Franklin County residents push Legislature to adopt sexual abuse prevention bills

Rowe resident Erin Laffond speaks at a legislative briefing on child sexual abuse last week.

Rowe resident Erin Laffond speaks at a legislative briefing on child sexual abuse last week. COURTESY PHOTO/SEN. JOAN LOVELY’S OFFICE

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

Staff Writer

Published: 06-30-2025 2:05 PM

BOSTON — Survivors say proposed bills aiming to expand protections for children against sexual abuse will help them feel safe and empowered.

Franklin County residents testified on Beacon Hill last week on proposed legislation that would require stricter screening and hiring practices; require training policies for schools, athletics programs and other youth-serving organizations; extend the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits regarding child abuse; and create criminal penalties for teachers, coaches and other adults in positions of trust or authority who enter into romantic or sexual relationships with students, even those over the age of consent, which is 16 in Massachusetts.

Joining speakers at the legislative briefing hosted by state Sen. Joan Lovely was 24-year-old Erin Laffond of Rowe, who told state legislators that if passed, the bills would help protect children against adults wishing to cause them harm and empower them to speak up when they feel unsafe.

“No young person should ever feel like their voice is being silenced by an adult,” Laffond said. “Please make the right choice and pass these bills. … Please help me feel empowered.”

Berkshire District Attorney Tim Shugrue said throughout his career he has seen the law fail to protect 16- and 17-year-olds time and time again, as proving a lack of consent is difficult. He added that while they are legally old enough to consent, these teens cannot truly consent to relationships with adults who have power over their grades, athletic careers and futures.

“Let me be blunt — high school-aged children cannot enter into consensual sexual relationships with those who are in positions of trust or positions of authority,” Shugrue said. “Such relationships are built by predators who use calculated grooming techniques to trick their unknowing victims into believing they are consenting. This is not acceptable.”

Shugrue said the bills were first proposed to legislators more than a decade ago. Passing them now would help Massachusetts catch up with the 39 other states across the nation that have adopted similar legislation to protect minors who have experienced sexual assault.

Jetta Bernier, executive director of Enough Abuse, a nonprofit child advocacy organization, said at least five accusations have been filed against teachers, coaches and staff so far in 2025 for allegedly sexually abusing students, including at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School in South Hadley, STEM Middle Academy in Springfield, and cases against teachers and a principal working in Needham Public Schools.

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“In Franklin County the same thing is going on,” said Rowe resident Lori Laffond, referring to the case involving her niece Erin Laffond, who filed a lawsuit against a former high school coach for alleged sexual assault. “Had you passed these laws, we wouldn’t be here today.”

Erin Laffond told legislators that throughout her teenage years, she was abused by her ski coach at Mohawk Trail Regional School, who was also her boss at her job at Pelham Lake Park in Rowe.

“He emotionally and psychologically manipulated me by using these positions of superiority as a recognized community member to disguise his actions. And he took advantage of the power that his roles gave him, using his reputation as leverage to keep me quiet,” she said. “I became so lost in what was OK and what wasn’t.”

Laffond said the abuse impacted her mental health, her understanding of boundaries and her trust in adults. She urged legislators to pass the bills to prevent more children from facing the same experiences.

A complete list of bills included in the child sexual abuse prevention package can be found at enoughabuse.org and can be read in their entirety at malegislature.gov

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.