MISHAWAKA — One hundred and eight times last year, Mishawaka’s school principals called the Indiana Department of Child Services to report that they suspected a student to be suffering from neglect or abuse.
Counselors at School City of Mishawaka’s middle school, however, raised concerns that their students might be better served if the counselors, along with school social workers and registered nurses — staff the kids might feel more comfortable talking to — were allowed to make the phone calls, as well.
Administrators have responded by changing their guidelines, naming all the three groups to join building principals as “designated reporters” to DCS. A counselor, social worker or nurse who notifies DCS of all of the details about a child’s case, then will give the building principal a heads-up that a report has been made.
Mike Pettibone, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, told the school board about the change last week.
Principals, he said Tuesday, initially were deemed designated reporters to ensure that they weren’t surprised by a DCS caseworker’s visit to the school to investigate.
Indiana law says anyone who thinks a child has been abused or neglected has the duty to report it. And individuals in certain professions, including those who work at schools, are legally obligated via their professions to do so.
Because of that, Pettibone said, teachers can also make those calls. “There’s not a penalty to that,” he said. And though they wouldn’t be required to notify the building principal of the report, “it’s a nice guideline,” to operate with, he said.