The Jerry Sandusky child molestation trial could help save many of Florida’s children from being abused.

A new law will require you to report any child abuse you see.

The accusations against ex-Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky were shocking.

He’s suspected of molesting as many as ten children.

Some of his supervisors may have known about the abuse and failed to act.

“Failing to protect a child is also inexcusable,” said Carrie Hoeppner with the Department of Children and Families.

This fall, Florida will have what child advocates call the toughest law requiring you to report suspected child abuse.

Starting in October, not reporting any child abuse you witness will be considered a felony and not a misdemeanor.

Hillary McRorie said she saw a woman physically abusing a child and called police. She said it was a tough decision, but one she had to make.

“You never want to meddle in someone else’s business, but if it’s a child you have too,” explained McRorie. “At the time I was pregnant with my son, and it made me very upset, because I would never do something like that to him and I would never want anyone to do anything like that to their child.”

The Department of Children and Families said they handled 300,000 child abuse calls last year.

Hoeppner said she expects the number to increase when the new law takes effect.

DCF said they plan to hire nearly four dozen people to help investigate.

“If everything is fine, then everything is fine and we can step out of that family’s life just as quickly as we stepped in, that is always the goal. We don’t know unless we get called,” said Hoeppner.

Universities and colleges that fail to report child abuse to police face even harsher fines of $1 million and losing state funding for two years.

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Child abuse warning signs

In children:

  • Shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance
  • Has not received help for physical or medical problems brought to the parents' attention
  • Has learning problems (or difficulty concentrating) that cannot be attributed to specific physical or psychological causes
  • Is always watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen
  • Lacks adult supervision
  • Is overly compliant, passive, or withdrawn
  • Comes to school or other activities early, stays late, and does not want to go home

The parent:

  • Shows little concern for the child
  • Denies the existence of—or blames the child for—the child's problems in school or at home
  • Asks teachers or other caregivers to use harsh physical discipline if the child misbehaves
  • Sees the child as entirely bad, worthless, or burdensome
  • Demands a level of physical or academic performance the child cannot achieve
  • Looks primarily to the child for care, attention, and satisfaction of emotional needs

Both:

  • Rarely touch or look at each other
  • Consider their relationship entirely negative
  • State that they do not like each other

Information is from the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services