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LOGANTON – State police have charged the top administrator of the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School with failing to report child abuse on two separate occasions.
Trooper Curtis Confer has alleged that Logan Drew Coney, 62, of Lewisburg, failed to report child abuse to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services on two separate occasions – one in October 2013, and the other on April 24, 2014.
Confer confirmed Coney is chief executive officer of the charter school at 235 East Main St. in Loganton, and as such is a “mandated reporter.”
The charges were filed Wednesday at the office of District Magisterial Judge John W. Maggs at Mill Hall, and a summons issued. Coney is charged under the statute “Penalties for failure to report or to refer.”
The first court appearance associated with the case is slated for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 in Central County Court.
Under law – provisions of which are issued under the Child Protective Services Law – staff members “of a medical or other public or private institution, school, facility or agency, and who, in the course of their employment, occupation or practice of their profession, come into contact with children shall immediately notify the person in charge of the institution, school facility or agency or the designated agent of the person in charge when they have reasonable cause to suspect on the basis of their professional or other training or experience, that a child coming before them in their professional or official capacity is a victim of child abuse. Upon notification by the licensee, the person in charge or the designated agent shall assume the responsibility and have the legal obligation to report or cause a report to be made.”
Further, the law’s reporting procedure says oral reports of suspected child abuse “shall be made immediately by telephone” to a special hotline. If written, reports “shall be made within 48 hours after the oral report is made by telephone. Written reports shall be made on forms available from a county Children and Youth social service agency.”
Written reports are to be made in the manner and on forms prescribed by the Department of Public Welfare. The following information shall be included in the written reports, if available:
r The names and addresses of the child and the parents or other person responsible for the care of the child, if known.
r Where the suspected abuse occurred.
r The age and sex of the subjects of the report.
r The nature and extent of the suspected child abuse including any evidence of prior abuse to the child or siblings of the child.
r The name and relationship of the persons responsible for causing the suspected abuse, if known, and any evidence of prior abuse by those persons.
r Family composition.
r The source of the report.
r The person making the report and where that person can be reached.
r The actions taken by the reporting source, including the taking of photographs and X-rays, removal or keeping of the child or notifying the medical examiner or coroner.
r Other information which the Department of Public Welfare may require by regulation.
Child abuse, according to the Child Protective Services Law, includes serious recent physical injury which is non-accidental; mental injury which is non-accidental; sexual abuse; or serious physical neglect of children under age 18 caused by the acts or omissions of a perpetrator.
“Recent” is defined as an abusive act within two years from the date ChildLine is called.
Child abuse also includes any recent act, failure to act, or series of acts or failures to act by a perpetrator that creates an imminent risk of serious physical injury to, or sexual abuse or exploitation of a child under 18 years of age. These are situations that would have resulted in serious injury or sexual abuse if not prevented by happenstance, third-party intervention or the actions of the child.
A mandated reporter who is convicted of willfully failing to report suspected child abuse is guilty of a misdemeanor in the third degree. A second or subsequent offense is a misdemeanor in the second degree.
A call to J. David Smith, the solicitor for Sugar Valley Rural Charter School, was not returned by press time last night.