After three sources told me that youth coaches in non-profit or recreational sports leagues aren't mandated reporters of child abuse in Minnesota, a fourth has provided a conflicting view that trumps them all.

A legal interpretation from the Minnesota Judicial Branch indicates that these coaches are mandated reporters. That means they are obliged under law to report firsthand or secondhand knowledge of adults who are abusing or neglecting children in their care.

There is broad agreement that coaches are mandated reporters when they are connected to the education system. So varsity coaches are mandated reporters, whether or not they teach at their respective high schools. The confusion surfaced regarding coaches, whether paid or volunteer, who are with youth sports organizations that aren't affiliated with schools. After all, the word "coach" doesn't appear in relevant state statute on this subject or in a state policy manual regarding mandated reporting of child abuse.

In response to my question, the Minnesota Department of Human Services asked for guidance from Ann Ahlstrom of the judicial branch's Children's Justice Initiative. In an emailed reply to DHS on Tuesday, Ahlstrom offered two reasons why coaches at all levels of youth sports are mandated reporters:

  1. A coach is an educator: "A coach is engaged in educational activity which involves his/her specialized knowledge of the activity being coached and which he/she is passing on to the child; this is education. A coach fits either in the category of professional (undefined in 626,556, but could generally be considered to include someone with special knowledge and responsibility to others) or a delegate working under a professional (the head coach, for example) in education or working under the supervision of the organization sponsoring the event."
  2. A coach is a child-care provider: "I know we usually think of 'child care' as involving younger children; however any adult with responsibility for children can be reasonably expected to exercise appropriate care over the children and youth under his/her supervision – including a coach; for this reason coaching can be considered child care as contemplated under 626.556.

This is news to me. I was trained on mandated reporter responsibilities as a Sunday school teacher, but it hasn't come up in the six years I've coached youth basketball, baseball or soccer. It also appears to be news to a variety of organizations, including the Dakota County Attorney's office. An email from that office Tuesday morning suggested that these coaches weren't mandated reporters.

Of course, all of this only has to do with legal requirements -- and whether coaches could face misdemeanor charges for failing to report child abuse allegations. It has nothing to do with the moral standard that adults face when it comes to confronting child abuse or neglect. This point was eloquently pointed out in a comment from a reader, IDed only as mplsfemale, in Tuesday's blog.

The Penn State scandal was the impetus for exploring this question, but it is merely the most high profile example at the moment. Minneapolis attorney Jeff Anderson, who has represented victims of abuse by clergy members, tweeted today about another case in South Carolina involving a youth coach and church leader.