The Great Neck School District is considering revising its Policy on Reporting Child Abuse, Neglect and Maltreatment in order to include additional reporters required for such complaints. This change is to bring the policy up to compliance with New York State laws. The law, and the revision, specifies that, effective July 1, 2015, full-time or part-time athletic coaches must now be listed as mandated reporters. Therefore the revised policy was proposed for a mandated amendment.
New York State law, as amended on July 3, 2007, mandates that school personnel report all cases of suspected child abuse and maltreatment immediately to child protective services (CPS), in order to emphasize the urgency of such suspected instances. The revision also includes permitting child protective services workers to examine pupil records, interview allegedly abused and maltreated pupils and to remove such pupils from school into protective custody if potential danger to their welfare warrants such removal.
The purpose of this mandatory reporting is to identify youngsters suspected as being abused, neglected or maltreated, in order to protect them from any possible further harm.
School professionals identified as mandated reporters include, but are not limited to: full-time or part-time athletic coach, nurse, psychologist, social worker, teacher and any other school employee required to hold a license or certificate.
The policy also addresses penalties for failure to report; immunity and protection for the reporter; definitions of child abuse, neglect and maltreatment; staff reporting responsibilities; reporting procedures; confidentiality of reports; access to school records; physical examinations; interviews on school property; protective custody; court orders; reporting of deaths; and child abuse, neglect and maltreatment training.
Since this was only the first of at least three required public hearings, no decision was made.
