Bill > H1263

This bill redefines "juvenile sexual abuse" to encompass any sexual behavior by a child that occurs without consent, equality, or as a result of coercion, with definitions provided for each of these terms, and it removes the age requirement from the definition of a child who has exhibited inappropriate sexual behavior. It mandates that reports involving juvenile sexual abuse or a child exhibiting inappropriate sexual behavior must be reported to the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) central abuse hotline, and it outlines specific duties for handling these reports, including ensuring that a child's history of juvenile sexual abuse is included in their electronic record and that placement decisions consider the needs of all children involved. The bill also clarifies that information about a child's history of juvenile sexual abuse can be disclosed to school superintendents and makes other technical amendments to existing statutes.