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Important statute change on child abuse reporting
07/24/2017

As you enter a new school year, there is an important update to the state’s child abuse reporting requirements for school employees.

ISTA legal counsel Eric Hylton offered the below information to keep you up-to-date on how, when and where to report suspected cases of child abuse.

As of July 1, 2017, IC 31-33-5-2 now requires the school employee to immediately report suspected child abuse or neglect to the Department of Child Services (DCS) or to a local law enforcement agency, and then notify the principal or the principal’s designee that a report has been made.

To recap, the new law requires the school employee to report suspected child abuse or neglect to DCS or to a local law enforcement agency before notifying their principal or the principal’s designee that a report has been made. The new law also states at IC 31-33-5-5 that a school, “may not establish any policy that restricts or delays the duty of an employee or individual to report under this chapter.” The DCS number to call to report suspected child abuse or neglect is 800-800-5556.

Prior to July 1, 2017, the Indiana child abuse reporting law (IC 31-33-5) required that any school employee, “who has reason to believe that a child is a victim of child abuse or neglect,” must make an immediate report to their principal or the principal’s designee, and the principal or designee was then required to immediately report the allegation to the DCS or to a local law enforcement agency.

If you have any questions regarding this new policy, please connect with your UniServ director