A new Connecticut state law requiring municipal youth camps to have trained mandated reporters went into effect earlier this month.
The law comes after a municipal camp counselor in Bethany was charged and later sentenced to four years in prison for sexually assaulting five children in 2024. A report later found that Bethany First Selectwoman Paula Cofrancesco, Connecticut State Police and Bethany Parks and Recreation mishandled the case and waited more than 15 months to seek arrest warrants for the counselor.
The law is just one of over 90 that went into effect on Oct. 1. Other laws cover artificial intelligence, distracted driving, automatic license plate readers and more.
Previously, municipal youth camps were “not required by law to follow basic practices like conducting background checks on counselors or checking water quality,” according to reporting from the Connecticut Mirror.
The law requires that any camp staff age 21 or older must be trained as mandated reporters. As a mandated reporter, staff would have a legal obligation to report reasonable suspicion or belief of child neglect or abuse, according to the law. Many people in jobs and professions that work closely with children — like teachers, coaches or medical personnel — are already required to be trained mandated reporters.
Neglecting to report suspicions can result in a misdemeanor but can become a felony if the “violation is a repeat violation; violation is willful, intentional or due to gross negligence; or mandated reporter had actual knowledge that a child was abused or neglected or a student was the victim of sexual assault,” according to the law.
The law also requires the state Office of Early Childhood to compile a report about each municipal-run youth camp in the state and deliver the report to the state legislature’s Committee on Children by Jan. 1, 2027.
The report is required to include information about the physical environment and facilities of each camp, the number and age range of children at the camp, the number of employees, the camp’s operation schedule, the written policies and procedures for staff hiring and more. The report must also include “the extent to which these written policies and procedures meet the regulatory requirements for [Office of Early Childhood]-licensed youth camps,” according to the law.
The law still does not require background checks for all prospective municipal youth camp employees during the hiring process.