It’s easy to miss the significance of the Joe Paterno story unless take a breath, step back, and think about what it means in our lives. It’s not just a story about a world-class university that covered up a disgusting history about one of its own university leaders raping, sodomizing, and scarring the lives of 8 to 12 year old boys for at least 15 straight years. Yes, Penn State did intentionally set out to put the good name of their university above the best interest of innocent children who were raped physically and psychologically and spiritually by a 6 foot 5 sick predator.
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Comments on: "Ask Yourself, “If it were Joe Paterno’s Child, would Penn State officials have turned a blind eye to Sexual Assault as it continued for 15 years?”" (2)
According to the Grand Jury report, Paterno reported the 2002 incident that he knew of to his supervisors (the Athletic Director and the V.P. of the department).
They, in turn, were required by the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law (23 Pa CS 6311) to report to the State Dept. of Public Welfare and to the country Children and Youth Services department, by phone and in writing, within 48 hours of Paterno’s report to THEM.
They didn’t submit the report, and were found by the Grand Jury to have made “materially false statements” and given testimony that was “not credible.”
It’s clear from reading the report that Paterno took the incident he knew about and reported it as he should have, and that his superiors downplayed the report and did not follow through by filing reports with the proper agencies.
Paterno’s obligation, legally, ended when he filed the report.
I don’t see why this is so hard for people to understand.
The law states that when a report is made by an employee (and in the 2002 incident, reports were made to the A.D. and V.P. by BOTH Paterno and the grad assistant who witnessed the attack), “the person in charge of the school or institution has the responsibility and legal obligation” to file a report with the county and state within 48 hours. How is it Paterno’s fault that this report was not filed?
Please explain.
Sometimes… and issue is so grave, that doing the minimal allowed by law is unconscionable….. just Saying….