Identifying & Reporting Suspicious Behavior
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Under ACT 126 of 2012, all school employees who has (1) direct contact with children (i.e., the possibility of care, supervision, guidance or control of children or routine interaction with children) and (2) has reasonable cause to suspect child abuse of one or more child(ren) within the organization has a duty to report to this suspicious behavior. These individuals are known as known as a mandated reporters whereas any individual who does not meet one or both conditions noted above is considered a permissive reporter.
Mandated reporters can make a report either online or via phone and instructions for each are provided below. Note that mandated reporters must submit their name and contact information when making a report. (Permissive reporters, however, can anonymously file a report of suspected child abuse).
Important Phone Numbers
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If you are making a child abuse claim by phone, please call:
Pennsylvania ChildLine Abuse and Registry Intake
TDM: (800) 932-0313
TDD: (866) 872-1677
Reports can be made 24hrs/ day, 7 days/ week.
If you make a child abuse claim by phone, you will need to submit a report to:
Lehigh County Children and Youth
TDM: (610) 782-3064
FAX: (610) 871-2774
If you need local assistance, please call:
Upper Saucon Township Police Department
TDM: (610) 282-3064
Coopersburg Borough Police
TDM: (610) 282-1444
In case of an emergency, IMMEDIATELY call :
9-1-1
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Child Abuse Reporting Training (Employees, Coaches, and Ancillary Workers)
Under ACT 126 of 2012, all school employees and volunteers who have direct contact with children (i.e., the possibility of care, supervision, guidance or control of children or routine interaction with children) must complete a three (3) hour required child abuse reporting training.Individuals who began their service with the Southern Lehigh SD on or before December 31, 2013 were required to complete the required three (3) hours of child abuse reporting training no later than December 31, 2017.All other individuals who began their service with the Southern Lehigh SD on January 1, 2014 or later are required to complete these three (3) hours of child abuse reporting within 90 days of their start. As with clearances, all individuals, regardless of start date, are required to receritfy (redo) their training within five (5) years/ 60 months from their last training completion date.Failure to comply with the aforementioned provision(s) of ACT 126 of 2012 can result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.To begin, you will need to access the Southern Lehigh SD Vector Training site, which you can access by clicking HERE. Once on the site, you will need to enter your username (your district email address) and the password associated with your district email address. Note that you cannot complete this training until your new hire paperwork has been submitted; new district email accounts are created only after this submission of this paperwork. -
Child Abuse Reporting Training (Volunteers)
Although volunteers are not considered employees of the Southern Lehigh SD, their participation in some school activities often meets the definition of direct contact of children (i.e., the possibility of care, supervision, guidance or control of children or routine interaction with children). Thus, the Southern Lehigh SD strongly encourages its volunteers to be trained in correctly identifying and reporting possible instances of child abuse.
To begin, you will need to access the University of Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center website, which you can access by clicking HERE.
Once on the website, you will need to either login (if you have an account) or create one by clicking on the Don't Have an Account option, which will redirect you to the new user registration page. As a new user, please select NO when asked if you are licensed or applying for a license through one of the state's licensure/ certification boards. Upon completion of your registration, the PA Child Resource Center will send you a confirmation email with your login credentials.
Once you have logged into the website, click on the link titled rrca-0299: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse listed under the Your Courses Section. Follow the directions to complete the course. Note that while this training requires approximately three (3) hours to complete, it does not need to be completed in one sitting. The platform is designed to provide you with the option of competing this training over multiple periods.
Once completed, please print and save your certificate as an Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) file. You will need to submit your results to the Office of Human Resources. Results are not automatically sent to the Southern Lehigh SD.
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How to Report Abuse Online
Mandated reporters can make a report electronically to ChildLine via the Child Welfare Information Solution website, which can be accessed by clicking HERE.
Once on the website, you will need to log in using your INDIVIDUAL LOGIN. (If you do not have an account, you will need to select the CREATE INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT and follow the signup directions.) Once you have submitted the report, you will receive a confirmation email.
We strongly advise you to print and keep this confirmation for documentation purposes. You are not required to submit a hardcopy form nor are required to make a report by phone (next section) if you successfully submitted a report through the Child Welfare Information Solution website. The electronic report serves as both the oral and written report.
Upon completion, you are required under District Policy #248 (Unlawful Harassment) to immediately inform your supervisor or the Superintendent of Schools of your report.
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How to Report Abuse by Phone
Mandated reporters can make a report via phone to ChildLine by calling the ChildLine and Abuse Registry Intake Unit at (800) 932-0313 [TDD: (866) 872-1677] to inform the intake worker of the facts and circumstances contributing to a suspicion of child abuse or abuse resulting from the neglect of an unborn child.
After making your report by phone, you must file a written report within 48 hours. You can submit a written report either:
- ONLINE: You will need to submit your report via the Child Welfare Information Solution website, which can be accessed by clicking HERE. (Note that you will need to login using your existing account or create a new account if this is your first time making a report on this site). Once you have submitted the report, you will receive a confirmation email. We strongly advise you to print and keep this confirmation for documentation purposes.
- FORM: You will need to complete the CY47 Child Abuse Report Form, which can be accessed by clicking HERE. Once completed, you will need to fax this form to the Lehigh County Children and Youth at (610) 871-2774.
Upon completion, you are required under District Policy #248 (Unlawful Harassment) to immediately inform your supervisor or the Superintendent of Schools of your report.
