The victim, Joella
Posted on 12/31/2003 11:44:22 AM PST by Holly_P
Henry County school officials fired a school counselor for failing to report suspicions of child abuse seen in a girl whose parents are charged with murdering her.
Eagle's Landing Middle School counselor Patricia White, a 23-year employee of the school system, was accused of not reporting signs of physical abuse on 11-year-old Joella Reaves, who died Dec. 1.
Police have charged Joella's father, Rodney Reaves, and her stepmother, Charlott Reaves, with murder and child cruelty. The couple are accused of fatally beating, starving and tying up Joella in the garage of the family's Stockbridge home over seven days during Thanksgiving week.
Authorities called to the home Dec. 1 found the girl dead in a bedroom. A coroner's report listed the initial cause of death as blunt-force trauma.
The five board members voted unanimously to fire White after hearing more than eight hours of testimony Tuesday at the McDonough hearing.
Neither White nor her attorney would comment on the decision, but her lawyer, David Dunham, said they would discuss whether to file an appeal. She has 30 days to appeal the decision to the state school board.
Tuesday's hearing on the case began at 9:00 a.m. and lasted until almost 11 p.m. The school board heard testimony from White, teachers who said they had reported problems to White, and character witnesses for White.
White testified that the only written report she received from a teacher about injuries seen on Joella was "over the top." When White asked Joella about her bruised face, the girl told the counselor that she had fallen while learning to skateboard.
Two teachers told school board members that they reported signs of abuse to White, who was responsible for alerting state authorities.
School officials are required by law to report possible child abuse. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor in Georgia punishable by up to one year in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.
In her own defense, White said during the hearing that she fullfilled her duties. Joella's injuries, as White observed them, were consistent with a fall and didn't rise to the level of child abuse.
A police investigation into Joella's death and the school's handling of the case is still under way. Henry County District Attorney Tommy Floyd has not scheduled a day for the case to be presented to a Henry County grand jury.
Prosecutors have said at least one school official at Eagle's Landing is facing a criminal indictment by a grand jury in the case. They have not named that official.
What a horrendous law. Required by law to report possible child abuse? What the hell does that mean? The law, as is, essentially forces a school official to report any and all circumstances which may be the result of child abuse.
I'm certainly not saying the school should close their eyes to abuse, but compelling a counselor, teacher, or any other employee to report something or face jail is preposterous.
If I were a school official, I'd just report every kid as potentially abused on the first day, just to cover my ass.
A similarly stupid (but more frivolous) law is the one requiring a merchant to ask for ID from anyone who "is not age 25 or older" when purchasing alcohol or cigarettes. I was asked for ID when purchasing booze at the ripe age of 30. When they asked, I said, "no thanks, I'm over 25".
That's right, and most states have similar laws that apply to social workers, therapists, physicians, nurses, etc.
Anonymous tips are accepted also.
This has resulted in many, many cases of false allegations against parents.
On the other hand, it probably has saved some lives.
We became acquainted with a family about 10 years ago where the single mother was an alcoholic and drug abuser.
The children were barely clothed or fed. They were 'cared for' by their German immigrant landlord, which is how we met them - at church.
My wife was (and is) a 'mandated reporter'; if she suspects child abuse she's legally required to notify state agents.
One day the middle boy, who was 6, told me that his mother made him eat hot peppers when he misbehaved, frequently locked him in a closet and made him kneel on dry rice or beans. These are not things a child 'makes up'. As it happened, the pastor of the church heard similar things from the daughter and initiated an inquiry.
I was hesitant to tell my wife what the boy had told me, because the mother had told the landlord that if anyone ever called on her she'd just accuse them of sexual abuse and they'd be finished. With children of my own to be concerned about, I wasn't looking to defend myself in court against this woman.
Finally one night the landlord called me to tell me that the boy had bruises on his back and he was worried that there had been a 'criminal act'.
The next morning I called the school. The social worker could not even confirm that the children were students there, so I said, "If you have a child enrolled at the school by the name of X, I suggest you check him for abuse."
I later found our that he had been horribly beaten with a chair rail and electric cord.
I was contacted by the state to testify against the mother; she fled jurisdiction.
Two eyes and a brain.
One more bain than you have, I suspect.
The victim, Joella
We certainly don't want parents sitting in a police station because their child got a paper cut, but in this case it sounds like the child was beaten pretty severely and the teacher shouldn't have needed a law to tell that something was wrong and should have been reported.
I absolutely agree. I think everyone has a moral obligation to speak up if they think a kid's in serious danger. But a legal obligation that is, at best, ambiguous? That's my concern.
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