5128 Child Sexual Abuse and Assault Response Policy and Reporting Procedure

The Newtown Board of Education (the “Board”) has adopted a uniform child sexual abuse  and/or sexual assault response policy and reporting procedure in connection with the  implementation of its sexual assault and abuse prevention and awareness program. 

I. Procedures for Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault  

A. Students, or any individuals, may make written or verbal reports of suspected child  sexual abuse and/or sexual assault to any school employee. For purposes of this policy, a  “child” shall be considered any student enrolled in the Board’s schools, except for those  enrolled only in an adult education program who are over the age of eighteen (18). The  Safe School Climate Specialist or designee for the school in which the student is enrolled  shall be notified of the report and shall cause such reports to be reviewed and actions taken  consistent with this policy. 

B. School employees who receive a report of child sexual assault and/or abuse and  have reasonable cause to suspect or believe that a child has been sexually abused and/or  assaulted shall report such suspicion to the appropriate authority in accordance with Board 

Policy 4135/4235, pertaining to Reports of Suspected Abuse or Neglect of Children or  Reports of Sexual Assault of Students by School Employees. 

II. Procedures for Review of Reports of Child Sexual Abuse and/or Assault  

A. The Safe School Climate Specialist or designee for the school in which the student  is enrolled shall be responsible for reviewing any reports of suspected child sexual abuse  and/or sexual assault. In the event that the suspected child sexual abuse and/or sexual  assault has not yet been reported to the appropriate authority in accordance with Board  Policy 4135/4235, pertaining to Reports of Suspected Abuse or Neglect of Children or  Reports of Sexual Assault of Students by School Employees, the Safe School Climate  Specialist or designee shall promptly cause such a report to be made. 

B. If/when such report alleges that a school employee, as defined by Conn. Gen. Stat §  53a-65, is the perpetrator of child sexual abuse and/or sexual assault, the Safe School  Climate Specialist or designee shall immediately notify the Superintendent of Schools or  designee, who shall immediately notify the child's parent or guardian that a report has been  made to the appropriate authorities in accordance with Board Policy 4135/4235, pertaining  to Reports of Suspected Abuse or Neglect of Children or Reports of Sexual Assault of  Students by School Employees. The notification requirement shall not apply if a parent or  guardian is the individual suspected of perpetrating the child sexual abuse and/or sexual  assault. If either a Department of Children and Families (“DCF”) investigation or a police  investigation is pending pertaining to the report of suspected child sexual abuse and/or sexual assault, the Safe School Climate Specialist or designee shall obtain the permission  of DCF and/or the police department conducting the investigation prior to informing the  parents/guardians of the report. 

C. The Safe School Climate Specialist or designee shall offer to meet with the student  and the parents or guardians of the student about whom a report of suspected child sexual  abuse and/or sexual assault has been made, in order to discuss the District’s support  procedures, including but not limited to: 1) actions that child victims of sexual abuse  and/or sexual assault and their families may take to obtain assistance, 2) intervention and  counseling options for child victims of sexual abuse and/or assault, and 3) access to  educational resources to enable child victims of sexual abuse and/or sexual assault to  succeed in school. 

D. In the event that the report of suspected child sexual abuse and/or sexual assault  alleges that another student enrolled in the District is the perpetrator of the sexual abuse  and/or sexual assault, the Safe School Climate Specialist or designee shall also take  appropriate action to investigate or cause such a report to be investigated, and appropriate  remedial actions taken, in accordance with Board Policy 4135/4235, pertaining to Reports  of Suspected Abuse or Neglect of Children or Reports of Sexual Assault of Students  by School Employees, Board Policy 5131.911, pertaining to Bullying Prevention and  Intervention, and Board Policy 5145.5, Prohibition of Sex Discrimination, Including  Sex-Based Harassment. In the event either a DCF investigation or a police investigation  is pending pertaining to the report of suspected child sexual abuse and/or sexual assault,  the Safe School Climate Specialist shall coordinate investigatory activities with DCF  and/or the police in order to minimize the number of interviews of any child or student  victim of sexual assault and share information with other persons authorized to conduct an  investigation of child abuse or neglect, as appropriate and permitted by law. 

E. The Safe School Climate Specialist or designee shall develop a student support  plan for anyone who has been a victim of child sexual abuse and/or sexual assault. The  report of suspected sexual abuse and/or assault need not be verified prior to the  implementation of a support plan. The elements of the support plan shall be determined in  the discretion of the Safe School Climate Specialist or designee, and shall be designed to  support the student victim’s ability to access the school environment. 

III. Support Strategies 

A. Child sexual abuse and/or sexual assault can take many forms and can vary  dramatically in the nature of the offense and the impact the behavior may have on the  victim and other students. Accordingly, there is no one prescribed response to child sexual  abuse and/or sexual assault. 

B. The following sets forth possible interventions and supports which may be utilized  to support individual student victims of child sexual abuse and/or sexual assault:

1. Referral to a school counselor, psychologist or other appropriate social or mental  health service.

2. Encouragement of the student victim to seek help when feeling overwhelmed or  anxious in the school environment. 

3. Facilitated peer support groups.

4. Designation of a specific adult in the school setting for the student victim to seek  out for assistance. 

5. Periodic follow-up by the Safe School Climate Specialist and/or Title IX  Coordinator with the victim of sexual abuse and/or assault. 

C. The following sets forth possible interventions and supports that may be utilized  systemically as prevention and intervention strategies pertaining to child sexual abuse  and/or sexual assault: 

1. School rules prohibiting sexual abuse and sexual assault and establishing  appropriate consequences for those who engage in such acts. 

2. School-wide training related to prevention and identification of, and response to,  child sexual abuse and/or sexual assault. 

3. Age-appropriate educational materials designed for children in grades kindergarten  to twelve, inclusive, regarding child sexual abuse and sexual assault awareness and  prevention that will include information pertaining to, and support for, disclosures of  sexual abuse and sexual assault, including but not limited to: 

(a) the skills to recognize child sexual abuse and sexual assault, boundary violations  and unwanted forms of touching and contact, and the ways offenders groom or desensitize  victims; and 

(b) strategies to promote disclosure, reduce self-blame and mobilize bystanders. 

4. Promotion of parent involvement in child sexual abuse and sexual assault  prevention and awareness through individual or team participation in meetings, trainings  and individual interventions. 

5. Respectful and supportive responses to disclosures of child sexual abuse and/or  sexual assault by students. 

6. Use of peers to help ameliorate the plight of victims and include them in group  activities. 

7. Continuing awareness and involvement on the part of students, school employees  and parents with regard to prevention and intervention strategies. 

IV. Safe School Climate Specialists 

The Safe School Climate Specialists for the District are:

Hawley School 

Carla Tischio, Lead Teacher 

tischioc@newtown.k12.ct.us 

Phone: (203) 426-6165

Reed Intermediate School 

Jenna Connors, Assistant Principal

connorsj@newtown.k12.ct.us 

Phone: (203) 426-4880

Head O’Meadow School 

Karen Dreger, Lead Teacher 

dregerk@newtown.k12.ct.us 

Phone: (203)426-7670

Newtown Middle School 

Brian Walsh, Assistant Principal 

walshb@newtown.k12.ct.us 

Phone: (203) 426-7641

Middle Gate School 

John Sullivan, Lead Teacher 

sullivanj@newtown.k12.ct.us 

Phone: (203) 426-7662

Newtown High School 

Paul Ribeiro, Assistant Principal 

Ribeirop@newtown.k12.ct.us 

Phone: (203) 426-7674

Sandy Hook School 

Kelly Maclaren, Lead Teacher 

maclarenk@newtown.k12.ct.us 

Phone: (203) 426-7657

V. Community Resources 

The Board recognizes that prevention of child sexual abuse and sexual assault requires a  community approach. Supports for victims and families will include both school and  community sources. The national, state and local resources below may be accessed by  families at any time, without the need to involve school personnel. 

A. National Resources: 

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Resource Center 

http://www.missingkids.com/Publications 

333 John Carlyle Street, Suite #125, Alexandria, Virginia 22314-5950 24-hour call center: 1-800-843-5678 

● The online resource center contains publications on child safety and abuse  prevention, child sexual exploitation, and missing children. 

National Children’s Advocacy Center 

www.nationalcac.org 

210 Pratt Ave., Huntsville, Alabama 35801 

Telephone: (256) 533-5437 

National Child Traumatic Stress Network  

www.nctsn.org 

NCCTS — Duke University 

1121 West Chapel Hill Street Suite 201 

Durham, NC 27701 

Telephone: (919) 682-1552 

● The National Child Traumatic Stress Network offers general information on  childhood trauma, including information on child sexual abuse. 

National Sexual Violence Resource Center 

http://www.nsvrc.org/projects/multilingual-access/multilingual-access  2101 N. Front Street 

Governor’s Plaza North, Building #2 

Harrisburg, PA 17110 

Toll Free Telephone: 877-739-3895 

● The resource center includes multilingual access. 

Darkness to Light 

http://www.d2l.org 

1064 Gardner Road, Suite 210 

Charleston, SC 29407 

National Helpline: (866) FOR-LIGHT 

Administrative Office: (843) 965-5444 

● Darkness to Light is a grassroots national non-profit organization to educate adults  to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. 

B. Statewide Resources: 

Department of Children and Families 

http://www.ct.gov/dcf/site/default.asp 

505 Hudson Street 

Hartford, Connecticut 06106 

Child Abuse and Neglect Careline: 1-800-842-2288 

Telephone, Central Office: (860) 550-6300 

● DCF is the Connecticut agency responsible for protecting children who are abused  or neglected. 

● FAQs About Reporting Suspected Abuse and Neglect are available at:  http://www.ct.gov/dcf/cwp/view.asp?a=2534&Q=314388&dcfNav=| 

The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence 

http://EndSexualViolenceCT.org/ 

96 Pitkin Street 

East Hartford, CT 06108 24-hour toll-free hotline: 1-888-999-5545 English/1-888-568-8332 Espaňol Telephone: (860) 282-9881 

● The alliance is a statewide coalition of community-based sexual assault crisis  service programs working to end sexual violence through victim assistance, public policy  advocacy, and prevention education training. Each member center provides free and  confidential 24/7 hotline services in English and Spanish, individual crisis counseling, support groups, accompaniment and support in hospitals, police stations, and courts,  referral information, and other services to anyone in need. 

● To find a Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence member program please  visit: http://endsexualviolencect.org/who-we-are/ 

Connecticut Children’s Alliance  

www.ctchildrensalliance.org 

75 Charter Oak Ave Suite 1-309 

Hartford, Connecticut 06106 

Phone: (860) 610-6041 

● CCA is a statewide coalition of Child Advocacy Centers and Multidisciplinary  Teams. 

Connecticut Network of Care 

http://connecticut.networkofcare.org 

● Connecticut Network of Care is an online information portal listing programs and  support groups for sexual assault and abuse in Connecticut. 

C. Local Resources: 

Newtown Youth & Family Services 

www.newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org 

15 Berkshire Road 

Sandy Hook, CT 06482 

Phone: (203) 270-4335 

● Newtown Youth and Family Services provides a wide array of programs and  services to youth and families. 

Family & Children’s Aid 

www.fcaweb.org  

77 West Street 

Danbury, CT 06810 

Phone: (203) 748-5689 

● Family and Children’s Aid provides support to children and families in crisis by  providing safe homes, effective mental health care and other supports to keep children  healthy and communities stronger. 

The Center for Empowerment & Education (formerly the Women’s Center of Danbury)  http://thecenterct.org  

2 West Street  Danbury, CT 06810 

e-mail: thecenter@thecenter.org 

● The center provides prevention, crisis intervention, and support services with regard to  domestic violence, sexual assault, and other major life transitions. 

Legal References:

Conn. Gen. Stat § 17a-101b Report by mandated reporter. Notification of law enforcement  agency when allegation of sexual abuse or serious physical abuse. Notification of person in  charge of institution, facility or school when staff member suspected of abuse or neglect. 

Conn. Gen. Stat § 17a-101q State-wide sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention  program 

Adopted: November 19, 2024 NEWTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS  Newtown, Connecticut