New Illinois law requires coaches to report sexual abuse

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a new law that went into effect Wednesday requiring coaches and university employees to report child sexual abuse. The law is aimed at preventing cases similar to the one involving former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky who was convicted last week of sexually assaulting 10 underage boys.

The addition of coaches and university employees adds to the list of people in Illinois already required to report abuse, including social workers, teachers, healthcare professionals, police, clergy, child care providers, foster parents, funeral home directors and commercial film processors.

Some of the mandatory reporting provisions in Illinois include criminal liability in certain instances where a person required to report abuse willfully fails to do so. The law is meant to prevent child sexual abuse from going unreported.

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