An Albemarle County grand jury has indicted three current or former administrators with Albemarle County Public Schools for failure to comply with Virginia’s mandatory child-abuse reporting law.
A joint release from Albemarle County Police and Jim Hingeley, the Albemarle County Commonwealth’s attorney, announced the indictments of:
- Joseph Downes McCauley of Charlottesville, the former principal at Hollymead Elementary School.
- Jhonce Brodie Downs of Crozet, the deputy chief human resources officer at ACPS.
- Erin Eileen Stone of Charlottesville, the Title IX coordinator at ACPS.
The release, issued on Wednesday, tells us that Virginia Code § 63.2-1509 requires teachers and other school employees who, in their professional or official capacity, have reason to suspect that a child has been abused or neglected to make a timely report to the appropriate child-protective authorities.
“The Albemarle County Police Department remains committed to protecting the safety and well-being of our victims, especially when they are children. These arrests reflect our unwavering dedication to accountability while conducting thorough investigations,” said ACPD Major Camille Stewart.
During the course of the investigation, detectives received information indicating that some teachers and school staff were hesitant to report suspected child abuse or neglect because they feared that reporting may subject them to adverse disciplinary action.
There’s your holy crap moment in this story.
Any teacher or staff member with information concerning past or current suspected child abuse or neglect is encouraged to report those concerns directly to Child Protective Services by calling 434-972-4010 or the statewide Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 800-552-7096.
Reports may be made directly to the appropriate authorities and do not need to be routed through a supervisor or school administrator.
Share
Chris Graham
