Litchfield Elementary School District employees with direct knowledge that a child has been abused or neglected would be required to immediately report it to the Arizona Department of Child Safety under policy revisions before the governing board Tuesday.
The proposed policy states that mandatory reporters may not delegate that responsibility to another person. It follows a new state law that will take affect Sept. 12.
The board reviewed the changes during an Aug. 25 special meeting but did not vote on them. Members agreed to treat the proposals as first readings and bring them back for possible approval at a future meeting.
Board member Kimberly Moran supported allowing more time for district employees and members of the public to review the policies.
“Historically, we’ve always given the public more of a chance to have input before we just put these policies out there and then, 48 hours later, approve them,” Moran said.
Under the proposed mandatory-reporting policy, all district employees — including substitute teachers — and board members are mandatory reporters.
Employees and board members who reasonably believe a child has suffered abuse, neglect, a nonaccidental physical injury or certain criminal offenses must report the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency, DCS or tribal law enforcement.
“The changes here are that we must report immediately,” Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Benjamin said. “All mandated reporters have a duty to report ... and, if they have direct knowledge that a minor is or has been the victim of abuse or neglect, report immediately to the Department of Child Safety.”
Benjamin said the district already trains employees to follow those procedures.
“This is the training that we have been doing and will continue to do,” she said. “It just now states it in our policy.”
The proposed policy cautions that reporting suspected abuse to a supervisor, another district employee, a school resource officer or a school safety officer does not necessarily fulfill a mandatory reporter’s legal obligation.
Reports to DCS are sufficient only when the alleged abuse or neglect was committed by the child’s parent, legal guardian or custodian, according to the proposed language. Other suspected crimes must be reported to the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction.
The revisions also require employees and board members to submit a written report to the State Board of Education when they reasonably suspect a district employee or third-party contractor has engaged in reportable conduct involving a child.
A report must be made as soon as reasonably possible and no later than three business days after the allegation is received.
The changes are associated with Senate Bill 1127 and provisions of Arizona law governing the reporting of child abuse and employee misconduct.
Moran questioned whether board members should receive more training on their own reporting obligations.
“I know that the mandatory reporting requirement also extends to board members,” she said. “I have never received specific training on that. I don’t know if other board members have, or if it’s something that we should consider.”
Benjamin said the subject could be placed on a future agenda.
“It is a requirement that the board does do mandatory reporting,” she said. “Last year, when this policy came up, Dr. Duzy spoke a little bit about it, but it was definitely not a thorough professional development opportunity.”
A separate policy reviewed Tuesday would expand access for DCS investigators working on district campuses.
“The district will not prohibit a DCS caseworker from speaking to any school employee, contractor or volunteer,” Benjamin said. “This is new information. We’ve not ever had that part of it.”
Previously, Benjamin said, a principal typically would be made available when a caseworker had questions.
“Now they’re saying that any employee or volunteer who might have information would be required to share,” she said.
The proposed policy also states DCS caseworkers must be given access to educational records relevant to an investigation. Benjamin said the district has provided those records when requested.
The child-safety measures were among several proposed policy revisions the board reviewed in response to new state legislation and updated guidance from the Arizona School Risk Retention Trust.
“I have always erred on the conservative side of allowing the public or staff or anyone else who might have input on our policies to be able to give that input and feedback,” Moran said.
“Tonight, we’ll just do all of these as a first read, and we’ll bring them back next time,” Governing Board President Melissa Zuiderma said.
The board is expected to consider approving the policies at its next meeting.
Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Meet Stacy Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.
Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.
Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!
Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.
Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.
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