DCFS Investigations SOP

DCFS employees or local law enforcement authorities seek to interview at school a student suspected of being abused or neglected, they shall make a request to the building principal or to the principal’s designee.

DCFS agents who show proper identification of DCFS badge and/or identification card, do not need to use the visitor RAPTOR system for school building visitor id badge. 

If DCFS directs the given admin not contact the child's parent/guardian please complete the following form for temporary record keeping purposes.

The school district should provide DCFS investigators and local law enforcement authorities reasonable access (without a court order) to a suspected victim of child abuse or neglect for the purpose of interviewing the student at school. 

The principal or designee may insist upon his or her presence during the interview and condition the requested interview of the student at school on the principal’s or designee presence during the interview.

The DCFS investigators may require the presence of the principal or designee to complete a Non-Disclosure Agreement to sit in the DCFS investigation. Under advisement from our District attorney, if this agreement is presented, complete the form so a District admin/employee can be involved with the investigation. 

An interview of the student at school shall be allowed upon presentation of a court order. If the interview takes place based upon a court order, the principal or designee shall request a copy of the order. The presence of the principal or designee at the in-school interview shall be at the discretion of the DCFS employee(s) or law enforcement authorities.

After the interview has been conducted, the principal or designee may consult with DCFS agent if additional follow up will be done with the student’s parent/guardian (ie. DCFS agent visiting the home or phone contact). The principal or designee are not required to contact the parents due to the pending investigation. 

If parent/guardians contacts school about the student interview/investigation, please reference the DCFS agent requested not to have parents/guardians contacted. Principal or designee can supply DCFS agent contact info (provided on the DCFS Contact Decline Form in Step 1).

Principal or designee should not provide any information regarding a DCFS investigation.