Rhode Island Moms Fight Loophole in Consent Laws That Allow Teachers to Engage in Sexual Relationships with Teen Students...There Are No Words...

by Ashley St Clair at The Post Millennial

States representatives in Rhode Island have launched a bipartisan effort in the House and Senate to close a disturbing loophole in Rhode Island’s consent laws.

In Rhode Island, the age of consent is currently 16. Disturbingly, Rhode Island allows sexual relationships between 14-year-olds and adults, as long as it is consensual and as long as there is no penetration.

Regardless of general consent laws, most states have additional legislation that, regardless of age of consent, sexual relationships between school teachers and their students are prohibited— except for Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

As a result of this loophole, a school teacher in Rhode Island is legally allowed to have a sexual, nonpenetrative relationship with a 14-year-old child and a sexual relationship with penetration with a 16-year-old child.

Enraged mothers, politicians, and advocates have joined forces to pass legislation “that will close a loophole that allows those in positions of authority to engage in sexual relations with children.”

For four years (maybe 5?) I have unsuccessfully advocated for a change to RI law to make it illegal for teachers and school employees to have sexual relationships with their students once they turn 14.

Today we are the closest we’ve ever been to finally making this happen. pic.twitter.com/b7ns2LZMFV

— Erika Sanzi (@esanzi) May 16, 2022

Erika Sanzi, Director of Outreach at Parents Defending Education, is one of…