Gov. Sonny Perdue has accepted the recommendations of the Office of the Child Advocate and created a working group to examine policies and procedures that are followed when cases of abuse are alleged in an educational environment. The Governor’s Working Group on Abuse in the Educational Setting will convene experienced school administrators and leaders along with law enforcement personnel to develop consistent statewide policies and protocols for addressing reports of child abuse by school employees.
The Governor has charged the working group with developing specific child abuse reporting and response procedures that can be adopted by every school system in the state. The group’s recommendations will include specific processes for parents and students to report abuse as well as protocols for school system management to use when taking personnel action involving accused employees and reporting the incident to law enforcement, system leadership and the Professional Standards Commission.
A specific task of the group will include developing protocols for addressing allegations abuse in special settings, such as those involving special educational programs operated by Regional Educational Services Agencies (RESAs).
Gov. Perdue’s formation of the working group comes in response to recommendations from the Office of the Child Advocate. In June, following a disturbing case alleging abuse of a child by school personnel, the Governor charged the State Child Advocate with determining whether Georgia’s laws and policies adequately address issues of abuse in the educational setting.
The first meeting of the working group has been tentatively scheduled for late August. The members of the working group are:
- Matt Arthur, Superintendent,
- Emily Lembeck, Superintendent,
- Jeannie Edwards, Student Health Coordinator,
- Stephanie (
- Jay Fowler, Principal, Rocky
- Pete Skandalakis, Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney
- Rachael Barron, Parent Representative,
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