Albany, NY – Lawmakers Move To Require College Staff To Report Child Abuse

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    Albany, NY – In the wake of the child sex-abuse scandal currently convulsing Penn State University, and has led to the firing of the school’s legendary football coach Joe Paterno, two New York state lawmakers on Friday announced plans to introduce legislation that would make it a crime for college staff to fail to report child abuse.

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    Former Penn State football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has been charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse of young boys who were taking part in a charity program. Paterno, who holds the record for most wins by a college football coach, and the university’s president, Graham Spanier, were fired this week for allegedly covering up the scandal after an assistant coach in 2002 saw Sandusky raping a boy in a Penn State locker room and reported it to Paterno. Two other university officials were charged with perjury and failing to report child abuse.

    New York state law currently requires public-school teachers and officials, doctors, social workers, police officers and some other professionals to report child abuse. The proposed bill would add college staff, including professors, coaches and administrators, to that list, making failure to report a class A misdemeanor.

    “Given that many colleges and universities offer athletic and academic programs to children, we need to make sure that a situation like what occurred at Penn State does not happen in New York,” Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, a Republican from the Albany area, said in a statement.

    “If you witness child abuse and do not feel compelled to alert authorities you might fail a moral test, but as the law is written in New York State you may not be held accountable legally,” Assemblyman George Amedore, a Republican also from the Capital region, said in a release.

    The lawmakers said they will introduce the bill immediately, though the legislature is not scheduled to reconvene until January.

    A call to United University Professors, a union that represents 34,000 professors in the state university system, was not immediately returned.


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    20 Comments
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    shredready
    shredready
    12 years ago

    they should require yeshivas and other religious schools to report

    but the big powers will oppose that, like they did before and make sure religious school are not required to report by law. Showing they are really more worried about their institutions than the safety of children no matter what lip service they say
    interesting bed fellows but they will and do and did work together concerning this important issue

    The Catholic church and of course Agudath Israel

    shame on them

    12 years ago

    Start in New Square and Monsey and forget about Albany. Little kids are being molested as I write this.

    Gregaaron
    Gregaaron
    12 years ago

    This is stupid. Staff at a college are no more likely to find out about ongoing abuse than anyone else.

    Facts1
    Facts1
    12 years ago

    Way to go!

    Lets over react and give 400 years for failing to report “alleged” abuse.

    Every incident a new Law.

    shimonyehuda
    shimonyehuda
    12 years ago

    why would it not be required?

    enlightened-yid
    enlightened-yid
    12 years ago

    I think child abuse at university/college level is very unusual and rare. You normally do not find children on college campuses. Sandusky created his own charity program from orphaned and troubled boys where he preyed on. His connections with Penn State allowed him to bring these boys to there; otherwise, you would never find a 10 or 15 year old anywhere near a university, let alone in a shower room of some gym.
    This law does not hurt but if NY state is really concerned for kids, such a law must apply across the board for every public and PRIVATE institutions of learning, sports centers, music schools, tutoring centers etc that cater to young children. The law should not exempt private religious schools who resist child safety laws to report child abuse in their institutions.

    ablydec
    ablydec
    12 years ago

    Good morning. Teachers and school staff ARE mandated reporters already. Getting 100% enforcement is, of course, the next step. Education helps. As horrible as this is, we’re doing better than we used to be at not sweeping it under the rug.

    12 years ago

    Perhaps the reason legislation is needed is because colleges and universities cater to the adult population where a victim does not fall under the category of child abuse. However, in the Penn State situation, as was pointed out in the article, there are situations where minors are on college campuses for various reasons, the laws of reporting need to include need not exclude those who have supervisory or helping capacities over children. The same statement needs to extend to the “exceptions”, and I refer to religious and not-for-profit based organizations. No exclusions.

    Having stated my position, I once again react to Shredready’s barb shot at Agudah. If the progress made thus far is going unnoticed, then someone is either blind or in complete denial. This requires either an eye doctor or a therapist. The schmutz throwing is not acceptable. I am among those who recognizes too well the shortcomings of the past, with policies and positions that were disastrous. But true progress is made working with the system, not against it. Shame on those who spend their time and energy being mevazeh our leaders.