San Diego County Grand Jury • 2022-2023

Ab 1227 Human Trafficking the Fight Against Child Trafficking

Published: May 16, 2023 24 pages
View Original PDF

Findings 6 findings

F01
County of San Diego school districts and administrators have no legal responsibility to protect, or liability for, students involved in off-campus activities being victimized by human traffickers. Fact: Children engaged in non-school sponsored extracurricular activities at high-risk of being targeted by human traffickers. Fact: Children of all ages are spending increasingly more time on social media, on-line chat rooms, and gaming platforms. Fact: The preferred venue for solicitation of minors by human traffickers is on-line chat rooms, social media and gaming platforms that are not regulated by school administrators, nor under their specific responsibility. Fact: Education Code § 35160 provides “school districts” with permissive authority to: “initiate and carry on any program, activity, or may otherwise act in any manner which is not in conflict with or inconsistent with, or preempted by, any law and which is not in conflict with the purposes for which school districts are established.”
F02
Education Code § 35160 provides the SDCOE with a vehicle to guide all 42 school districts in incorporating AB 1227 training into their curricula.
F03
The SDCOE has in place the framework with the Human Trafficking School Safety Protocols (HTSSP) to solicit more parent involvement. Fact: The percentage of children that are special needs in California is approx. 12.5 %, with San Diego County at 14.8 %. Fact: The Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPA) network is a coalition of school districts with the goal of ensuring special needs children receive the necessary education they deserve. It is administered by the San Diego County Office of Education. Fact: There are seven SELPA districts in San Diego County.
F04
The San Diego County SELPA network is uniquely positioned to ensure that all special needs children in the County receive the valuable education that AB 1227 promises. Fact: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Advisory Council developed Recommended Protocols for Schools and ensure all administrators, staff and teachers are trained in human trafficking. Fact: The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (HTTF) is a cooperative of Law Enforcement Agencies and the District Attorney Office to proactively disrupt and dismantle human trafficking activities through a comprehensive and collaborative effort. Fact: The HTTF has minimal visibility within school districts across the San Diego County. Fact: The San Diego Trafficking Prevention Collective (SDTPC) provides teachers an end-to-end prevention education program that aims to protect every student from exploitation. Fact: The SDCOE staff provides, through the Train the Trainers (TOT) program, training, technical assistance, and direct services to assist school districts in developing and supporting their Comprehensive School Safety Plans which include Active Shooter, Safety Planning, Threat Assessment, and Crisis Intervention and Recovery.
F05
The SDCOE Train the Trainers (TOT) program currently does not specifically address human trafficking in the training curriculum. Fact: The SDCOE Expanded Learning and Community Engagement Program works with all 42 school districts to develop and implement before and after school programs that entice students and parents to engage in extracurricular activities.
F06
The SDCOE Expanded Learning and Community Engagement Program currently does not include human trafficking training as part of extracurricular programs.

Recommendations 14

Agency Responses 3

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.