Defining Violence on the Blackboard: An Overview of the Texas Education Code's Approach to Teen Dating Violence (Comment)

摘要

Texas has taken a pioneering step by creating § 37.0831 of the Texas Education Code (the Teen Dating Violence statute) requiring Texas school districts to implement a dating violence policy in their schools. However, as this Comment will show, the current language of the Texas statute is unassertive and fails to provide school districts with sufficient direction for constructing and implementing an effective dating violence policy. Part II of this Comment outlines the various legal remedies teens in Texas have to protect themselves from dating violence, explains why these legal remedies are insufficient, and argues why the Texas Education Code has the potential to be a more adequate remedy. Part III explores the requirements set forth in the Teen Dating Violence statute, explains the importance of school districts satisfying each requirement, and recommends specific statutory revisions to provide school districts with more direction in satisfying the requirement. I conclude by providing a suggested amended version of the Teen Dating Violence statute designed to guide the Texas legislature and other State governments in creating a statute that is more explanatory and, thus, a more effective weapon against teen dating violence.