Okla. Admin. Code § 612:20-3-19

Current through Vol. 42, No. 4, November 1, 2024

Section 612:20-3-19 - General requirements

(a) All school employees and volunteers have responsibility for reporting suspected abuse, neglect, and inappropriate body contact. General guidelines for when to report possible abuse, neglect, or inappropriate body contact are given in Paragraphs (1) through (4).

(1) When a student reports an incident to the employee/volunteer;

(2) someone other than the student reports suspected behaviors;

(3) there is physical evidence; or

(4) there is first hand observation by an employee/volunteer of a suspect incident.

(b) For the purposes of this Section, abuse or neglect is defined as knowingly, intentionally, or negligently causing or permitting an enrolled child to be:

(1) placed in a situation that endangers his or her life or physical or mental health;

(2) cruelly confined or cruelly punished;

(3) deprived of necessary food, clothing, shelter, or care;

(4) left unattended;

(5) physically manhandled resulting in bruises; or

(6) sexually abused.

(c) Inappropriate body contact may be defined as sexual contact such as fondling of sexual body parts and sexual relations. Inappropriate body contact could occur between a child and adult, between two children of similar age, or between a younger and an older child with a three or more year age difference.

(d) Recognizing signs of possible abuse, neglect or inappropriate body contact is a matter of degree. Many of the examples given in this Subsection can be observed to some degree in persons who are not experiencing abuse, neglect, or inappropriate body contact. Indications of possible abuse, neglect, or inappropriate body contact are strongest when such signs make up a prevailing pattern, or represent a sudden dramatic change in a student's condition or behavior. Examples of signs of abuse, neglect, or inappropriate body contact are given in Paragraphs (1) through (17):

(1) bruises;

(2) sudden change in mood or personality;

(3) sudden change in school performance;

(4) withdrawal from social contact with peers or adult care takers;

(5) acting out behaviors such as fighting, exhibitionism, drug usage, running away;

(6) seductive behaviors learned from being sexually abused;

(7) aversion to appropriate touching or closeness;

(8) listlessness;

(9) psychosomatic illnesses;

(10) unusually fearful and distrustful of adults;

(11) overly complimentary in attempts to please adults;

(12) lying and/or stealing;

(13) insomnia, nightmares, bed wetting;

(14) drawing of genitals;

(15) dirty, hungry, presence of sores;

(16) lack of proper clothing; or

(17) shows need for medical attention.

Okla. Admin. Code § 612:20-3-19

Added at 12 Ok Reg 1509, eff 7-1-95