Sacramento, California - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced the availability of an online tool to help school employees receive the annual training they need to identify and report suspected cases of child abuse and/or neglect.

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our students," said Torlakson. "The new online training lessons will help school employees carry out their responsibilities to protect children and take action if they suspect abuse or neglect."

Starting this year, Assembly Bill 1432 (Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles), which was strongly supported by Torlakson, requires every local educational agency (LEA) to train all its employees each year on what they need to know in order to identify and report suspected cases of child abuse and/or neglect. "All employees" is defined as teachers, teacher's aides, classified employees, and all other workers whose duties bring them into direct contact and supervision of students. LEAs must also develop a process to provide proof that employees received training.

The California Department of Social Services, with input from the California Department of Education (CDE), created the online Child Abuse Mandated Reporting Training lessons. It teaches school employees how to identify suspected cases of child abuse and/or neglect, the obligation they have to make a report, and the appropriate process to follow when making the report. The self-paced lessons are continuously available at no charge to the public.

The CDE also updated its Child Abuse Prevention Web page to provide LEAs with resources on training, reporting guidelines, and procedures, and other information to create safe environments for children.

Torlakson has long urged LEAs to provide school employees with training on the duties of reporting child abuse and/or neglect long before it became mandated. His support for AB 1432 was part of his A Blueprint for Great Schools initiative, designed to meet the needs of the whole child.