Parent urges independent review of kindergarten autism-classroom incidents and calls for improved mandated-reporting supports

Catherine McNamara, a Centennial parent and Pennsylvania-licensed social worker, asked the board at the Feb. 25 Committee of the Whole meeting to commission an outside, unbiased review of administrative actions and the building culture following recent incidents in a kindergarten autism ‘‘super classroom’’ at Davis Elementary.

McNamara said she started a change.org petition in February that had 84 signatures at the time of her comment and that most signers were district residents. She asked the board to ensure the district is ‘‘doing everything it can to prevent these incidents in the future’’ and called for specialized training and an impartial review of past handling.

Nut graf: McNamara framed her request around mandated-reporting rules and the psychological and organizational challenges that arise when a mandated report involves a coworker or colleague. She told the board she feared that if the district does not respond with transparency, community members and staff could become less likely to report suspected abuse.

McNamara said mandated reporters must file reports even when the subject is a coworker and emphasized that the standard for a mandated report does not require staff to reconstruct or interpret a child’s prior behavior in detail. ‘‘They did the right thing,’’ she said of a staff member who filed a report in the Davis case, adding that a mandated reporter who willfully fails to report ‘‘could face legal penalties and fines.’’ She also referenced media reporting that law enforcement had found previous incidents involving the same educator had not been reported to the ‘‘right entities,’’ and said that internal handling of prior matters could indicate bias and undercut future reporting.

McNamara asked the board to engage an outside reviewer to look at the system, the history of what was done and not done, current culture and staff takeaways; she suggested the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (she referred to PATAN/PATIN) as an example of a provider of training and technical assistance.

Board response and context: Board members did not take formal action in response to the public comment during the meeting. In later board comments, a board member reiterated the role of mandated reporters and urged staff and community members that ‘‘if you suspect there is a case of child abuse or neglect, you make the call’’ and not to wait for internal permission.

Ending: McNamara handed the petition to the board after her remarks. Her request for an independent review and specialized training was recorded during public comment; any formal staff action or a board-directed external review would have to be proposed and voted on at a subsequent meeting.