Story of Faith's Law
My advocacy journey started with one mousy email that I sent to a state lawmaker several years ago. I had just gone through the criminal justice process as the victim of educator sexual abuse, and I was concerned about some loopholes that I had found. I didn’t really expect to hear back, but to my surprise, she replied that very day! I remember feeling famous when she asked me to join a conference call with her and another lawmaker, and slowly, the ongoing collaboration involved more people.
One bill was filed prior to COVID, but it died (as many others did under the circumstances). Meanwhile, a task force on the topic of school safety was already going to be meeting remotely that year, so I started to call in and make public comments to those meetings. I called attention to the bill that had been filed and tried to share recommendations. Their final report came out that fall, and since the first bill hadn’t moved anyway, a new bill was drafted, incorporating several of the report’s recommendations. The office of legislative sponsor corresponded with me on several drafts, and then right before filing, they asked me if I wanted it named Faith’s Law.
Up until this point, I had been trying to keep my anonymity. It was very surreal to talk about my abuse history in a public way, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be forever known as an abuse victim. However, the thought of having a law named after me was too good to pass up, so I said yes, knowing that meant I would no longer keep that anonymity. I have never regretted that decision, and the fact that the law has my name has allowed me to support the work of survivors and advocates in other states.
Many education stakeholders and child advocates participated in the ongoing drafting and editing process. At first this seemed to slow things down, but I learned the importance of listening to those who work in and around schools, since the implementation of education policy relies upon them.
Along the way, one major portion of the original draft was removed for lack of consensus, but it later passed inside of the trailer bill. The only part of the original draft that has still not been passed is a criminal provision that would have protected students 18 and over. It was made clear after a subject matter hearing that that portion was not going to get through the committee, so it was cut to save the rest of the bill. Several pieces of legislation have been filed since then to try and plug this final loophole, but so far none have passed. (See media coverage below.)
I will always be grateful to Representative Mussman for working so diligently to pass Faith’s Law and improve protections in schools. Many others helped in this effort, including Representative Elik, Senator Bennett, and Senator Connor; groups such as Chicago CAC, S.E.S.A.M.E., and P.A.X.A. (now KIDS TOO); and the education stakeholders who shared important feedback and are now boots on the ground putting Faith’s Law into practice. This bipartisan collaboration led to good policy, and the result is that Illinois students in K-12 schools are safer.
Information about the two laws that together comprise Faith’s Law
News coverage on the criminal loophole