5141.4

Policy

Students

Child Abuse

The district recognizes its obligation under Nebraska law to report suspected child abuse or neglect cases to local law enforcement or social services personnel. In an effort to help prevent child abuse or neglect, school employees will learn to recognize the symptoms of child abuse, know how to report it, and provide continuing support and encouragement to abused children and their families.

Child abuse is defined as knowingly, intentionally or negligently causing or permitting a minor child to be:

1. Placed in a situation that endangers his or her life or physical or mental health;

2. Cruelly confined or cruelly punished;

3. Deprived of necessary food, clothing, shelter or care;

4. Placed in a situation to be sexually exploited by allowing, encouraging, or forcing such minor child to solicit for or engage in prostitution, debauchery, public indecency, or obscene or pornographic photography, films, or depictions; or

5. Placed in situation to be sexually abused as defined in Neb Statutes 28-319 or 29-320.01.

School employees who have reasonable cause to suspect a child is a victim of abuse or neglect, or who observe conditions that reasonably would result in abuse or neglect, shall report such incidents to the proper authorities.

The employee shall make an oral report to the local law enforcement agency, followed by a written report. The report will include all information required by law including the employee's name and address, name, address and age of abused, address of persons having custody of the child, nature and extent of abuse or the conditions and circumstances which would reasonably result in abuse or neglect, and other information which in the opinion of the person may be helpful in establishing the cause of such abuse or neglect and the identity of the perpetrator or perpetrators.

It is the policy of the district that school employees are not responsible for actual investigation or intervention in child abuse cases. However, they will work cooperatively with law enforcement who are investigating a report of child abuse. Law enforcement and/or the CPS worker will be given access to a child as per Board Policy 1411.

During the investigation of a reported child abuse case, when law enforcement and/or a CPS worker requests information about a student, school employees will provide information regarded as generally obtainable through other sources. It is recognized that access to this information may help to expedite the initial investigation of a case.

Legal Reference: 28-711 Child subjected to abuse or neglect; report; contents; toll-free number.

Adopted: May 7, 1990

Revised: March 18, 2002