Mandatory Reporting

Lake Forest College / Title IX / Sexual Misconduct / Mandatory Reporting

Mandatory Reporting

State and federal law obligate the College to report certain crime statistics and other aggregate information about sexual misconduct reports. In addition, College staff and faculty have obligations under the college sexual misconduct policy to report information about sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator, and to report possible child abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Family Services. Confidential advisors employed by the Lake Forest College Health and Wellness Center generally only report that an incident occurred without revealing any personally identifying information.

Staff and Faculty Sexual Misconduct Reporting Obligation

The College strongly encourages individuals, including third parties, to report incidents of sexual discrimination/misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator or other College employees. With the exception of the confidential advisors listed above and other employees in the College’s Health and Wellness Center, all other College employees, including student employees, who receive a report of sexual misconduct in the context of their employment are required to promptly report all the details of the incident (including the identities of both the complainant and alleged respondent) to the Title IX Coordinator.

If you feel like your or an acquaintance's rights have been violated, file a report here.

Other reporting requirements are set forth below.

Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect

All College employees (and College volunteers having regular contact with minors) are mandated reporters under the Illinois Abused and Neglected Children’s Reporting Act. Mandated reporters are required to immediately report to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) suspected child abuse and/or neglect when they have “reasonable cause to believe” that a child known to them in their professional or official capacity may be an abused or neglected child. This is done by calling the DCFS Hotline at 1-800-252-2873 or 1-800-25ABUSE.

A “child” means any person under the age of 18 years, unless legally emancipated.
“Abused child” means a child whose parent or immediate family member, any person responsible for the child’s welfare, any individual residing in the same home as the child or a paramour of the child’s parent:
Inflicts, causes to be inflicted, or allows to be inflicted upon such child physical injury, by other than accidental means, which causes death, disfigurement, impairment of physical or emotional health or loss or impairment of any bodily function;
Creates a substantial risk of physical injury to such child by other than accidental means which would be likely to cause death, disfigurement, impairment of physical or emotional health or loss or impairment of any bodily function;
Commits or allows to be committed any sex offense against such child;
Commits or allows to be committed an act or acts of torture upon such child;
Inflicts excessive corporal punishment;
Commits or allows to be committed the offense of female genital mutilation;
Causes to be sold, transferred, distributed or given to such child under 18 years of age, a controlled substance, except for controlled substances that are prescribed and dispensed to such child in a manner that substantially complies with the prescription; or
Commits or allows to be committed the offense of involuntary servitude, involuntary sexual servitude of a minor or trafficking in persons.

There is no option for confidentiality in the case of suspected child abuse, child sexual abuse and/or child neglect. In other words, all mandated reporters with reasonable cause to believe that a child known to them in their professional capacities may be abused, sexually abused or neglected are required to contact DCFS. Mandated reporters must also notify the Title IX Coordinator that a DCFS report has been made.

For more information visit our Minors on Campus page here.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (the “Clery Act”)

The Clery Act” requires institutions of higher education to compile and publish statistics on certain criminal offenses including sexual assault (i.e., non-consensual sexual intercourse), domestic and dating violence and stalking that occur on or adjacent to school properties. Although Lake Forest College strongly encourages everyone to report any crime that occurs on or around campus, the Clery Act requires certain crimes reported to a Campus Security Authority (CSA) be included in those annual statistics. Specifically, the Clery Act defines a Campus Security Authority as:

A campus police or security department;
Any individual or individuals who have responsibility for campus security but who do not constitute a campus police or security department…such as an individual who is responsible for monitoring entrance into institutional property;
Any individual or organization specified in an institution’s statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which students and employees should report criminal offenses; or
An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline, and campus judicial proceedings.

All crimes reported and documented under the Clery Act will be recorded in an anonymous manner that neither identifies the specifics of the crime or the identity of the complainant. Click here to access the College’s daily crime log published by the Department of Public Safety and more information regarding the College’s Clery reporting obligations.

The College is also obligated to issue timely warnings of Clery Act crimes occurring within relevant geography that represent a serious or continuing threat to students and employees (subject to exceptions when the warning could potentially compromise law enforcement efforts or identify the victim/survivor). A complainant under this policy will never be identified in a timely warning