Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Advocate urges Pittsfield leaders to adopt training, screening and model code to prevent abuse in schools
Summary
A child-abuse prevention advocate offered Pittsfield officials a research-backed online course, a model code of conduct and screening measures aimed at reducing abuse in schools, and discussed pending state legislation including an "age-of-consent" change. The city council and school committee accepted the presentation and placed it on file.
A child-abuse prevention advocate who identified herself as Jetta presented research, training materials and a model code of conduct to a joint meeting of the Pittsfield City Council and School Committee, urging the city to adopt a combination of training, clearer staff policies and stronger pre-employment screening for people who work with children.
Jetta said independent reviews — including a Department of Defense review and a randomized controlled study run with Simmons University — found the course increased staff knowledge of child abuse, improved early identification of boundary-violating behavior and raised willingness and confidence among school personnel to report suspected cases. “Ninety-eight percent of those who completed this course said that they would definitely recommend it to their colleagues,” she said.
The presenter offered a package of resources for schools: an online training priced at about $20 per learner, an in-person training option, a 30-minute classroom video for students…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
