The Love Is Not Abuse curriculum is a step-by step guide to teaching high school students about the issue of dating violence. Using literature and poetry, this program provides teachers with the tools to teach about this sensitive subject and is intended to be taught in either Health or English/Language Arts classes.

Our goals are to distribute this curriculum to all schools across the U.S. states and territories and educate as many teenagers on this issue as possible. With the help of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Inc. (FCCLA), a nonprofit national career and technical student organization for young men and women in family and consumer sciences education in public and private schools through grade 12, and other partners, over 11,000 schools and organizations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and abroad will have requested the curriculum by February 2010.

Since its debut, the curriculum has been updated in order to stay current with the changing issues and concerns of today’s teen relationships and is the first curriculum to include lessons specifically addressing technology and cyber-abuse in dating relationships. In February 2007, Liz Claiborne Inc. updated the curriculum to include information about loveisrespect.org, The National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, which operates via telephone 24 hours a day (866-331-9474) and live chats on the web. Additionally, in February 2010 it became the first curriculum to include lessons specifically addressing technology and cyber-abuse in dating relationships.

Handouts and brochures are available at no additional cost to complement the Love Is Not Abuse curriculum. It also offers teachers detailed information about the scope of the problem and how to respond to students in need of assistance.

The curriculum is free-of-charge, easily accessible and available online here.