Today I received this comment on my blog (mis-spellings and incorrect punctuation belong to the anonymous author): "Why cna't the Saratogians reporters write an upbeat story? We have a great City and County, let people know how great our area is, you won't win any awards with these articles, you just waste paper and time!"

First of all, I just want to make it clear that I am not in this game to win awards. Although I've never asked, I believe the same is true for most of my colleagues. Becoming a reporter to win awards would be like a young man or woman enlisting in the marines to win a service award. More likely, this young person joined the military to serve their country, to fight for a just cause, to earn money for their education, to see the world or to start a career. They'd probably be excited to win a service award (who wouldn't be?) but the award is gravy and nothing more.

The same is true for most of the journalists that I know. We're in it to satisfy an endless curiosity, we're in it to give a voice to those who don't have one, we're in it inform and educate our readers, we're in it to serve our communities. If we happen to win an award, great! But that's not what gets us in to work in the morning (nor is the money, for that matter).

So, I object to this anonymous person's comment, especially on this day that State Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco announced that he is proposing legislature to give school officials access to a state register of known or suspected predators. Not to toot my own horn too much, but when I spoke to him this afternoon, Tedisco said, in no uncertain terms, that his legislation came about largely as a result of an article I wrote last week on school officials not being able to access the same register.

Tedisco's aim is to better equip schools to field and evaluate complaints of alleged misconduct. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that making our community better and safer? Doesn't it speak volumes about our city that our state representatives will go to bat for us... as a result of reading the paper?

Now tell me, was that a waste of paper and time?

You can read the full text of Leader Tedisco's press release below:

In response to a Saratoga Springs school bus driver’s recent arrest for sexually abusing two boys – and the school district being unable to learn that, dating back to 2002, the man had appeared on a state-run registry of possible child abusers – Assembly Republican Leader Jim Tedisco (R,C,I-Schenectady-Saratoga) today announced he will introduce legislation to close the loophole.
“When I learned that a school bus driver was arrested for sexually abusing two boys and that school officials were unable to access a state registry that could have alerted them to his having been flagged a potential danger to youths back in 2002, I saw a glaring loophole that cried out for immediate closure,” Tedisco stated.
The Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment – operated by the State Office of Children and Family Services – receives calls alleging child abuse or maltreatment throughout New York. The register relays information to local Child Protective Service for investigation, monitors their prompt response, and identifies if there are prior child abuse or maltreatment reports. The registry receives calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week from two sources: persons who are required by law to report suspected cases of child abuse and maltreatment, such as social service workers and law enforcement officials, and calls from non-mandated reporters, such as the public.
However, in its current configuration, access to the registry is strictly limited and precludes school officials, along with the general public. Tedisco indicated that he will introduce legislation that would effectively amend Section 422 of the State’s Social Services Law to add school nurses to the list of approved individuals who may access the registry.
“As helpful a tool as the State’s Central Registry is, it could be even more effective if a representative on behalf of a school was allowed to access it. It seems counterproductive to deny schools access to this registry, as doing so keeps important information out of the hands of the very people who should know if someone’s been flagged as a potential child abuser. Clearly, there is a compelling interest in school nurses – the health care professionals specifically trained to recognize signs of abuse, physical or otherwise, among students – having access to the registry,” Tedisco said.
“The closure of this current loophole should be a bi-partisan issue, as it would give our schools another tool that could alert them to a suspected child abuser and possibly prevent a tragedy before it happens,” Tedisco concluded.
Later this week, Tedisco expects to introduce his legislation that would add school nurses to the category of individuals who can access the State Central Registry.