Child Maltreatment Reporting 5.01

Effective Date:  May 4, 2012

Subject:  Child Maltreatment Reporting

Category: Legal, Compliance, & Internal Audit 5.01

1. Purpose

Arkansas State University System strives to maintain a safe environment for children on all university owned or occupied property.

2. Definitions

Arkansas State University System.  Arkansas State University System (ASU System) means all the institutions and campuses within the Arkansas State University System, now and in the future.

Child Maltreatment.  Child maltreatment means abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, sexual exploitation, or abandonment as defined in the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Act.

School.  For purposes of the System Child Maltreatment Reporting Policy, School means a technical institute or post-secondary vocational-technical school and a two-year or four-year college or university.

School Official.  School Official means any person authorized by a school to exercise administrative or supervisory authority over employees, students, or agents of the school.  A volunteer exercising administrative or supervisory authority in a program conducted by a school is also considered a School Official.

Mandated Reporter.  A School Official is a Mandated Reporter who must immediately notify the Child Abuse Hotline or law enforcement if he or she has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been subjected to or died from child maltreatment, or who observes the child being subjected to conditions or circumstances which would reasonably result in child maltreatment.  Other Mandated Reporters are listed in the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Act.

3. Child Maltreatment Reporting Policy

All employees, and all volunteers participating in ASU System conducted programs on ASU System owned or occupied property, will immediately report known or suspected child maltreatment to the State of Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline and the police department having jurisdiction over that campus.

4. Process

A. Report of Child Maltreatment

Any employee, or any volunteer participating in an ASU System conducted program on ASU System owned or operated property, must immediately report known or suspected child maltreatment by contacting both the Child Abuse Hotline and the police department having jurisdiction over that campus.  Each campus will post the telephone numbers on their home web page under the heading Child Maltreatment Reporting.

B. Liability

A School Official is subject to criminal and civil penalties for failure to report child maltreatment.

C. Immunity

A School Official who in good faith makes a report of child maltreatment is immune from suit and civil or criminal liability.

(Adopted by the Arkansas State University Board of Trustees on May 4, 2012, Resolution 12-09)