CMS and the Jimmie Grubbs case just keeps getting odder and odder. The local Knight Ridder outlet today weighs in with the story Creative Loafing and The Rhino Times had last week, to wit:
The school system’s handling of the case has faced scrutiny since police arrested Grubbs last month on sexual assault charges stemming from allegations by at least three former students.
When CMS first learned about the accusations, school officials opened an internal investigation and called police, but they did not contact the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services.
N.C. law requires anyone who suspects a child is abused or neglected to report suspicions to the local social services department, said Jim Jones, spokesman for the state Department of Health and Human Services. Jones said he believes the law makes no exceptions.
District spokeswoman Latarzja Henry said Wednesday that the system has asked attorneys for clarification on how it should respond to such cases.
School officials have said they were not required to report the Grubbs allegations to social services. Henry maintained Wednesday that reporting is mandatory only if the suspected abuser is a parent, guardian, custodian or caretaker.
When the Observer asked the N.C. Attorney General’s Office if the district was required by law to notify the Department of Social Services about the allegations, spokesman William McKinney said the office could not give an immediate opinion. Only public officials can request opinions from the office, he said.
In other words, in Mecklenburg County, there is general confusion as to whether a government agency need report sex abuse of a child by an employee to the proper authorities. This immediately suggests the question of how many times besides Grubbs did CMS, for example, suspect sex abuse of a child by an employee and not report it?
What could possibly be the reasoning behind not reporting such a thing? Fear of a lawsuit? Has CMS ever be sued over such a thing in the past? Will any of these questions ever be answered?
Meanwhile, the circus continues.