Uintah School District Child Abuse-Neglect Reporting

Abuse Includes: Actual or threatened non-accidental physical or mental harm; Negligent treatment; Sexual exploitation; or Any sexual abuse.

Neglect Includes: Abandonment of a child; Subjecting a child to mistreatment or abuse; Lack of proper parental care by reason of the faults or habits of the parent, guardian, or custodian; Failure or refusal of a parent, guardian, or custodian to provide proper or necessary subsistence, or medical care, including surgery or psychiatric services when required, or any other care necessary for his/her health, safety, morals, or well being; or A child at risk of being neglected or abused because another child in the same home is neglected or abused.

Neglect does not include… A parent or guardian legitimately practicing religious beliefs and who, for that reason, does not provide specified medical treatment for a child. (62A-4A-101) et seq.

Reporting Requirement Every person who has reason to believe that a child has been subject to abuse or neglect shall immediately notify the nearest peace officer, law enforcement agency or officer of the State Division of Human Services. Employees are asked to notify their supervisor as well. It is not the responsibility of school employees to prove that the child has been abused or neglected, or determine whether the child is in need of protection.

Reporting Requirement Any school employee who has reason to believe that a child has been subject to incest, molestation, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse or neglect, or who observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances which would reasonably result in sexual abuse, physical abuse, or neglect shall immediately notify the nearest peace officer, law enforcement agency, or office of the Division of Child and Family Services (62A-4A-403), and the building principal.

Additional Reporting Requirements: In addition, a school district employee who has reasonable cause to believe that a student may have been physically or sexually abused by a school employee shall immediately report the belief and all other relevant information to the school principal, superintendent, or to the Utah State Office of Education. A school administrator who has received such a report, or who otherwise has reasonable cause to believe that such physical or sexual abuse of a student by an educator has occurred, shall immediately report that information to the Utah State Office of Education.

Additional Reporting Requirements: Failure to comply with this requirement shall be considered unprofessional conduct, as outlined in UCA 53A-6-502 and 53A-6-103(13).

Responsibility of the Employee: It is not the responsibility of school employees to investigate or to prove that the child has been abused or neglected, or to determine whether the child is in need of protection. Investigations and notification of parents are the responsibilities of the Division of Child and Family Services (see R 277-401-3).

Cooperation: School employees shall cooperate with social services and law enforcement agency employees authorized to investigate charges of child abuse and neglect, assisting as asked, as members of interdisciplinary child protection teams in providing protective, diagnostic, assessment, treatment, and coordination services.

Anonymity The identity of a school employee making a report of child abuse or neglect shall not be released to any person or entity except to those responding in an official capacity to investigate the report made; An employee shall not promise confidentiality to a student in order to obtain information about possible abuse. If a student offers to provide information but requests anonymity or confidentiality, the staff member shall advise the student that he or she (the staff member) may be required to disclose the information; the student may then choose to disclose the information or not.

Other than reporting to Law Enforcement or Child Protective Services personnel or the child’s principal, the employee should not discuss any suspected abuse with any other person, unless authorized to do so by law.

For further information see Uintah School District Policy: 007.0710