As news emerged over the past year of three horrifying abuse cases in Bay Area schools, one common thread linked them: In Brentwood, Moraga and San Jose, school officials knew enough to suspect vulnerable children were being harmed, but failed in their legal duty to alert authorities.
Now, a survey by the Bay Area News Group of 94 local school districts reveals the problem of haphazard compliance with child abuse laws is far larger than those three errant districts.
Fewer than half the districts in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties that responded to the survey said they offer their employees the sort of training that experts encourage and the law suggests: annual instruction in how to
Brentwood teacher Dina Holder gives a deposition in her child abuse case. (Courtesy of Law Office of Hinton, Alfert and Kahn)
recognize signs of sexual or other physical abuse, and clear reminders of the legal requirement to report to authorities even the suspicion of mistreatment. The survey results also underscore that vagueness in the law has exacerbated the districts' failings.
All told, only 29 districts said they have provided annual training about abuse and the law to all employees. The law strongly encourages training without saying how often it should be provided, but experts agree it should be frequent.
In their responses to the survey, at least 19 districts also acknowledged