Ò»±¾µÀÎÞÂë

Under Pennsylvania Law, child abuse means intentionally, knowingly or recklessly doing any of the following:

• Causing bodily injury to a child through any recent act or failure to act.
• Fabricating, feigning or intentionally exaggerating or inducing a medical symptom or disease which results in a potentially harmful medical evaluation or treatment to the child through any recent act.
• Causing or substantially contributing to serious mental injury to a child through any act or failure to act or a series of such acts or failures to act.
• Causing sexual abuse or exploitation of a child through any act or failure to act.
• Creating a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury to a child through any recent act or failure to act.
• Creating a likelihood of sexual abuse or exploitation of a child through any recent act or failure to act.
• Causing serious physical neglect of a child.
• Causing the death of the child through any act or failure to act.

Child abuse also includes certain acts in which the act itself constitutes abuse without any resulting injury or condition. These recent acts include any of the following:

• Kicking, biting, throwing, burning, stabbing or cutting a child in a manner that endangers the child.
• Unreasonably restraining or confining a child, based on consideration of the method, location or the duration of the restraint or confinement.
• Forcefully shaking a child under one year of age.
• Forcefully slapping or otherwise striking a child under one year of age.
• Interfering with the breathing of a child.
• Causing a child to be present during the operation of a methamphetamine laboratory, provided that the violation is being investigated by law enforcement.
• Leaving a child unsupervised with an individual, other than the child's parent, who the parent knows or reasonably should have known was required to register as a Tier II or III sexual offender or has been determined to be a sexually violent predator or sexually violent delinquent.

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For purposes of mandatory reporting, a "minor" or a "child" is any individual under the age of 18. This includes enrolled students who are under the age of 18.

Yes. Under Pennsylvania Act 153 of 2014, "all school employees" are Mandatory Reporters of child abuse. Thus, all employees of Ò»±¾µÀÎÞÂë are Mandatory Reporters, regardless of the particular job duties of the employee.

Yes. All employees of Ò»±¾µÀÎÞÂë, whether full time, part time or temporary, are Mandatory Reporters. This includes all faculty and staff, as well as any student who is employed by the university.

Pennsylvania law requires Mandatory Reports to make a report of suspected child abuse if they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a victim of child abuse under any of the following circumstances:

• The Mandatory Reporter comes into contact with the child in the course of employment, occupation and practice of a profession or through a regularly scheduled program, activity or service.
• The Mandatory Reporter is directly responsible for the care, supervision, guidance or training of the child, or is affiliated with an agency, institution, organization, school, regularly established church or religious organization or other entity that is directly responsible for the care, supervision, guidance or training of the child.
• A person makes a specific disclosure to the Mandatory Reporter that an identifiable child is the victim of child abuse.
• An individual 14 years of age or older makes a specific disclosure to the Mandatory Reporter that the individual has committed child abuse.

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Yes. Nothing requires the Mandatory Reporter to have direct contact with the child in order to make a report.

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Under Pennsylvania law, Mandatory Reporters must make an immediate and direct report of suspected child abuse to ChildLine either electronically at or by calling 800-932-0313.

In addition, Mandatory Reporters must file an internal report with their employer. Volunteers must file an internal report with the organization for which they are volunteering. At Carnegie Mellon, internal reports of child abuse may be submitted to either:

• Your supervisor
• The Ò»±¾µÀÎÞÂë Police at 412-268-2323
• The Office of the General Counsel at 412-268-7367

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The penalties for a Mandatory Reporter who willfully fails to report child abuse range from a misdemeanor of the second degree to a felony of the second degree.

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Yes. Anyone who is concerned about the safety of a child is encouraged to make a report. Reports may be submitted to ChildLine by calling 800-932-0313.

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Under certain circumstances, Pennsylvania law provides reporters of child abuse with immunity from civil and criminal liability. Below is an excerpt from the applicable Pennsylvania law: