Overview of the Nation’s Most Comprehensive Protections for Student Survivors of Sexual Harassment & Violence: California Senate Bill 493
Date: June 22, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM
Price: Free
Last year, in response to attacks on students’ civil rights at
the federal level, Governor Newsom signed SB 493 (Jackson) into
law. This law will ensure that California institutions of higher
education have adequate processes in place to respond to
allegations of sex-based discrimination, including sexual
harassment and sexual violence. This is necessary to ensure that
all students receive equal access to education, as required by
existing law. Among its provisions, SB 493 contains notice and
posting requirements so that students know how to report sexual
harassment and violence; transparent procedures for investigating
complaints to ensure a fair and equitable process for all
parties; as well as required trauma-informed and other training
for school officials involved in the process. SB 493 takes effect
January 1, 2022.
Please join Equal Rights Advocates and the California Partnership
to End Domestic Violence for an overview of the new protections
required under SB 493 and a discussion on how to ensure effective
implementation of the nation’s most comprehensive student civil
rights law.
Presenter(s):
Brenda Star Adams
Brenda leads ERA’s impact litigation and education equity work,
and oversees ERA’s direct services programs, which provide
advice, information, and limited scope representation to students
and employees across the country facing gender discrimination.
Brenda provides training, support, and technical assistance on
ERA’s policy work and to ERA’s Pro Bono network of attorneys.
Prior to joining ERA, Brenda spent over 7 years representing
survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in family law
and immigration cases, and 4 years representing low-income
tenants and families facing eviction in the East Bay.
Jessica Stender
Jessica serves as Senior Counsel for Workplace Justice & Public
Policy at Equal Rights Advocates. She leads policy advocacy, with
a focus on sexual harassment, pay equity, pregnancy
discrimination, and education civil rights, and represents
workers in employment discrimination cases. Jessica is the
Co-Chair of the Stronger California Advocates Network, a
statewide coalition promoting policy reform to improve the
economic security of women and families in California. She is
also is Co-Chair of the Women’s Rights Committee of the American
Bar Association’s Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice,
Co-Chair of the Policy Committee of the National Taskforce on
Tradeswomen Issues, and a member of the Policy Committee of the
national Equal Pay Today! campaign. Jessica regularly speaks and
writes about issues related to gender equity and legislative
advocacy.
Jessica can be reached at jstender@equalrights.org or
415.575.2394.
Questions? Please contact Christine Smith, christine@cpedv.org
Please note: You will need a login to register, and can create one on the registration page.