New laws Take Effect in Colorado 2022

Senate Bill 21-017, or the Sexual Contact By An Educator act, states that a teacher who subjects a high school student who is 18 years old or older to “sexual intrusion or sexual penetration” has committed the crime of abuse of public trust, a class 1 misdemeanor, by an educator if the teacher is at least four years older than the student. According to the act, consent by the student is not a defense to the crime of abuse of public trust.

The act requires school districts to report if an employee is dismissed or resigns over allegations of sexual acts with a student 18 years old or older, if the allegations are supported by “a preponderance of the evidence.”