AP-3518: Child Abuse Reporting

Rogue Community College (RCC) recognizes the responsibility of its employees and board of education members to immediately report to the appropriate agency when there is reasonable suspicion that abuse or neglect of a child may have occurred. All employees and board of education members are required to comply with applicable state child abuse and neglect requirements and are considered mandatory child abuse reporters under Oregon law. 

The duty of a mandatory reporter is a 24-hour-a-day, 7 day-a-week responsibility. As a community college employee or board of education member this legal duty is the personal responsibility of each individual and applies whether or not the individual is on work time. As such, all RCC employees and board of education members are required to report suspected child abuse anytime, anywhere. Whether an employee or board of education member learns of suspected abuse or a suspected abuser while at work, coaching their child’s soccer team, or when shopping for groceries on the weekend, the reporting obligation is the same.

An employee or board of education member making a report of child abuse shall make an oral report by telephone or otherwise to the local office of the Department of Human Services (DHS), to the designee of the department or to a law enforcement agency within the county where the person making the report is located at the time of the contact. The report shall contain, if known:

• Names and addresses of the child
• Names and addresses of the parents of the child or other persons responsible for care of the child
• Child’s age
• Nature and extent of the abuse, including any evidence of previous abuse
• Explanation given for the abuse
• Other information that the person making the report believes might be helpful in establishing the cause of the abuse and the identity of the perpetrator.

Any questions regarding this procedure should be sent to the Director of Risk Management and the Assistant Director of Risk Management. In addition, if an employee or board of education member makes a report to law enforcement or DHS, the employee or board of education member should notify Risk Management that a report has been filed.

Anyone participating in good faith in making a child abuse report has immunity from any criminal or civil liability. This immunity is also in place with respect to participation in any subsequent judicial proceeding. To the extent possible, the individual’s identity as the reporter will be kept confidential (ORS 419B.025).

Below is a summary of what is generally considered abuse as outlined in ORS 491B.005:

• Any assault, as defined in ORS chapter 163, of a child and any physical injury to a child that has been caused by other than accidental means, including any injury that appears to be at variance with the explanation given of the injury.
• Any mental injury to a child, which shall include only cruel or unconscionable acts or statements made, or threatened to be made, to a child if the acts, statements or threats result in severe harm to the child’s psychological, cognitive, emotional or social well-being and functioning.
• Rape of a child, which includes but is not limited to rape, sodomy, unlawful sexual penetration and incest, as those acts are described in ORS chapter 163.
• Sexual abuse, as described in ORS chapter 163.
• Sexual exploitation, including but not limited to:
  • Contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, as defined in ORS chapter 163, and any other conduct that allows, employs, authorizes, permits, induces or encourages a child to engage in the performing for people to observe or the photographing, filming, tape recording or other exhibition that, in whole or in part, depicts sexual conduct or contact, as defined in ORS 167.002 (Definitions for ORS 167.002 to 167.027) or described in ORS 163.665 (Definitions) and 670 (Using child in display of sexually explicit conduct), sexual abuse involving a child or rape of a child, but not including any conduct that is part of any investigation conducted pursuant to ORS 419B.020 (Duty of department or law enforcement agency receiving report) or that is designed to serve educational or other legitimate purposes; and
  • Allowing, permitting, encouraging or hiring a child to engage in prostitution as described in ORS 167.007 (Prostitution) or a commercial sex act as defined in ORS 163.266 (Trafficking in persons), to purchase sex with a minor as described in ORS 163.413 (Purchasing sex with a minor) or to engage in commercial sexual solicitation as described in ORS 167.008 (Commercial sexual solicitation).
• Negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child, including but not limited to the failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter or medical care that is likely to endanger the health or welfare of the child.
• Threatened harm to a child, which means subjecting a child to a substantial risk of harm to the child’s health or welfare.
• Buying or selling a person under 18 years of age as described in ORS 163.537 (Buying or selling a person under 18 years of age).
• Permitting a person under 18 years of age to enter or remain in or upon premises where methamphetamines are being manufactured.
• Unlawful exposure to a controlled substance, as defined in ORS 475.005 (Definitions for ORS 475.005 to 475.285 and 475.752 to 475.980), or to the unlawful manufacturing of a cannabinoid extract, as defined in ORS 475C.009 (Definitions for ORS 475C.005 to 475C.525), that subjects a child to a substantial risk of harm to the child’s health or safety.
• The restraint or seclusion of a child in violation of ORS 339.285 (Definitions for ORS 339.285 to 339.303), 288 (Prohibitions on use of certain restraints), 339.291 (Use of restraint or seclusion), 339.303 (Rules for complaints, investigations and seclusion rooms) or 339.308 (Seclusion cell prohibition).
• The infliction of corporal punishment on a child in violation of ORS 339.250 (Duty of student to comply with rules) (9).

“Abuse” does not include reasonable discipline unless discipline results in one of the above-described conditions.

Reporting Options

Jackson County DHS
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
541-858-3197 (local) 866-840-2741 (toll free) (dedicated hotline)

911 or Jackson County law enforcement agency:
Jackson County Sheriff: 541-774-6800
Ashland Police: 541-488-2211
Butte Falls Police 541-865-3200
Central Point Police 541-664-5578
Eagle Point Police 541-826-9171
Jacksonville Police 541-899-7100
Medford Police 541-776-7206
Phoenix Police 541-535-1113
Rogue River Police 541-582-4931
Talent Police 541-535-1253

Josephine County DHS
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
541-858-3197 (local) 866-840-2741 (toll free) (dedicated hotline)

911 or Josephine County law enforcement agency:
Josephine County Sheriff: 541-474-5123
Grants Pass Public Safety: 541-450-6260

Oregon State Police: 541-474-3174

Definitions:

“Child” is defined as an unmarried person who is under 18 years of age.

Rescinds Policy Number: AP-012
Approved:  September 23, 2021
Revised: April 14, 2026