Politics & Government

School Board to Support Tougher Laws for Reporting Child Sex Abuse

Howard County Board of Education members voted Thursday to add the issue to their legislative platform for the coming year.

The Howard County Board of Education voted recently to support any future state legislation that would criminalize having knowledge of sexual abuse to a minor and not reporting it to law enforcement authorities.

School board member  to consider adding such a concern to the body's annual legislative platform.

The high-profile child sex abuse case involving former Penn State University football coach Jerry Sandusky motivated Meshkin to research Maryland law, which he found to be lacking.

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Educators, health practitioners, social workers and police officers are required to report suspected cases of child abuse, according to Maryland's annotated code.

But the state has no power to prosecute when the law is not followed.

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Upon Meshkin's , the board asked the school system's attorney to draft language for the board to consider adding to its legislative platform.

On Thursday, the board voted to support "legislation that would make it a crime for an individual, who has knowledge of sexual abuse of a minor, to fail to report such knowledge to law enforcement authorities."

Meshkin said Friday he was pleased that his colleagues voted unanimously to support proposed legislation.

Harford County Sen. Nancy Jacob has announced she intends to introduce such a bill when the Maryland General Assembly convenes in January.

"As a school board, we are in a unique spot to protect children, to look out for the children of Howard County," Meshkin said. "And we are the one body that has a constituency that does not vote, so it's even more important for us to look out for them."


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