Advocates for sexual violence survivors say the Arizona bill to strengthen the requirements for essential reporters will save children from abuse.

The scale does so Clarify the requirements for mandatory reporters at K-12 schools People who have been informed of possible child sexual abuse.

It will also add alternative teachers and school board members as mandatory reporters.

So far, it has progressed with bipartisan support at the Capitol.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said the school didn’t properly process the report and he didn’t go anywhere. In many cases, the person in charge tries to handle the issue internally.

“It was the difference between a school official who did not follow child abuse protocols, either achieving justice for the victim or determining that the offender was not responsible at all,” she said.

Werner said she indicted people for failing to report and would do so again.

The bill provides that essential reporters will not fulfill their duties by talking to supervisors or school resource officers about abuse. The report must be sent to law enforcement.

“Sadly, what I saw was that some school administrators were trying to deal with these cases themselves, sometimes unconsciously wiping out crimes under the rug and failing to hold these predators accountable.”

Werner said the bill was inspired by many of the cases she found as a member of the school board.