Events - Event View

An in-depth study of the following issues:
1. Central Bucks case study – https://www.disabilityrightspa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20250423-Final-DRP-Investigative-Report-Jamison-Ele-CBSD.pdf
2. Reporting obligations and timeline under the CPSL.
a. What constitutes abuse or neglect?
b. What obligation does a school employer have to investigate first before reporting?
c. Consequences of failure to report.
d. Immunities for reporting.
e. Obligation to develop a safety plan for an individual who is the subject matter of a report.
f. Multiple entities – intermediate units and constituent school districts – coordinated/conflicting obligations to report.
3. Reporting obligations to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
4. Mandatory reporting for professional employees to the Professional Standards and Practices Commission.
a. Below please find the mandatory guidelines for reporting incidents to the Professional Standards and Practices Committee.
According to the guidelines, a report filed with CPSL requires the chief school officer to report the matter to the Professional Standards and Practices Commission.

Chief School Administrators Reporting Duties to the Department of Education
As chief administrative officers in Pennsylvania's public or private licensed academic schools or contracted educational providers, you play a critical role in ensuring that the educators who serve in your schools are held to the highest ethical standards. Fostering an ethical climate within a school involves effective policies, productive in-services, good hiring practices, zero tolerance for misconduct, and a commitment to the profession at large.

The Professional Standards and Practices Commission, which is responsible for promoting professionalism through integrity and adjudicating educator misconduct, shares your commitment to the education profession and would like to take this opportunity to offer some specific reminders of your responsibilities as school leaders in the area of reporting educator misconduct.

The devastating impact of educator misconduct on students, schools and the community at large cannot be overstated. As a self-regulated profession, it is incumbent upon school leaders to understand their professional responsibilities to report misconduct and to be vigilant in fulfilling those responsibilities.
Under the Educator Discipline Act, all chief school administrators are required to report within 15 days to the Department:
(1) Any educator who has been provided with notice of intent to dismiss or remove for cause, notice of non-renewal for cause, notice of removal from eligibility lists for cause or notice of a determination not to reemploy for cause.
(2) Any educator who has been arrested or indicted for or convicted of any crime that is graded a misdemeanor or felony. For purposes of this section, the term conviction shall include a plea of guilty or nolo contendere.
(3) Any educator against whom allegations have been made that the educator has:
(i) committed sexual abuse or exploitation involving a child or student; or
(ii) engaged in sexual misconduct with a child or student.
(3.1) Information which constitutes reasonable cause to suspect that an educator has caused physical injury to a child or student as a result of negligence or malice.
(4) Any educator who has resigned, retired or otherwise separated from employment after a school entity has received information of alleged misconduct under the Act.
(5) Any educator who is the subject of a report filed by the school entity under the reporting requirements of 23 Pa.C.S. Ch. 63 (relating to child protective services).
(6) Any educator who the school entity knows to have been named as the perpetrator of an indicated or founded report of child abuse or named as an individual responsible for injury or abuse in an indicated or founded report for a school employee under 23 Pa.C.S. Ch. 63.

Reporting sexual misconduct and sexual abuse or exploitation requires extra vigilance.  For more information, including how to recognize the warning signs, please see “Recognizing and Reporting Sexual Misconduct Under the Educator Discipline Act”.

5. Implications of S.F. and G.F. cases.
6. Impact of injunction on the ability of Children & Youth to issue an indicated report and implications on the system.
7. Proper training for aversive techniques.
8. Aversive techniques often do not look “good” to the lay public.
9. The need for advocacy.
10. Insufficient staffing at Children & Youth to handle the onslaught of investigations and reports.