Reaction to President's State of the Union - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

Reaction to President's State of the Union - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Statement
on the President's State of the Union Address

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today issued the following statement regarding President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address:

"I welcome President Obama's call for making early learning a national priority.

"We know that there are significant benefits to helping children start school excited and ready to learn—and that those benefits last the rest of their lives.

"Like other parts of the nation, California has struggled to preserve high-quality early education during the Great Recession.

"We look forward to this new opportunity to partner with the Administration to give more children the opportunity to benefit from high-quality early education programs."

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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

February 14, 2013

Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

MANDATORY REPORTING OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

As educators, our most important duty is the protection of the children in our care. Given recent events, I am writing with a reminder that California Penal Code includes requirements concerning the mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. For your convenience, I have attached a copy of the California Penal Code section for your information.

California Penal Code Section 11165.7(a) defines who qualifies as a “mandated reporter.”

California Penal Code Section 11165.7(d) states that “School districts that do not train their employees specified in subdivision (a) in the duties of mandated reporters under the child abuse reporting laws shall report to the State Department of Education the reasons why this training is not provided.”

For the convenience of school districts, I have also attached a form that can be used to provide this notification to the California Department of Education (CDE).

In addition to these requirements, I have asked CDE staff to complete a review of the kinds of training school districts may be providing pursuant to California Penal Code section 11165.7(c). For your convenience, an example of such a training module is on the California Department of Social Services Child Abuse Mandated Reporter Training Web page athttp://mandatedreporterca.com/training/educators.htm.

I would appreciate your sharing information about the training you offer with Craig Cheslog, Principal Advisor to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, by e-mail at ccheslog@cde.ca.gov by February 28, 2013.

I have also asked Mr. Cheslog to coordinate a review of state laws and regulations to see if any changes to statute are warranted. If you would like to share your thoughts about possible changes to existing statute or if you have any questions about this subject, you may contact him by e-mail at the above address or by phone at 916-319-0554. 

Sincerely,

Tom Torlakson

TT:cc
Attachment 1
Attachment 2
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