Investigation found the allegations to be unsubstantiated, county attorney says.
The Summit County Attorney’s Office and the Park City School District reached an agreement four months after chargeswere filed against the School District claiming it failed to report allegations of sexual abuse to the appropriate authorities.
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson announced the resolution on Tuesday, which states the case will remain open for two years. The School District must comply with several conditions in that time, including supplementing annual training related to reporting child abuse or neglect with resources approved or provided by the County Attorney’s Office or the county’s multidisciplinary team, continuing to report with prosecutors on matters related to suspected child abuse and reporting child abuse and neglect as required by law.
An investigation into the unreported allegations found they are unsubstantiated, according to a joint media release by Olson and the School District. The County Attorney’s Office did not find evidence that a School District administrator or Park City School Board member advised employees to avoid reporting suspected child abuse.
The School District began cooperating with prosecutors following three misdemeanor charges that were filed in March. Olson then held a district-wide training the following month to educate employees and School Board members about recognizing and reporting child abuse.
“The employees of the District are respected members of our Summit County community. The objective of each of these valued members has always been to make our children safe in their homes, schools, and community,” the School District and County Attorney’s Office said in a joint statement. “Each is committed to child safety. The parties believe that resolution of this case will only serve to strengthen the existing bonds between District employees, law enforcement, child protective services, and the [County Attorney’s Office] to protect the children of our community.”
Olson also reminds the community that “we are all mandatory reports,” not just school district personnel.
“Every individual, parent, guardian, community member, and community institution are important partners protecting child safety,” she said.
The charges stemmed from incidents beginning in October 2019 and allege School District personnel did not properly disclose allegations of sexual abuse. In wake of the charges, the County Attorney’s Office has been working to train local organizations that work with children to reinforce lessons about mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect.
