GEORGIA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Ty Tagami
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you suspect child abuse but fail to report it, you could wind up in jail.
A recently passed revision of the Georgia law that requires teachers, doctors and other professionals to report suspected child abuse is so broad that just about anyone who comes into contact with kids could fall under its mandate.
Volunteers at churches, colleges, clubs, summer camps or soccer fields or parents who chaperone a field trip could go to jail if they fail to report suspected abuse under the new provision approved by lawmakers last week.
Child abuse can range from neglect and beatings to sexual abuse.
“If you volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club or volunteer with your church doing a children’s service, that would make you a mandatory reporter,” said Melissa Carter, director of the Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory University.
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