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Bill aimed at curbing dating violence named for local teen

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Staff Report Updated 1:40 AM Tuesday, December 29, 2009

MIDDLETOWN — School districts will have to adopt policies and health education curricula for seventh through 12th graders to prevent and combat teen dating violence under a new bill signed Monday, Dec. 28, by Gov. Ted Strickland.

House Bill 19, dubbed “Tina’s Law,” is named after Tina Croucher, a Middletown area teen who was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend in December 1992.

Her parents, Jim and Elsa Croucher of Monroe, backed the legislation. The couple started Citizens Against Domestic Violence 14 years ago to educate teens and parents about abusive relationships.

Under the law, local boards of education must adopt a policy to prevent and address dating violence at school, train staff on prevention and include dating prevention education for 7th- through 12th-grade health classes. The bill also requires the Ohio Board of Education to develop a dating violence prevention policy for schools.

Ohio will be among only a handful of states with such a law, said Bridget Mahoney, spokeswoman for the Croucher’s foundation.

“We are on the path to making Ohio a lot safer for teens,” Mahoney said. “This is huge.”

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