State lawmakers and Erie County District Attorney John Flynn are pushing for changes in the laws related to the reporting of child abuse following allegations of decades of inappropriate behavior by faculty at Nichols School.
Senate Democrats joined Flynn in Albany Monday to support legislation that would require private schools to report child abuse allegations in an educational setting to police.
Nichols announced this month that an investigation initiated by the private school found that 10 former teachers had improper relationships with students dating back to the 1970s.
Current law requires public school administrators to report a school employee's inappropriate behavior with students to authorities immediately. However, that law does not apply to private schools. Lawmakers say their bill will close that loophole.