Protecting kids from harm. That is the goal of a new online tool unveiled by county prosecutors Thursday that allows people to report suspected abuse of students in school.
"It’s meant to address when there is an adult abusing a minor or a student abusing another student," said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan.
Stephan is creating the Student Safety In School Systems Task Force who will be reviewing the reports made online. Students, parents, teachers or others can report incidents of suspected physical or sexual abuse of students.
"Making sure that the gaps are closed and that there is not any situation where a person who is harming kids isn’t being moved around from school to school without accountability," Stephan said.
Stephan added that the tool will be a resource for parents or others who feel their complaints to schools are going unanswered.
"Like they see a suspicious text or their child seems unhappy, they’re being bullied and they go to the school and they don’t feel that they’re getting a response," she said.
Stephan said schools should welcome the new reporting system and she wants the link posted on school websites. She stressed that people do not have to wait to see a crime being committed to make a report.
"Sometimes people are waiting to actually see a sex act on school grounds, but they’re not going to see that," Stephan said. "They’re going to see grooming behavior, they’re going to see attention, they’re going to see signs that indicate something inappropriate is happening."
Reports of suspected abuse can be something that happened recently or in the past.
"Let us worry about whether the time has passed in terms of prosecution," Stephan said.
To submit a claim of sexual abuse people have to at least provide an email address. That way the DA’s office can update them on the status of their report.
"I don’t see the task force being a temporary thing — I see it as here to stay," Stephan said.
People can submit a report here.
