Child Abuse and Maltreatment Prevention and Intervention

During Remote Learning

While conducting remote learning with students, all pedagogical and non-pedagogical school personnel are still mandated reporters when working in their professional capacity and must continue to follow the requirements of Child Abuse and Maltreatment reporting. If a staff member has reasonable cause to suspect that a student has been abused or maltreated by the parent or any person continually or at regular intervals found in the same household of the child, they must immediately call the NYS Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-342-3720. The mandated reporter is not required to possess certainty or to interview or otherwise inspect the child before making a report.

The school staff member must immediately (no later than the end of the school day) inform their school’s principal/designee that a call was placed to the SCR and email the principal/designee the student’s name and the Call ID number. The mandated reporter and the principal/designee must take the required follow- up steps to the call, including the requirement that the mandated reporter file the LDSS-2221A written report within 48 hours of making the report to State Central Registry.

The following procedures must be followed if a RCSD staff member has reasonable cause to suspect that a RCSD student has been abused or maltreated by the parent or any person continually or at regular intervals found in the same household of the child:

• The staff member must immediately call the NYS Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-342-3720.
• The staff member must immediately (no later than the end of the school day) inform the principal/designee(s) and give the student’s name and student identification number (if known), the SCR Call ID number, and the type of suspected abuse (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, educational neglect, neglect (medical, food, clothing, shelter, and/or guardianship).
• The staff member then must complete and submit the LDSS-2221A. A copy of the submitted form should be provided to the home school principal of the student for awareness and follow-up. The staff member must use their RCSD email address when submitting the report.
• The staff member must also notify the principal/designee(s) of the student’s school that a call was made to the SCR and give the principal/designee the student’s name and the Call ID number.
• The staff member will coordinate required follow-up to the call, including filing the LDSS-2221A within 48 hours of the call to SCR, in accordance with the mandated reporting.

During remote learning if there is an imminent threat of danger to a child's health or safety or child requires immediate medical attention, staff members must contact 911.