RCW 72.40.270 Protection from sexual victimization—Policy.

(1) The schools shall implement a policy for the children who reside at the schools protecting those who are vulnerable to sexual victimization by other children who are sexually aggressive and residing at the schools. The policy shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:

(a) Development and use of an assessment process for identifying children, within thirty days of beginning residence at the schools, who present a moderate or high risk of sexually aggressive behavior for the purposes of this section. The assessment process need not require that every child who is adjudicated or convicted of a sex offense as defined in RCW 9.94A.030 be determined to be sexually aggressive, nor shall a sex offense adjudication or conviction be required in order to determine a child is sexually aggressive. Instead, the assessment process shall consider the individual circumstances of the child, including his or her age, physical size, sexual abuse history, mental and emotional condition, and other factors relevant to sexual aggressiveness. The definition of "sexually aggressive youth" in RCW 74.13.075 does not apply to this section to the extent that it conflicts with this section;

(b) Development and use of an assessment process for identifying children, within thirty days of beginning residence at the schools, who may be vulnerable to victimization by children identified under (a) of this subsection as presenting a moderate or high risk of sexually aggressive behavior. The assessment process shall consider the individual circumstances of the child, including his or her age, physical size, sexual abuse history, mental and emotional condition, and other factors relevant to vulnerability;

(c) Development and use of placement criteria to avoid assigning children who present a moderate or high risk of sexually aggressive behavior to the same sleeping quarters as children assessed as vulnerable to sexual victimization, except that they may be assigned to the same multiple-person sleeping quarters if those sleeping quarters are regularly monitored by visual surveillance equipment or staff checks;

(d) Development and use of procedures for minimizing, within available funds, unsupervised contact in the residential facilities of the schools between children presenting moderate to high risk of sexually aggressive behavior and children assessed as vulnerable to sexual victimization. The procedures shall include taking reasonable steps to prohibit any child residing at the schools who present a moderate to high risk of sexually aggressive behavior from entering any sleeping quarters other than the one to which they are assigned, unless accompanied by an authorized adult.

(2) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(a) "Sleeping quarters" means the bedrooms or other rooms within a residential facility where children are assigned to sleep.

(b) "Unsupervised contact" means contact occurring outside the sight or hearing of a responsible adult for more than a reasonable period of time under the circumstances.

[ 2000 c 125 § 10.]

NOTES:

Conflict with federal requirements—2000 c 125: See note following RCW 72.40.200.