GOVERNOR SIGNS KEHOE’S BILL TO ALLOW SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING FOR TEENAGERS

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SAN DIEGO – Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) announced today that the governor signed into law her bill to allow self-defense training for California middle and high school students, in response to the abduction and death of San Diego teenagers Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

“Despite the progress women and girls have made over the last 30 years, they remain targets of sexual assault and other acts of brutality – as illustrated by the deaths of Chelsea and Amber,” Kehoe said. “The reality is that women and girls must always be vigilant in protecting themselves, and this new law will help train them to ward off potential attackers.”

The law, SB 1290, allows school districts to provide self-defense training as part of the standard physical education curriculum for students in grades 7-12. Previous state law permitted such instruction for students only in grades 10-12. The new law is neither a mandate for school districts nor does it stipulate how the course must be taught. SB 1290 enjoys the support of San Diego Unified School District.

In December 2009, a young woman trained in self-defense fought off John Gardner, the man convicted of killing King and Dubois, in the same area in San Diego where King was later murdered.
 


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