reporting protocol; and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED: That the Superintendent and district staff, in consultation with
community experts, develop and adopt a comprehensive training for all schoo! administrators,
teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses, and other wellness and support staff regarding the
identification and mandatory reporting of human trafficking; and
Resolution No. 158-25A1
In Support of Countering Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children –
Commissioner Emily M. Murase, Ph.D. and Student Delegates Teresia Chen and Miguel Tantiado
Page 3
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Superintendent and district staff, in consultation with
community experts, develop and adopt an age appropriate unit to address healthy relationships
and signs of human trafficking for inclusion in existing health curriculum; and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED: That the Superintendent and district staff create a task force
with community experts to work in consultation to incorporate an educational component of the
history of "Comfort Women" of WWII under the Japanese military in its curriculum to educate
the community about the harmful effects of sex trafficking in its historical and modern day
context for the purpose of preventing and protecting the youth community from sexual
exploitation and trafficking; and.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Superintendent and district staff engage student
leaders to communicate the signs of and resources for human trafficking among their peers.
Please Note:
> Referred by order of the Chair on 8/25/15 to the Curriculum and Program Committee.
> Taken up by the Curriculum and Program Committee on 10/5/15. Forwarded to the Board with a positive
recommendation, as amended and with further amendments to be added by Dr. Murase, by general consent of
the Committee.
> Adopted, as amended, 10/13/2015,
8/25/15
10/13/15