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the choice to either report it to the principal—and he or she reports it—or the teacher can report it to Social Services."
Mrs. Williams explained, "As a teacher you have been designated by law as a mandatory reporter. If you suspect any kind of abuse, neglect, physical abuse—you don't have to have proof—you are required to report your suspicions to Social Services.2
When asked if Mrs. Fournier reported it to her, Mrs. Williams replied, "I knew about this after Social Services knew at the end of May or beginning of June. I'm not at liberty to tell you right now who reported it."
The foster child was moved from the Fournier's home back to her previous foster home in May of last year, according to prosecutor Casey, and it was then her original foster mother there notified authorities. Six months later, Mr. Fournier was indicted.
The charges against Mr. Fournier stem from offenses that occurred in the Fournier home in November and December 2000, according to Mr. Casey.
Mr. Casey said the Fournier case "came to us as an horrific sex case" and "our focus was on getting the case against Mr. Fournier." He said that the statute of limitations, which is one year, has run out on the mandatory reporting law which is a misdemeanor.
Required persons failing to report suspected child abuse or neglect "within 72 hours of his first suspicion" can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined up to $500 for the first incident and between $100 and $1,000 for any further incidents.
When Bev Leathers, director of Rappahannock County Social Services, was asked if Mrs. Fournier reported the allegations of sex abuse to social services, she replied, "I don't recall that she did."
Asked if she felt Mrs. Fournier should have, Mrs. Leathers said, "Ideally. . .it would have been better."
She thought a moment and said, "I think she had a lot of roles—she is a teacher, a mother, a wife, and she had the role of a foster parent. Which of these hats are we going to have her wear?"
She did have a teacher relationship with the child," said Mrs. Leathers, "but they were also friends and she was a foster parent."
If she had information of a child abused in her care, we certainly would hope she would report that," she said.
The foster child, who is now 19 and attending Shenandoah University, phoned interim superintendent Mrs. Williams this week in hopes of talking to her about requesting time to address the school board about how she feels, at its meeting next week preferably in a closed session.
I want them to know I reported it to one of my teachers, said the student in an interview.
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