FIRST REGULAR SESSION
97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES HAEFNER (Sponsor), JONES (110), MCCAHERTY, HINSON, SOLON, STREAM, KIRKTON, NEWMAN, BRATTIN, GRISAMORE, HUMMEL, ALLEN, MCCANN BEATTY, MONTECILLO, HOUGH, REDMON, BERNSKOETTER, KELLY (45), ELLINGER, ZERR AND FRANKLIN (Co-sponsors).
0878H.01I D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To repeal sections 160.261, 210.115, and 595.220, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof three new sections relating to child abuse and neglect, with penalty provisions.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 160.261, 210.115, and 595.220, RSMo, are repealed and three new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 160.261, 210.115, and 595.220, to read as follows:
160.261. 1. The local board of education of each school district shall clearly establish a written policy of discipline, including the district's determination on the use of corporal punishment and the procedures in which punishment will be applied. A written copy of the district's discipline policy and corporal punishment procedures, if applicable, shall be provided to the pupil and parent or legal guardian of every pupil enrolled in the district at the beginning of each school year and also made available in the office of the superintendent of such district, during normal business hours, for public inspection. All employees of the district shall annually receive instruction related to the specific contents of the policy of discipline and any interpretations necessary to implement the provisions of the policy in the course of their duties, including but not limited to approved methods of dealing with acts of school violence, disciplining students with disabilities and instruction in the necessity and requirements for confidentiality.
2. The policy shall require school administrators to report acts of school violence to all teachers at the attendance center and, in addition, to other school district employees with a need to know. For the purposes of this chapter or chapter 167, "need to know" is defined as school personnel who are directly responsible for the student's education or who otherwise interact with the student on a professional basis while acting within the scope of their assigned duties. As used in this section, the phrase "act of school violence" or "violent behavior" means the exertion of physical force by a student with the intent to do serious physical injury as defined in subdivision (6) of section 565.002 to another person while on school property, including a school bus in service on behalf of the district, or while involved in school activities. The policy shall at a minimum require school administrators to report, as soon as reasonably practical, to the appropriate law enforcement agency any of the following crimes, or any act which if committed by an adult would be one of the following crimes:
(1) First degree murder under section 565.020;
(2) Second degree murder under section 565.021;
(3) Kidnapping under section 565.110;
(4) First degree assault under section 565.050;
(5) Forcible rape under section 566.030;
(6) Forcible sodomy under section 566.060;
(7) Burglary in the first degree under section 569.160;
(8) Burglary in the second degree under section 569.170;
(9) Robbery in the first degree under section 569.020;
(10) Distribution of drugs under section 195.211;
(11) Distribution of drugs to a minor under section 195.212;
(12) Arson in the first degree under section 569.040;
(13) Voluntary manslaughter under section 565.023;
(14) Involuntary manslaughter under section 565.024;
(15) Second degree assault under section 565.060;
(16) Sexual assault under section 566.040;
(17) Felonious restraint under section 565.120;
(18) Property damage in the first degree under section 569.100;
(19) The possession of a weapon under chapter 571;
(20) Child molestation in the first degree pursuant to section 566.067;
(21) Deviate sexual assault pursuant to section 566.070;
(22) Sexual misconduct involving a child pursuant to section 566.083;
(23) Sexual abuse pursuant to section 566.100;
(24) Harassment under section 565.090; or
(25) Stalking under section 565.225;
committed on school property, including but not limited to actions on any school bus in service on behalf of the district or while involved in school activities. The policy shall require that any portion of a student's individualized education program that is related to demonstrated or potentially violent behavior shall be provided to any teacher and other school district employees who are directly responsible for the student's education or who otherwise interact with the student on an educational basis while acting within the scope of their assigned duties. The policy shall also contain the consequences of failure to obey standards of conduct set by the local board of education, and the importance of the standards to the maintenance of an atmosphere where orderly learning is possible and encouraged.
3. The policy shall provide that any student who is on suspension for any of the offenses listed in subsection 2 of this section or any act of violence or drug-related activity defined by school district policy as a serious violation of school discipline pursuant to subsection 9 of this section shall have as a condition of his or her suspension the requirement that such student is not allowed, while on such suspension, to be within one thousand feet of any school property in the school district where such student attended school or any activity of that district, regardless of whether or not the activity takes place on district property unless:
(1) Such student is under the direct supervision of the student's parent, legal guardian, or custodian and the superintendent or the superintendent's designee has authorized the student to be on school property;
(2) Such student is under the direct supervision of another adult designated by the student's parent, legal guardian, or custodian, in advance, in writing, to the principal of the school which suspended the student and the superintendent or the superintendent's designee has authorized the student to be on school property;
(3) Such student is enrolled in and attending an alternative school that is located within one thousand feet of a public school in the school district where such student attended school; or
(4) Such student resides within one thousand feet of any public school in the school district where such student attended school in which case such student may be on the property of his or her residence without direct adult supervision.
4. Any student who violates the condition of suspension required pursuant to subsection 3 of this section may be subject to expulsion or further suspension pursuant to the provisions of sections 167.161, 167.164, and 167.171. In making this determination consideration shall be given to whether the student poses a threat to the safety of any child or school employee and whether such student's unsupervised presence within one thousand feet of the school is disruptive to the educational process or undermines the effectiveness of the school's disciplinary policy. Removal of any pupil who is a student with a disability is subject to state and federal procedural rights. This section shall not limit a school district's ability to:
(1) Prohibit all students who are suspended from being on school property or attending an activity while on suspension;
(2) Discipline students for off-campus conduct that negatively affects the educational environment to the extent allowed by law.
5. The policy shall provide for a suspension for a period of not less than one year, or expulsion, for a student who is determined to have brought a weapon to school, including but not limited to the school playground or the school parking lot, brought a weapon on a school bus or brought a weapon to a school activity whether on or off of the school property in violation of district policy, except that:
(1) The superintendent or, in a school district with no high school, the principal of the school which such child attends may modify such suspension on a case-by-case basis; and
(2) This section shall not prevent the school district from providing educational services in an alternative setting to a student suspended under the provisions of this section.
6. For the purpose of this section, the term "weapon" shall mean a firearm as defined under 18 U.S.C. 921 and the following items, as defined in section 571.010: a blackjack, a concealable firearm, an explosive weapon, a firearm, a firearm silencer, a gas gun, a knife, knuckles, a machine gun, a projectile weapon, a rifle, a shotgun, a spring gun or a switchblade knife; except that this section shall not be construed to prohibit a school board from adopting a policy to allow a Civil War reenactor to carry a Civil War era weapon on school property for educational purposes so long as the firearm is unloaded. The local board of education shall define weapon in the discipline policy. Such definition shall include the weapons defined in this subsection but may also include other weapons.
7. All school district personnel responsible for the care and supervision of students are authorized to hold every pupil strictly accountable for any disorderly conduct in school or on any property of the school, on any school bus going to or returning from school, during school-sponsored activities, or during intermission or recess periods.
8. Teachers and other authorized district personnel in public schools responsible for the care, supervision, and discipline of schoolchildren, including volunteers selected with reasonable care by the school district, shall not be civilly liable when acting in conformity with the established policies developed by each board, including but not limited to policies of student discipline or when reporting to his or her supervisor or other person as mandated by state law acts of school violence or threatened acts of school violence, within the course and scope of the duties of the teacher, authorized district personnel or volunteer, when such individual is acting in conformity with the established policies developed by the board. Nothing in this section shall be construed to create a new cause of action against such school district, or to relieve the school district from liability for the negligent acts of such persons.
9. Each school board shall define in its discipline policy acts of violence and any other acts that constitute a serious violation of that policy. "Acts of violence" as defined by school boards shall include but not be limited to exertion of physical force by a student with the intent to do serious bodily harm to another person while on school property, including a school bus in service on behalf of the district, or while involved in school activities. School districts shall for each student enrolled in the school district compile and maintain records of any serious violation of the district's discipline policy. Such records shall be made available to teachers and other school district employees with a need to know while acting within the scope of their assigned duties, and shall be provided as required in section 167.020 to any school district in which the student subsequently attempts to enroll.
10. Spanking, when administered by certificated personnel and in the presence of a witness who is an employee of the school district, or the use of reasonable force to protect persons or property, when administered by personnel of a school district in a reasonable manner in accordance with the local board of education's written policy of discipline, is not abuse within the meaning of chapter 210. The provisions of sections 210.110 to 210.165 notwithstanding, the children's division shall not have jurisdiction over or investigate any report of alleged child abuse arising out of or related to the use of reasonable force to protect persons or property when administered by personnel of a school district or any spanking administered in a reasonable manner by any certificated school personnel in the presence of a witness who is an employee of the school district pursuant to a written policy of discipline established by the board of education of the school district, as long as no allegation of sexual misconduct arises from the spanking or use of force.
11. If a student reports alleged sexual misconduct on the part of a teacher or other school employee to a person employed in a school facility who is required to report such misconduct to the children's division under section 210.115, such person and the superintendent of the school district shall [forward] report the allegation to the children's division [within twenty-four hours of receiving the information] as set forth in section 210.115. Reports made to the children's division under this subsection shall be investigated by the division in accordance with the provisions of sections 210.145 to 210.153 and shall not be investigated by the school district under subsections 12 to 20 of this section for purposes of determining whether the allegations should or should not be substantiated. The district may investigate the allegations for the purpose of making any decision regarding the employment of the accused employee.
12. Upon receipt of any reports of child abuse by the children's division other than reports provided under subsection 11 of this section, pursuant to sections 210.110 to 210.165 which allegedly involve personnel of a school district, the children's division shall notify the superintendent of schools of the district or, if the person named in the alleged incident is the superintendent of schools, the president of the school board of the school district where the alleged incident occurred.
13. If, after an initial investigation, the superintendent of schools or the president of the school board finds that the report involves an alleged incident of child abuse other than the administration of a spanking by certificated school personnel or the use of reasonable force to protect persons or property when administered by school personnel pursuant to a written policy of discipline or that the report was made for the sole purpose of harassing a public school employee, the superintendent of schools or the president of the school board shall immediately refer the matter back to the children's division and take no further action. In all matters referred back to the children's division, the division shall treat the report in the same manner as other reports of alleged child abuse received by the division.
14. If the report pertains to an alleged incident which arose out of or is related to a spanking administered by certificated personnel or the use of reasonable force to protect persons or property when administered by personnel of a school district pursuant to a written policy of discipline or a report made for the sole purpose of harassing a public school employee, a notification of the reported child abuse shall be sent by the superintendent of schools or the president of the school board to the law enforcement in the county in which the alleged incident occurred.
15. The report shall be jointly investigated by the law enforcement officer and the superintendent of schools or, if the subject of the report is the superintendent of schools, by a law enforcement officer and the president of the school board or such president's designee.
16. The investigation shall begin no later than forty-eight hours after notification from the children's division is received, and shall consist of, but need not be limited to, interviewing and recording statements of the child and the child's parents or guardian within two working days after the start of the investigation, of the school district personnel allegedly involved in the report, and of any witnesses to the alleged incident.
17. The law enforcement officer and the investigating school district personnel shall issue separate reports of their findings and recommendations after the conclusion of the investigation to the school board of the school district within seven days after receiving notice from the children's division.
18. The reports shall contain a statement of conclusion as to whether the report of alleged child abuse is substantiated or is unsubstantiated.
19. The school board shall consider the separate reports referred to in subsection 17 of this section and shall issue its findings and conclusions and the action to be taken, if any, within seven days after receiving the last of the two reports. The findings and conclusions shall be made in substantially the following form:
(1) The report of the alleged child abuse is unsubstantiated. The law enforcement officer and the investigating school board personnel agree that there was not a preponderance of evidence to substantiate that abuse occurred;
(2) The report of the alleged child abuse is substantiated. The law enforcement officer and the investigating school district personnel agree that the preponderance of evidence is sufficient to support a finding that the alleged incident of child abuse did occur;
(3) The issue involved in the alleged incident of child abuse is unresolved. The law enforcement officer and the investigating school personnel are unable to agree on their findings and conclusions on the alleged incident.
20. The findings and conclusions of the school board under subsection 19 of this section shall be sent to the children's division. If the findings and conclusions of the school board are that the report of the alleged child abuse is unsubstantiated, the investigation shall be terminated, the case closed, and no record shall be entered in the children's division central registry. If the findings and conclusions of the school board are that the report of the alleged child abuse is substantiated, the children's division shall report the incident to the prosecuting attorney of the appropriate county along with the findings and conclusions of the school district and shall include the information in the division's central registry. If the findings and conclusions of the school board are that the issue involved in the alleged incident of child abuse is unresolved, the children's division shall report the incident to the prosecuting attorney of the appropriate county along with the findings and conclusions of the school board, however, the incident and the names of the parties allegedly involved shall not be entered into the central registry of the children's division unless and until the alleged child abuse is substantiated by a court of competent jurisdiction.
21. Any superintendent of schools, president of a school board or such person's designee or law enforcement officer who knowingly falsifies any report of any matter pursuant to this section or who knowingly withholds any information relative to any investigation or report pursuant to this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
22. In order to ensure the safety of all students, should a student be expelled for bringing a weapon to school, violent behavior, or for an act of school violence, that student shall not, for the purposes of the accreditation process of the Missouri school improvement plan, be considered a dropout or be included in the calculation of that district's educational persistence ratio.
210.115. 1. When any physician, medical examiner, coroner, dentist, chiropractor, optometrist, podiatrist, resident, intern, nurse, hospital or clinic personnel that are engaged in the examination, care, treatment or research of persons, and any other health practitioner, psychologist, mental health professional, social worker, day care center worker or other child-care worker, juvenile officer, probation or parole officer, jail or detention center personnel, teacher, principal or other school official, minister as provided by section 352.400, peace officer or law enforcement official, or other person with responsibility for the care of children has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been or may be subjected to abuse or neglect or observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances which would reasonably result in abuse or neglect, that person shall immediately report [or cause a report to be made] to the division in accordance with the provisions of sections 210.109 to 210.183. No internal investigation shall be initiated until such a report has been made. As used in this section, the term "abuse" is not limited to abuse inflicted by a person responsible for the child's care, custody and control as specified in section 210.110, but shall also include abuse inflicted by any other person.
2. [Whenever such person is required to report pursuant to sections 210.109 to 210.183 in an official capacity as a staff member of a medical institution, school facility, or other agency, whether public or private, the person in charge or a designated agent shall be notified immediately. The person in charge or a designated agent shall then become responsible for immediately making or causing such report to be made to the division. Nothing in this section, however, is meant to preclude any person from reporting abuse or neglect] If two or more members of a medical institution who are required to report jointly have knowledge of a known or suspected instance of child abuse or neglect, a single report may be made by a member of that team. Any member who has knowledge that the member designated to report has failed to do so shall thereafter immediately make the report.
3. The reporting requirements under this section are individual, and no supervisor or administrator may impede or inhibit any reporting under this section. No person making a report under this section shall be subject to any sanction, including any adverse employment action, for making such report.
4. Notwithstanding any other provision of sections 210.109 to 210.183, any child who does not receive specified medical treatment by reason of the legitimate practice of the religious belief of the child's parents, guardian, or others legally responsible for the child, for that reason alone, shall not be found to be an abused or neglected child, and such parents, guardian or other persons legally responsible for the child shall not be entered into the central registry. However, the division may accept reports concerning such a child and may subsequently investigate or conduct a family assessment as a result of that report. Such an exception shall not limit the administrative or judicial authority of the state to ensure that medical services are provided to the child when the child's health requires it.
[4.] 5. In addition to those persons and officials required to report actual or suspected abuse or neglect, any other person may report in accordance with sections 210.109 to 210.183 if such person has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been or may be subjected to abuse or neglect or observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances which would reasonably result in abuse or neglect.
[5.] 6. Any person or official required to report pursuant to this section, including employees of the division, who has probable cause to suspect that a child who is or may be under the age of eighteen, who is eligible to receive a certificate of live birth, has died shall report that fact to the appropriate medical examiner or coroner. If, upon review of the circumstances and medical information, the medical examiner or coroner determines that the child died of natural causes while under medical care for an established natural disease, the coroner, medical examiner or physician shall notify the division of the child's death and that the child's attending physician shall be signing the death certificate. In all other cases, the medical examiner or coroner shall accept the report for investigation, shall immediately notify the division of the child's death as required in section 58.452 and shall report the findings to the child fatality review panel established pursuant to section 210.192.
[6.] 7. Any person or individual required to report may also report the suspicion of abuse or neglect to any law enforcement agency or juvenile office. Such report shall not, however, take the place of reporting [or causing a report to be made] to the division.
[7.] 8. If an individual required to report suspected instances of abuse or neglect pursuant to this section has reason to believe that the victim of such abuse or neglect is a resident of another state or was injured as a result of an act which occurred in another state, the person required to report such abuse or neglect may, in lieu of reporting to the Missouri division of family services, make such a report to the child protection agency of the other state with the authority to receive such reports pursuant to the laws of such other state. If such agency accepts the report, no report is required to be made, but may be made, to the [Missouri] division [of family services].
595.220. 1. The department of public safety shall make payments to appropriate medical providers, out of appropriations made for that purpose, to cover the reasonable charges of the forensic examination of persons who may be a victim of a sexual offense if:
(1) The victim or the victim's guardian consents in writing to the examination; and
(2) The report of the examination is made on a form approved by the attorney general with the advice of the department of public safety. The department shall establish maximum reimbursement rates for charges submitted under this section, which shall reflect the reasonable cost of providing the forensic exam.
2. A minor may consent to examination under this section. Such consent is not subject to disaffirmance because of minority, and consent of parent or guardian of the minor is not required for such examination. The appropriate medical provider making the examination shall give written notice to the parent or guardian of a minor that such an examination has taken place.
3. The attorney general, with the advice of the department of public safety, shall develop the forms and procedures for gathering evidence during the forensic examination under the provisions of this section. The department of health and senior services shall develop a checklist, protocols, and procedures for appropriate medical providers to refer to while providing medical treatment to victims of a sexual offense, including those specific to victims who are minors.
4. Evidentiary collection kits shall be developed and made available, subject to appropriation, to appropriate medical providers by the highway patrol or its designees and eligible crime laboratories. Such kits shall be distributed with the forms and procedures for gathering evidence during forensic examinations of victims of a sexual offense to appropriate medical providers upon request of the provider, in the amount requested, and at no charge to the medical provider. All appropriate medical providers shall, with the written consent of the victim, perform a forensic examination using the evidentiary collection kit, or other collection procedures developed for victims who are minors, and forms and procedures for gathering evidence following the checklist for any person presenting as a victim of a sexual offense.
5. In reviewing claims submitted under this section, the department shall first determine if the claim was submitted within ninety days of the examination. If the claim is submitted within ninety days, the department shall, at a minimum, use the following criteria in reviewing the claim: examination charges submitted shall be itemized and fall within the definition of forensic examination as defined in subdivision (3) of subsection [7] 8 of this section.
6. All appropriate medical provider charges for eligible forensic examinations shall be billed to and paid by the department of public safety. No appropriate medical provider conducting forensic examinations and providing medical treatment to victims of sexual offenses shall charge the victim for the forensic examination. For appropriate medical provider charges related to the medical treatment of victims of sexual offenses, if the victim is an eligible claimant under the crime victims' compensation fund, the victim shall seek compensation under sections 595.010 to 595.075.
7. The department of public safety shall establish rules regarding the reimbursement of the costs of forensic examinations for children under fourteen years of age, including establishing conditions and definitions for emergency and non-emergency forensic examinations and specific qualifications for appropriate medical providers performing non-emergency forensic examinations.
8. For purposes of this section, the following terms mean:
(1) "Appropriate medical provider", any licensed nurse, physician, or physician assistant, and any institution employing licensed nurses, physicians, or physician assistants, provided that such licensed professionals are the only persons at such institution to perform tasks under the provisions of this section. The department of public safety may establish additional qualifications for appropriate medical providers performing non-emergency forensic evaluations for children under fourteen years of age;
(2) "Evidentiary collection kit", a kit used during a forensic examination that includes materials necessary for appropriate medical providers to gather evidence in accordance with the forms and procedures developed by the attorney general for forensic examinations;
(3) "Forensic examination", an examination performed by an appropriate medical provider on a victim of an alleged sexual offense to gather evidence for the evidentiary collection kit or using other collection procedures developed for victims who are minors;
(4) "Medical treatment", the treatment of all injuries and health concerns resulting directly from a patient's sexual assault or victimization;
(5) “Emergency forensic examination”, an examination of a person under fourteen years of age that occurs within five days of the alleged sexual assault or other definition adopted by the department of public safety;
(6) “Non-emergency forensic examination”, an examination of a person under fourteen years of age that occurs more than five days after the alleged sexual assault or other definition adopted by the department of public safety.
[8.] 9. The department shall have authority to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2009, shall be invalid and void.
•