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Edited on Sun Nov-06-11 12:56 PM by Are_grits_groceries
Pennsylvania Child Abuse and Neglect Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect
Professionals Required to Report Citation: Cons. Stat. Tit. 23, § 6311
Persons required to report include, but are not limited to: Licensed physicians, osteopaths, medical examiners, coroners, funeral directors, dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, podiatrists, interns, nurses, or hospital personnel Christian Science practitioners or members of the clergy School administrators, teachers, school nurses, social services workers, daycare center workers, or any other child care or foster care workers Mental health professionals Peace officers or law enforcement officials
Reporting by Other Persons......Citation: Cons. Stat. Tit. 23, § 6312
Any person who has reason to suspect that a child is abused or neglected may report.
Standards for Making a Report Citation: Cons. Stat. Tit. 23, § 6311
A report is required when a person, who in the course of employment, occupation, or practice of a profession, comes into contact with children, has reasonable cause to suspect, on the basis of medical, professional, or other training and experience, that a child is a victim of child abuse. **********************
I believe Joe Paterno should be charged along with probably a lot of other people. Sandusky was his hand picked successor, and it had to be hard for Paterno. However, his pain doesn't even begin to approach the scale of pain those kids went through.
The law is somewhat ambiguous, but acting ethically and conscientiously is not. He did the minimum that there was to do when the grad student reported that he saw a kid raped by Sandusky. If that turns your stomach then don't even try to read the indictment. The actions of Sandusky are beyond the pale, but the actions of many others are at the least reprehensible.
These actions involving the football program, athletic department, and gawd knows who else make all other violations look trivial. I'll bet the NCAA would rather eat ground glass than deal with this. Unfortunately for them, they have declared themselves to be the arbiters in punishing programs for misdeeds. They certainly nail students who are accused of breaking the law. Talk about lack of institutional control. They gave SMU the death penalty and disbanded their football program for several years because of recruiting violations. If these accusations are found to be true, at the very least somebody ought to clean house, and I do mean clean it of anybody who had a clue and kept their mouths shut.
I dearly love my alma mater. I am also fanatical about football. If this happened there, it would break my heart, and it would make me madder than hell. I would want to lay waste to it even more than I do Penn State because of the betrayal of the kids and all that a University is supposed to represent. It would also feel like a betrayal to me personally, and I would never look at my diploma the same way again.
If I seem harsh, it's because I consider child abuse to be the lowest and worst crime possible. kids lives are ruined, and the abuse is passed on because some of abused will probably do the same thing. Even convicts despise child molesters.
I keep thinking nothing will ever surprise me again. Sadly, I am proved wrong again.
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