51 Comments Susquehanna Twp. Assistant Principal-Student Sex Case: Should Rumors Have Been Reported To Police?

Susquehanna Township School District continues to point to “rumors,” as it faces an investigation into how it handled the case of an assistant principal who allegedly had sex with a 16-year-old student.

Rumors, said the school district’s solicitor, are not enough for a “reasonable cause” to suspect child abuse. When concerns do rise to that level, state law mandates certain professionals must report to authorities.

But lawyers representing victims in the Jerry Sandusky case say there’s a “heightened awareness” and lessons that should have been learned from Penn State when it comes to reporting allegations of child abuse.

Ben Andreozzi, a civil lawyer whose law firm represented eight of the victims in the Jerry Sandusky case, said he has “serious concerns” regarding how Susquehanna Township school officials “handled the situation.”

He hoped institutions would heed the “severity of lapses” in reporting child abuse.

“If they thought enough … to conduct an investigation, they probably should have thought enough … to contact authorities.” – Ben Andreozzi