Penn State fined $2.4 million for
failures related to Sandusky child abuse
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[November 04, 2016]
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Penn State
University was hit with a $2.4 million fine on Thursday by the U.S.
Department of Education for its mishandling of child molestation
complaints against convicted former football coach Jerry Sandusky.
The department issued the penalty alongside a scathing 239-page report
that capped a five-year investigation into how the school complied with
a federal law, the Clery Act, requiring schools to report campus crimes
and warn students of any danger.
The school violated the law when it failed to alert its students and
employees that Sandusky was going to be criminally charged in 2011,
according to the department. Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of
child abuse, and several Penn State officials face separate charges for
not reporting Sandusky earlier to authorities.
The fine is the largest the Education Department has ever levied under
the Clery Act.
The probe examined Penn State's compliance from 1998 to 2011, during
which prosecutors said Sandusky engaged in multiple acts of child abuse,
including some on campus. The report faulted officials for allowing
Sandusky full access to the school's facilities even as criminal charges
were imminent.
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"In short, a man who was about to be charged with violent crimes against
defenseless minors was free to roam the Penn State campus, as he
pleased," the report said. "Reviewers determined that Penn State's
University Park campus was a beehive of activity for children, yet the
University failed to issue an emergency notification when senior
officials knew of the forthcoming charges against Sandusky."
Investigators also said Penn State failed to provide crime statistics
and reports as required by the Clery Act.
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![](../images/110416pics/news_h15.jpg)
Convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky (C), a former assistant
football coach at Penn State University, leaves after his appeal
hearing at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
October 29, 2015. REUTERS/Pat Little/File Photo
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In a statement, the school said it has taken significant steps since
then to fix the problems identified in the report, including 18
initiatives focused specifically on combating sexual assault and
misconduct.
"While regrettably we cannot change the past, today the university
has been recognized for significantly strengthening our programs
since 2011," Penn State said. "The safety and security of our
university community is a top priority."
(Reporting by Joseph Ax and Laila Kearney in New York; Additional
reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Lisa
Shumaker)
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