Investigation Procedures for School Personnel

The purpose of the Code change is to clarify procedures for CPS investigations of school personnel. The legislation requires each local department of social services and school division to adopt a written interagency agreement as a protocol for investigating child abuse and neglect reports against school personnel. The legislation stipulates that when the subject of the child abuse or neglect complaint is an employee of a local school board or employed in a school operated by the Commonwealth, the local department of social services must conduct a face-to-face interview with the employee, and must notify the employee at the onset of the interview of the general nature of the complaint, of the identity of the alleged victim and of his right to have an attorney or other representative present during any interview. The local department must give the employee a written summary of the investigation and an explanation of how the information gathered supports the disposition. The legislation includes some exceptions to sharing information when law enforcement is involved.