The Gainesville City School System (GCSS) recently earned Partner in Prevention designation for providing training in identifying and reporting child sex abuse to almost all school system employees.
The Stewards of Children® training was offered to all employees – from educators and coaches to bus drivers and administrators. More than 90% of those employees completed the training.
According to information from Stewards of Children®, one in 10 children will be sexually abused before the age of 18. Seventy-three percent of children don’t tell anyone until well after the abuse occurred, if they tell at all. Sixty percent of children who do tell, disclose to a teacher. Thus, officials said it is vital that school systems become proactive in the fight against child abuse.
In Hall County, Stewards of Children training is provided through the Edmondson Telford Child Advocacy Center (CAC), a not-for-profit organization that provides forensic interviews and physical exams in a child friendly environment and also coordinates multi-disciplinary oversight of all child abuse cases to strengthen prosecution of perpetrators and ensure no child “falls through the cracks” of the judicial system. Funding from United Way of Hall County pays for the training.
“I applaud the Gainesville City School System for taking this important step to achieve Partner in Prevention status,” said Heather Hayes, executive director of the Edmondson Telford CAC, via a press release. “To train virtually all system employees is a tremendous investment – and one that will reap incredible rewards for the children of Gainesville City Schools.”
Hayes credited GCSS Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Williams for making the commitment to train all of the more than 949-member GCSS staff.
“I had prior experience with Stewards of Children training from a former school system in which I worked,” said Williams. “I recognized the value it brings to a staff, and ultimately the students we serve, and wanted to ensure that we all are trained to identify and respond appropriately to a situation where abuse may have occurred.”
Hayes said the Edmondson Telford CAC has a goal of training at least 5% of the Hall County adult population, which she said is the so-called “tipping point” for a community when they can begin to see cultural change in the protection of children. The GCSS staff training numbers bring the total to about 70% of the 7,010-person goal for Hall County.
The Hall County initiative is part of a statewide prevention effort under the leadership of the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. So far, 17 counties in Georgia have reached the "tipping point."
