POLICY NUMBER:
500.04
ADOPTED:
3.27.2018
Board Policy
- The Board of Education is committed to the safety of children and students.
- Utah law requires the reporting of child abuse and neglect by any person who has reason to believe that a child has been abused or neglected. (Utah Code §62A-4a-403; R277-401).
- To implement this law, the Board authorizes the District Administration to develop administrative regulations and procedures for school employees to comply with and carry out the intent of the law, subject to review and approval by the Board.
ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION:
500.04-1
APPROVED:
3.27.2018
Duty to Report; Annual Training - 500.04-1
- The Administration recognizes that in order to fully implement the law on reporting of child abuse and neglect, school personnel must be fully informed and made aware of their responsibilities in this area. Therefore, the Administration shall cause that any school employee who knows or reasonably suspects that a child’s health or welfare has been or appears to have been harmed as a result of abuse and neglect shall report and cause reports to be made in accordance with the procedures in this policy.
- School employees shall cooperate with social service and law enforcement agency employees authorized to investigate charges of child abuse and neglect, including:
- allowing appropriate access to students and student records;
- allowing authorized agency employees to interview students consistent with DCFS and local law enforcement protocols;
- making no contact with the parents or legal guardians of children being questioned by DCFS or local law enforcement authorities; and
- maintaining appropriate confidentiality.
- The Administration shall provide to all employees annual training on the subject of identifying and reporting children suspected of being abused or neglected.
- The Administration shall annually train all school employees regarding District procedures for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect and the District’s Child Abuse-Neglect reporting form.
ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION:
500.04-2
APPROVED:
3.27.2018
Reporting Requirements - 500.04-2
- If a school employee knows or reasonably suspects that a child is being abused or neglected, the employee shall immediately make an oral report to the school principal or his/her designee. Together, the principal or his/her designee and the employee must make immediate contact with the local law enforcement agency, or the Division of Child and Family Services to report the suspected abuse or neglect.
- Within 24 hours after making the oral report, the school employee initiating the report shall complete and give to the principal or his/her designee the District’s Child Abuse-Neglect reporting form.
- Upon receiving the District’s Child Abuse-Neglect reporting form, the principal or his/her designee shall:
- Distribute one copy within 24 hours to Legal Services to be put in the Child Abuse-Neglect file at the District Office.
- Place one copy of all reported cases of suspected child abuse or neglect in a separate file to be maintained by the principal or his/her designee. The Child Abuse-Neglect reporting form shall not be placed in the child’s personal file.
- It is not the responsibility to the school personnel to prove that the child has been abused or neglected, or determine whether the child is in need of protection. Communication with a child should not be beyond what is necessary to support a reason to believe that reportable problem exists.
- School employees shall not make contact with the child’s family or other persons (relatives, friends, neighbors, etc.) for the purpose of determining the cause of the injury and/or apparent neglect.
- School employees are immune from any civil and/or criminal liability when reporting in good faith suspected child abuse or neglect.
- Any school employee who willfully fails to report a case of suspected child abuse or neglect, may face legal and/or disciplinary action.
Exhibits
None
Forms
None
Document History
Revised – 3.27.2018. – Policy – 500.04 – Reporting Child Abuse/Child Protection was updated to add language for training and reporting requirements consistent with state law. Specifically, the update includes
language for school employees to cooperate with social service and law enforcement agencies authorized to conduct investigations and language outlining the statutory duty and district procedures for school employees and administrators to report suspected abuse.
Revised – 3.27.2012. – Policy – 500.04 – Reporting Child Abuse/Child Protection was updated to allow for additional internal district communication regarding reports of child abuse. Minor edits were also made to align the policy with existing statutory authority regarding: 1) notice to school employees regarding immunity from criminal or civil liability for reporting child abuse and neglect, and 2) notice to school employees that failure to report child abuse and neglect may lead to legal or disciplinary action.
Adopted – 11.11.86.
This online presentation is an electronic representation of the Canyons School District’s currently adopted policy manual. It does not reflect updating activities in progress. The official, authoritative manual is available for inspection in the office of the Superintendent located at 9361 South 300 East Sandy, UT 84070.
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