Joe Paterno to resign at end of season

[Sheldonrs]

Bottom line, if a child is in danger or even if you just SUSPECT a child is in danger, YOU CALL THE COPS FIRST! Not your boss and then wait for further instructions.

[Nirvana]

<whs double

[Rrrraven]

Originally Posted by Sheldonrs

Bottom line, if a child is in danger or even if you just SUSPECT a child is in danger, YOU CALL THE COPS FIRST! Not your boss and then wait for further instructions.

Right on. What I see consistently are schools who have a policy or procedure in place that says if you suspect child abuse or neglect you report to your superior or a designated person - like the school counselor and then they report or make the decision to report or not. The problem with handing your information off to someone else is that it becomes second or third hand information - you may feel better for reporting but it doesn't always get called in. Most mandated reporter laws are pretty clear. You suspect, you report. Period.

The crimes committed in PA don't surprise me one bit, it's happening right now all over the country. What I find surprising is the discussion in the media and in the streets of State College, PA pondering the firings, folks getting angry because someone or another lost their job - actual discussion/questioning about who is responsible or not. I find it pretty horrific that anyone would question holding responsible every single person who knew of the abuse and did not report to the authorities.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Sheldonrs

Bottom line, if a child is in danger or even if you just SUSPECT a child is in danger, YOU CALL THE COPS FIRST! Not your boss and then wait for further instructions.

The law down here requires that. If you're any kind of teacher, child-supervisor, medical professoinal or have any other contact with a child, if you have grounds to SUSPECT child abuse you MUST report it to an appropriate authority - principal, boss, police. Failure to do so is a criminal act.

As it should be.

[tw]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

The law down here requires that. If you're any kind of teacher, child-supervisor, medical professoinal or have any other contact with a child, if you have grounds to SUSPECT child abuse you MUST report it to an appropriate authority - principal, boss, police. Failure to do so is a criminal act.

But was that the law and the public attitude in 1997 when this event happened?

Somewhere before or after this event is when Sandusky suddenly resigned. I am unsure of that timeline.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Sandusky was out in 1999. This happened in 2002. Paterno reported the accusation, he didn't witness, immediately to his boss, as he should.

McQueery, who witnessed the crime, went to Paterno, but not the police as he should, still works there.