NORTH PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Administrative Regulations
5147(a)
STUDENTS
Reference: Board Policy #5147
Elementary and Secondary
Welfare
Child Abuse Reporting
5147(b)
In the event of suspected child abuse, North Penn School District personnel must follow the
procedures as required by law.
In accordance with the Child Protective Services Law, school employees who have reasonable
cause to suspect that a child is a victim of child abuse shall immediately make a report to the
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
The term “child abuse” shall mean intentionally, knowingly or recklessly doing any of the following:
(1)
Causing bodily injury to a child through any recent act or failure to act.
(2)
Fabricating, feigning or intentionally exaggerating or inducing a medical symptom or
disease which results in a potentially harmful medical evaluation or treatment to the child
through any recent act.
(3)
Causing or substantially contributing to serious mental injury to a child through any act or
failure to act or a series of such acts or failures to act.
(4)
Causing sexual abuse or exploitation of a child through any act or failure to act.
(5)
Creating a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury to a child through any recent act or
failure to act.
(6)
Creating a likelihood of sexual abuse or exploitation of a child through any recent act or
failure to act.
(7)
Causing serious physical neglect of a child.
(8)
Engaging in any of the following recent acts:
(i)
Kicking, biting, throwing, burning, stabbing or cutting a child in a manner that
endangers the child.
(ii)
Unreasonably restraining or confining a child, based on consideration of the
method, location or the duration of the restraint or confinement.
(iii)
Forcefully shaking a child under one year of age.
(iv)
Forcefully slapping or otherwise striking a child under one year of age.
(v)
Interfering with the breathing of a child.
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5147(b)
(vi)
Causing a child to be present at a location while a violation of 18 Pa.C.S. § 7508.2
(relating to operation of methamphetamine laboratory) is occurring, provided that
the violation is being investigated by law enforcement.
(vii) Leaving a child unsupervised with an individual, other than the child's parent, who
the actor knows or reasonably should have known:
(a) Is required to register as a tier ii or tier iii sexual offender under 42 Pa.C.S. Ch.
97 Subch. H (relating to registration of sexual offenders), where the victim of the
sexual offense was under 18 years of age when the crime was committed.
(b) Has been determined to be a sexually violent predator under 42 Pa.C.S. §
9799.24 (relating to assessments) or any of its predecessors.
(c) Has been determined to be a sexually violent delinquent child as defined in 42
Pa.C.S. § 9799.12 (relating to definitions).
(9)
Causing the death of the child through any act or failure to act.
“Immunity from liability: Any person, hospital, institution, school, facility, or agency participating in
good faith in making a report, cooperating with an investigation...shall have immunity from any
liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise result by reason of such action...”
“Cooperation with an investigation shall include, but shall not be limited to, a school or school district
and Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth (OCY) which permits interviews to be
conducted at Mission Kids as per OCY’s internal policies.
NOTE: It is requested by the District Attorney’s Office that the child not be interviewed at school
(only the minimal facts).
The procedures for reporting suspected child abuse are to be followed as indicated below:
1.
The school employee who has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a victim of child
abuse shall immediately make an oral report of suspected child abuse to the Department of
Human Services via the State-wide telephone number, 1-800-932-0313, or a written report
using electronic technology as provided by the Department of Human Services. The school
employee’s oral report may be made in the presence of a district administrator or counselor if
such an individual is immediately available. Under no circumstances may the unavailability of
a school administrator or counselor delay the reporting of suspected child abuse by a school
employee.
2.
School employees who have made an oral report of suspected child abuse must immediately
thereafter notify the building principal or assistant principal, or the school employee’s
immediate supervisor when he/she is not under the direct supervision of a building-level
administrator, of the suspected child abuse.
3.
Within forty-eight (48) hours, the school employee shall, as a follow-up to the oral report, make
a written report to OCY, Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth, 1430 DeKalb
Street, P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19401-0311. To the extent that such information is
known, the written report shall contain the following:
 The names and addresses of the child, the child’s parents and any other person
responsible for the child’s welfare.
 Where the suspected abuse occurred.
 The age and sex of each subject of the report.
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 The nature and extent of the suspected child abuse, including any evidence of prior abuse
to the child or any sibling of the child.
 The name and relationship of each individual responsible for causing the suspected abuse
and any evidence of prior abuse by each individual.
 Family composition.
 The source of the report.
 The name, telephone number and e-mail address of the person making the report.
 The actions taken by the person making the report.
4.
Once notified by a school employee that a report of suspected child abuse has been made,
the building principal or assistant principal or other supervisor of school employees shall
facilitate the cooperation of the district with the investigation of the report.
5. When there is a concern about the immediate safety of a child, the local police should be
notified.
Note: only police officers and judges are permitted to take children into protective custody.
6. In the event OCY requests a student be interviewed on school site, for child abuse/neglect, the
principal/designee shall take the following action:



Examine interviewer’s identification
Participate in the interview to provide support for student, if necessary
Keep a record of the names of participants, dates, and times of all in-school interviews and
place in counselor’s file.
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