New state law on teen violence is welcomed, but councilman hopes to strengthen it
San Antonio Report, October 25, 2021
A new state law sets minimum standards for how schools teach kids about teen dating and family violence, child abuse and sex trafficking. San Antonio City Councilman Manny Pelaez wants to make these lessons mandatory for students in San Antonio and heighten awareness about domestic violence. “Kids right now learn how to be in a relationship through mostly trial and error,” said Dr. Jeff Temple, director of UTMB Center for Violence Prevention. “Conflicts are inevitable in relationships. In fact, I would say they’re healthy. How we resolve those is what matters—some couples do it terribly with violence and other couples do it healthily. We want to teach those kids how to do it in a healthy way.”