In more than one school district, information regarding allegations of child abuse or neglect was provided to school district officials by children, parents or other school employees only to fall on deaf ears. There were several examples of allegations that were discounted based on a belief that the person making the complaint was a disgruntled employee. In these instances, no effort was made to determine if there was a reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect. In the cases we reviewed, there was in fact a reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect and the mandated reporter (often several mandated reporters) failed to report. For example, in New Haven, a school employee made allegations that a school principal made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature to students and had physically abused students. Ex. 133. The employee made these allegations both verbally and in writing to the Superintendent and the Board of Education. Ex. 133. The allegations made clearly raised a reasonable suspicion of abuse and should have been reported to DCF within 12 hours. Instead, because the employee was labeled as “disgruntled,” and someone who didn’t like the good work the new principal was doing, the school district took no action, other than to send a copy of the letter to the school district attorney approximately one month later. 69 Ex. 133. This was so even though the principal had been the subject of previous complaints and the administration had received other complaints that corroborated at least some of the allegations made by the school employee. Ex. 107. In Southington, several paraprofessionals who were mandated reporters failed to report their concerns directly to DCF. The paraprofessionals were aware of what they felt was inappropriate conduct by other school employees, reported it to their supervisors repeatedly, and had serious concerns about the limited response of the school district. However, none of these staff filed a mandated report with the DCF. None of the paraprofessionals had received mandated reporter training and the school’s policy explicitly stated they were not mandated reporters, contrary to Connecticut law. Several examples of delayed reports were also identified during a review of approximately 100 DCF investigations. For example, in one case, a parent complained to a school principal that a coach was “sexting” students. The school principal did not make a mandated report until the parent put his complaints in writing and provided documentation to support the parent’s claims. Ex. 506. In another case in which a school employee was alleged to have physically abused a child, several mandated reporters complained to DCF that they brought concerns about a particular school employee to the attention of the principal but the principal “swept it under the rug.” Ex. 508. The vice principal indicated she didn’t file a report because she didn’t want to be insubordinate. Ex. 508. More than one district indicated that the school district conducts an internal investigation before reporting allegations regarding school employees to DCF. In some instances, such “internal investigations” result in a decision not to file a report with DCF. For example, in one case reviewed in New Haven, a parent reported physical abuse by a school principal to the instances of retaliation having actually occurred. Nevertheless, it is the pervasive fear of retaliation that impeded reporting. Clearly school district employees require a good deal more training in the anti-retaliation bar in Connecticut law to minimize this fear. 69 Indeed, the allegations were consistent with prior allegations made about the principal and with later substantiated allegations made by a student in a different school district. The principal’s license was later revoked by the State Department of Education.
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