Teenagers advocated on behalf of sexual assault legislation in Lansing today.
The bills would prevent assailants from going to the same schools as their victims.
Bill sponsor, Republican Representative Lana Theis, says there’s a gap in the law. She says officials aren’t able to kick a student out of school unless the sexual assault happens on school grounds.
“When we mandate that our children need to be educated, we need to make sure that we’re creating an environment for them where they are absolutely protected.”
Theis says a high school student from Brighton and her mother alerted her to the issue. Gianna was raped by a fellow student off school grounds. Duva and her mother unsuccessfully petitioned the school board when they found out her rapist would be allowed to return to school after he finished his sentence. The assailant has not returned to school.