A.
DCF IS, AT TIMES, HINDERED IN ITS INVESTIGATIONS DUE TO DELAYS OR REFUSALS BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT IS RELEVANT TO ITS INVESTIGATION.
School districts are not legally required to provide records and information to the Department of Children and Families. While school districts often fully cooperate with DCF in its efforts to investigate abuse and neglect, this investigation revealed numerous instances in which school districts either refused to provide or delayed providing the Department of Children and Families with information necessary to complete its investigation. In New Haven, for example, DCF received a report regarding allegations that a number of children were abused or neglected by a school employee. The district informed DCF that it would not provide DCF a copy of a letter, received by the district months earlier, alleging the physical abuse of students because DCF would not reveal the name of the reporter of the current allegations. 82 Ex. 106. A school employee confirmed that the superintendent had received a lengthy letter from a teacher alleging abuse but indicated that the superintendent was not comfortable providing the letter to DCF because of concerns that it might “open another gate if the reporter was not the same person” as the current reporter. Ex. 106. Despite the fact that the reporter’s identity was protected by law, DCF requested that the reporter permit the release of his/her identity in an effort to obtain the letter referenced by the school. Ex. 106. When the reporter refused to do so, DCF took no other action to obtain the letter from the school district. Ex. 106. In fact, DCF never obtained the letter. 83 Ex. 106. In Southington, one of the mandated reporters, who was not accused of abusing or neglecting a child but had information relevant to a complaint about another school employee, simply refused to be interviewed by DCF. Ex. 88. DCF concluded its investigation without interviewing this witness. In Bridgeport, DCF was aware that the school had conducted an extensive investigation of allegations of sexual harassment and believed that the sexual harassment report included information relevant to DCF’s investigation. It took approximately five days for school employees to reach a determination about providing the information to DCF. Ex. 360. Ultimately, DCF received a redacted copy of the report. Ex. 360. DCF investigators interviewed as part of this investigation confirmed that some districts do not cooperate with DCF investigations and that DCF can be stymied in its efforts to conduct a thorough investigation. Investigators expressed a sense of powerlessness in that they could not require school districts to cooperate with their investigations. Moreover, investigators felt it was important to maintain positive relationships with school districts given the critical role schools play in meeting the needs of children involved with DCF. Children spend most of their day with school employees. School employees are in the best position to observe children and report 82
The identity of reporters of child abuse or neglect is confidential and shall not be released except upon application to the Superior Court and a determination by the court that “there is reasonable cause to believe the reporter knowingly made a false report or that other interests of justice require such release.” Conn. Gen. Stat. §17a-28(m); See also DCF Policy 33-5-8. 83 We did obtain a copy of this letter during the course of our investigation. Ex. 133. The contents of the letter clearly should have been reported to DCF as a mandated report. None of the New Haven school district personnel who had access to the letter took any action to report it to DCF.
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