School District of Colfax
Bylaws & Policies
 

5540.01 - INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE

In the event of a law enforcement or social services investigation involving allegations of child abuse under Chapter 48 of the Wisconsin Statutes, school officials shall permit access to any student the law enforcement officer or social services agent determines s/he must speak with.

Office staff shall notify the District Administrator or the building administrator of any such investigation and shall keep a log of activities by the agency conducting the investigation, noting the date, and time of any interviews and the students involved.

The school administration shall notify the student's parents only after being advised by the agency conducting the investigation that parental/guardian contact will not impede their investigation. Because such investigations may involve allegations against the student's caretaker(s), the administration must not contact the parents/guardians unless authorized to do so by the investigating agency.

If the investigating agency determines that it must remove the student from school in the course of their investigation, the administrator should make a record of when the student was released, the agency to which the student was released and the name of the individual agent that removed the student.

This policy should be viewed in conjunction with Policy 8462. Nothing in this policy affects District staff responsibilities as mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse.

Wis. Stats. 48.981

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