Oppose
HB
787 / SB 568
Crimes
- Child Abuse and Neglect - Failure to Report
April
2019
Written
testimony respectfully submitted by
Jennifer
Alvaro
Licensed
Certified Social Worker – Clinical, MD
Licensed
Clinical Social Worker, VA
Certified
Sex Offender Treatment Provider, VA
Clinical
Member, ATSA
For
the past several years, I have been advocating for Maryland to
fulfill its duty to protect our children, the most vulnerable among
us. Having lived in Maryland my entire life, having been a social
worker for 25 years, I was deeply disturbed to discover Maryland isone of only two states in the nation without a criminal penalty forfailure to report.
While
always hoping professionals will act morally, ethically and legally,
it has been a rude awakening to have learned this is not the case
many times for those to whom we entrust our children. As a resident
of Montgomery County, what I have learned in the past seven years is
for decades many mandated reporters in the Montgomery County Public
School system and other systems across the state have violated the
law by failing to report their suspicions of child abuse. This is not
a baseless accusation or unfounded speculation. I say this because
advocates and news media have documented proof via court testimony,
MPIA requests, interviews and admissions in public meetings.
Admissions
made by mandated reporters they knowingly chose not to report
suspicions of severe cases of abuse to authorities.
Their choice not to follow the law by reporting led to the abuse
of more children.
Time
after time we see systems protecting themselves instead of children
because in Maryland mandated reporters have no fear of being held
accountable for breaking the law. That is why, as a mandated
reporter myself, I have advocated strongly for adding criminal
penalties for the egregious cases of failure to report we have seen
far too often in our youth serving organizations in Maryland.
Heartbreakingly,
I am submitting this testimony to OPPOSE this bill.
This bill, though desperately needed, is dangerous as currently
written, this bill will not only fail to right a wrong, it will make
things worse for children in Maryland.
This
bill’s use of actual knowledge as well as not including mandated
reports of victims after they turn 18, will set safety for our
children back, instead of moving it forward. This bill (contrary to
proponents’ statements) would not in fact give justice to the
children victimized by Lawrence Joynes, Jose Pineda, John Vigna, Mark
Yantos or Daniel Picca. All MCPS teachers, all left in the classroom
by MCPS officials who knew for a fact they were dangerous and had
them on written “restrictions” to stop touching children.
For
those reasons, I am dismayed be forced to oppose this bill and urge
you to issue an unfavorable report.
HB 787 and SB 568 Alvaro by on Scribd
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