Board reviews second reading of child abuse reporting policy after state law change; motion made to adopt

The Catalina Foothills Unified School District Governing Board reviewed a second reading of revisions to policy JLF (reporting child abuse / child protection) on June 24. Staff said the revisions implement Senate Bill 1437 amendments to ARS 13-3620 and ARS 15-514 and expand the set of mandatory reporters to explicitly include substitute teachers and governing board members; they also clarified the requirements tied to school resource officers (SROs).

Mindy Westover, the associate superintendent, told the board the changes relocate three paragraphs that explain reporting procedures into the main body of the policy to improve clarity and that the policy now explicitly includes substitute teachers and governing board members per revised legal guidance. Board members asked how the district will ensure SROs receive training on the statutory reporting requirements; staff answered that the district will coordinate with Pima County to confirm consistent training and that a board-level training session will be calendared.

A board member moved that the governing board approve the revisions to policy JLF as presented; the motion was seconded. The motion was made on the record; the transcript does not include a subsequent roll-call vote in the meeting record excerpt.

Next steps: Staff will schedule required training for board members and coordinate with law enforcement to ensure SROs are aware of reporting responsibilities, per the revised statute.