Office of Child Advocacy, Implementation and Oversight

June 18, 2003

Memo To All Principals and Pastors of Catholic Elementary Schools

Re: Update on the Personal Safety Curriculum “Talking About Touching” and its Integration into the Catholic Elementary Schools

As you know, the Archdiocese is committed to doing all we can to protect our children, and has implemented comprehensive training and education programs in both our parishes and schools. Whenever new programs are introduced into a large organization such as ours, ongoing communication, information and feedback are key elements to success. With the first year of TAT implementation behind us, we wanted to give you an update on progress, answer some questions and look at the year ahead.

As a recap, we chose the TAT curriculum based on the recommendations of the country’s top researchers and experts in child safety. The best experts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts were engaged in program selection as well. TAT is an award winning, nationally recognized program based on over 20 years of research that demonstrates the qualities of an effective, beneficial personal safety program. This program is supported by research psychologists and other experts because of its thoughtful approach to teaching important personal safety skills to children and its developmentally appropriate content. TAT is used in thousands of schools across North America; indeed it is the longest-standing and most widely-implemented personal safety program in the country. In selecting and integrating the TAT program as a standard part of the Catholic school curriculum, we support a consistency in approach and ensure that we are responding system-wide.

All elementary schools, as well as several private Catholic schools sent representatives to be trained in the curriculum from October 2002 to February 2003, and PreK-4 faculties throughout the Archdiocese have been trained at the local school level. Feedback to our offices indicates that principals and teachers recognize the quality of the curriculum, find it easy to teach, and continue with its implementation. The children have received the program well, enjoy the lessons, and find the discussions helpful. Parents like the fact that they are kept informed on a regular basis about the lessons and appreciate the ability to support the lesson material in the home. Through your dedicated work, our children are being empowered and given a solid foundation in personal safety as well as knowledge about appropriate boundaries between themselves and others, and the skills and confidence necessary to help keep themselves safe in many dangerous situations. TAT is now part and parcel of the Catholic elementary school program in the Archdiocese. This program, in conjunction with the ongoing “Protecting God’s Children” program for parish adults, ensures that we continue to do all we can do as a Catholic family to partner with and keep our parents, parishioners, clergy, employees and volunteers informed about the dangers of child abuse and what we can do to prevent our children from being victimized.

A small number of parents have exercised the ability to opt-out, and asked that their children not participate in the programs due to various concerns. In each case, principals have managed to accommodate the non-participating students without disruption. We ask that you to be sensitive to new parents who may come to you in the Fall with misinformation about the program. Child personal safety programs are now, by policy, a standard part of the Catholic schools’ curriculum and should be explained as such. We strongly encourage you to include TAT in any parent information or orientation evenings for new parents and to encourage them to attend the presentation prior to making a decision. Experience of the past year has shown that after attending the information evening, seeing the curriculum, talking to the teachers who have taught the material, seeing the parent film and parent information letters, talking with parents of children who have attended and getting their questions answered, the vast majority of parents have no problem with the program. However, some parents may still not want their children to participate. To exercise this option, these parents must make this request in writing to the principal.

You can also call the Office of Child Advocacy, Implementation and Oversight for ongoing support and information about TAT. The Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund can also provide a wealth of information about child safety programs, and help facilitate parent information evenings. Also attached to this letter are some frequently asked questions about TAT that may help you in terms of explaining the program.

On the whole, we are very pleased with the progress we have made so far, and the overwhelming support of the pastors, principals, teachers and parents. The program is meeting the goals we hoped it would achieve. Thank you for all your hard work in helping to implement this important safety program. As a parent whose children attended Catholic schools, and as a grandparent of children currently enrolled, I applaud your efforts on behalf of the children of the Archdiocese. It is only by working together as a faith community that we can ensure we are doing everything possible to protect our children and create a safer environment where the scandal of child abuse can be prevented.

If I can be of any further assistance to you in these matters, please let me know.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Deacon Anthony P. Rizzuto
Director
Office of Child Advocacy, Implementation and Oversight

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