Legislation signed late last month by Gov. Rick Scott will require schools by this fall to report known or suspected cases of child sexual abuse, which a leading student transportation expert said school bus drivers have essentially been required to under existing Florida Administrative Code.
Charlie Hood, the state director of transportation and immediate past-president of NASDPTS, told School Transportation News that school bus drivers are among the school employees that already must comply with Section 39.201 of the Florida Statutes and Chapter 65C-29 of the Florida Administrative Code that requires certain workers to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the Florida Department of Children and Families. DCF has a toll-free, confidential reporting hotline in such cases.
The new law for the “Protection of Vulnerable Persons” goes into effect this coming Oct. 1 and specifically targets sexual abuse of children. It carries with it fines of up to $1 million per incident for anyone who “willfully and knowingly” fails to report a case of suspected child sexual abuse.
“We have not assessed the provisions or impact of the new law yet, since it does not appear to impose any new or more restrictive requirements on school transportation personnel specifically,” Hood added.
Joining school bus drivers in the existing statute are: doctors and medical staff; day care workers; foster care counselors; foster parents; health professionals; home visitors; institutional workers; judges; law enforcement; medical examiners; mental health professionals; residential workers; school staff; and social workers.
