A proposed law based on the Penn State child sex abuse scandal runs into suggestions it might be overkill. Senator Eric Schmitt of Kirkwood thinks the witness to the child sex abuse at Penn State should have called police, not reported the incident to higher-ups at the school. His bill makes anybody a mandated reporter. .
But critics say the issue more complicated than that—that a parent or guardian might not report because an offending child needs treatment more than prosecution, or because a parent reporting might lose custody of the child…
Smithville Senator LuAnn Ridgeway says the bill creates inconsistent law—putting someone in jail for a year for failing to report child sex abuse while not punishing someone who sees a child murdered and doesn’t report it..
Schmitt can’t get his bill to a vote. He’ll be able to try again later.
