Are coaches legally required under state "mandated reporter" laws to report allegations of child abuse or neglect?

Update: Since this blog posting Tuesday afternoon, I've received conflicting information on whether a coach is a mandated reporter. There is broad agreement that a coach must report allegations of child abuse or neglect if the coach is connected to the education system. However, I've received conflicting information from state and county sources on whether coaches in non-profit or recreational or sports leagues -- with no ties to the education system -- are mandated reporters. Look for an updated blog post Wednesday morning to clear up this important distinction.

It's one of the first questions that came to mind when reading about the Penn St. sex abuse scandal. Reportedly, football coach Joe Paterno opted to only notify his supervisor when he learned of a child sex abuse allegation involving one of his former coaches. Paterno reportedly did not notify police or child welfare authorities of this allegation. His handling of the situation is coming under increasing scrutiny -- if not on legal grands, then on moral grounds.

For many people who work with children, there is no choice. They are legally required to report allegations that adults have abused or neglected children in their care. This is true whether the reporters witnessed the abuse or heard about it secondhand. If Paterno was a mandated reporter in the state of Minnesota, his actions might have broken state law. Consider the wording from a Minnesota Department of Human Services guide on reporting child abuse:

Violating Minnesota's mandated reporter law is a misdemeanor offense (and a felony if unreported abuse results in a child's death). But state laws are fuzzy when it comes to coaches and whether they are mandated reporters. For the purposes of this blog, I'll focus on Minnesota law.

The word "coach" doesn't appear anywhere in the DHS guide on reporting abuse, which lists mandated reporters as hospital administrators, medical personnel and professionals, dental professionals, social workers, group home staff, foster parents, psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, home child care providers, child care center staff, babysitters, teachers and assistants, school administrators, school support staff, law enforcement, guardians ad litem, clergy, and probation and correctional services.

That doesn't mean coaches are in the clear. An email from DHS' Carole Wilcox states that coaches would be mandated reporters if they are at all connected to the education system. Any "professional and/or delegate of the education system" is a mandated reporter, she said. But the reporting requirement does not apply to youth sports coaches and volunteers in non-profit sports organizations that have no ties to education.

A point of confusion in Minnesota is whether reporters are required to report abuse allegations that they learn about when they are "off the clock" from their official duties. An August memo from the Dakota County Attorney to employees indicated that other states are more specific on this point:

Research indicates that mandated reporters often don't report allegations, especially when the allegations involve people they know, according to a statement released today by the National Child Protection Training Center, which is co-located at Winona State University.

The training center is calling for improved training of mandated reporters and clearer state laws. "The fact is, most victims of abuse will not come forward on their own out of fear of the alleged perpetrator, shame or embarrassment about their victimization or concern about community response," said Victor Vieth, NCPTC executive director. "Community members have an ethical obligation to protect children as well."