Child abuse reporting: confidentiality.

Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, establishes procedures for the reporting and investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect. The act requires certain professionals, including teachers and specified school employees, known as "mandated reporters," to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect to a local law enforcement agency or a county welfare or probation department, as specified. Existing law makes reports of child abuse or neglect confidential and only authorizes the disclosure of the reports to certain individuals or entities. This bill would authorize the disclosure of those confidential reports to a teacher or school administrator, but only for purposes of disclosing information about child abuse reports filed by that teacher or administrator. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.