Jun. 22, 2018
HARRISBURG—Legislation sponsored Rep. Thomas Murt (R-Montgomery/Philadelphia) to require all schools in the Commonwealth to publicly display a poster containing the statewide toll-free number for reporting suspected child abuse has passed the House and Senate and was sent to the governor for his signature.
“Posting this critical information in schools would let students know that they have somewhere to turn if they need to report abuse or neglect that they’ve suffered or if they suspect another child is being abused or neglected,” Murt said. “Such a poster also reinforces to students the fact that abuse should be reported and that the school supports them.”
House Bill 1232 would require all schools, public and non-public, to display a poster 11x17 inches or larger, and be uniformly designed as approved by the state Department of Human Services (DHS) and the state Department of Education.
The poster is required to be displayed in a high-traffic, public area that is widely used by students. The poster also would include the address of the DHS website that provides information and resources related to child protection (www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov).
Pennsylvania’s statewide toll-free hotline number to report suspected child abuse is 1-800-932-0313, and is known as Childline.
“Texas was the first state to require schools to post such information,” Murt said. “The Texas Department of Family Protective Services reported that after two years of displaying the information, it received 19,562 calls from students. That’s proof this can work.”
Representative Thomas P. Murt
152nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: David Foster
267.207.0207
dfoster@pahousegop.com
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