I learn something new everyday, and I guess that’s the way it should be! My superintendent just sent me a chart which shows all bills currently under consideration by the General Assembly and their status. I was surprised to learn about the first bill on the list, HB-4; if passed it would require that school coaches and athletic directors be added to the list of school employees who are mandated to report suspicions of abuse and neglect to social services. Before reading this bill, I honestly thought that all school employees were mandated reporters, and I especially would have thought that coaches were. Coaches working on the playing field with students develop a bond which is often difficult to match in a classroom. I would think, at times, students would be more apt to share issues with a coach than a teacher. Also coaches are privy to contact with students in the locker room which teachers are not; at times coaches may be able to visually see signs of abuse that teachers would not. In short coaches in many cases would have more of an opportunity to learn of abuse and neglect than would teachers; thus, I think requiring them to be mandated reporters of such is an excellent idea.
