INVESTIGATION THE DEFENDENT ADMITTED TO POLICE TO ESSENTIALLY
ABUSING EO OVER THE
PAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
DUE TO COVID SHE'S
BEEN WORKING FROM
HOME AND SINCE EO WAS
NOT IN SCHOOL SHE
ESSENTIALLY HAD ACCESS
TO HIM ALL DAY LONG
THAT WAS JUST A
SNIPPET OF WHAT CAME
OUT OF LAST WEEK'S
ARRAIGNMENT WHEN
MONIQUE OSUNA FACED
A JUDGE FOR THE FIRST
TIME.
SHE'S THE STEPMOTHER
OF ERIK OSUNA... AND IS
CHARGED WITH FIRST-
DEGREE MURDER IN HIS
DEATH.
FOLLOWING WHAT
HAPPENED -- TODAY, WE
WANTED TO KNOW HOW
SCHOOLS HANDLE CHILD
ABUSE CASES... ESPECIALLY
IN THE MIDST OF THIS
PANDEMIC.
OUR SHIRAH MATSUZAWA
LOOKED INTO IT.
AND SHIRAH, THIS IS TOP
OF MIND FOR A LOT OF
PEOPLE AS SCHOOLS ARE
NOW OPEN.
THERE ARE DEFINITELY A
LOT OF QUESTIONS
SURROUNDING THIS
TOPIC.
THE WEST ADA SCHOOL
DISTRICT COULDN'T TALK
SPECIFICS WHEN IT COMES
TO EMRIK AND HIS CASE.
BUT THEY DID SHARE
WHAT PARENTS AND
STUDENTS NEED TO
KNOW IF THEY FIND
THEMSELVES OR
SOMEONE THEY KNOW IN
THIS SITUATION.
I ALSO REACHED OUT TO
THE BOISE SCHOOL
DISTRICT...
THEY TELL ME... THEY
HAVE A HEIGHTENED
CONCERN BECAUSE
THEY'RE ALSO AWARE
CHILD ABUSE IS ON THE
RISE.
JUST DAYS BEFORE
STUDENTS IN THE WEST
ADA SCHOOL DISTRICT
RETURNED TO SCHOOL
ONLINE...
NEWS BROKE... THEY
LOST ONE OF THEIR OWN:
9-YEAR-OLD EMRIK
OSUNA.
CHAR: OBVIOUSLY WHEN
WE HEARD THIS NEWS, WE
WERE ALL DEEPLY
SADDENED IT WAS VERY
TRAUMATIC FOR
EVERYONE INVOLVED AND
OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO
HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS
AND NEIGHBORS
WEST ADA SCHOOL
DISTRICT SPOKESPERSON
CHAR JACKSON SAYS..
WITH STUDENTS
SPENDING SO MUCH TIME
AT HOME BECAUSE OF THE
PANDEMIC.... SCHOOL
DISTRICTS, LIKE WEST ADA
ARE VERY CONCERNED
WHEN IT COMES TO CHILD
ABUSE CASES.
CHAR: THAT MEANS
THEY'RE NOT HERE IN
SCHOOL AND SO THOSE
MANDATORY REPORTERS
WHO MAY SEE UNUSUAL
BRUISES OR SOMETHING
LIKE THAT, THEY'RE NOT
SEEING THAT RIGHT NOW
BECAUSE WE;RE NOT IN
PERSON
MANDATORY REPORTERS
ARE OFTEN FACULTY
MEMBERS LIKE TEACHERS,
SCHOOL NURSES AND BUS
DRIVERS.
PEOPLE WHO ARE
COMPELLED TO REPORT
ANY SIGNS OF CHILD
ABUSE.
AND WHO ARE OFTEN
THE FIRST LINE OF
DEFENSE WHEN IT COMES
TO CHILDREN IN THESE
SITUATIONS GETTING
HELP.
TAMRA: THE KEY TO
PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE
AT ANY POINT OF THE
YEAR AND IN ANY
CIRCUMSTANCES,
INCLUDING WHILE WE'RE
DOING VIRUTAL LEARNING
IS RELATIONSHIPS
THE EXPECTATION IS THAT
TEACHERS HAVE GOOD
RELATIONSHIPS WITH
THOSE FAMILIES SO THAT
IF ANYTHING SEEMED OFF,
THAT TEACHER WOULD
REACH OUT TO THE
COUNSELOR OR SOCIAL
WORKER
WORKER
TAMRA
TAMRA VANEGAS IS THE COUNSELING AND SOCIAL WORK
SUPERVISOR FOR THE
BOISE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SHE SAYS PARENTS ARENT
USED TO HAVING THEIR
CHILDREN HOME ALL DAY,
WHICH CAN AMOUNT TO
ADDED STRESS AND
PRESSURE.
AND IT COMES AT A TIME
WHEN FAMILIES ARE
ALREADY UNDER
HEIGHTENED FINANCIAL
STRESS BECAUSE OF THE
PANDEMIC.
TAMRA: SO WE'RE SEEING
LAYERS, IT'S LIKE AN
ONION IT JUST KEEPS
UNPEELING WITH THE
STRESS THAT FAMILIES ARE
UNDER.
BUT REGARDLESS OF
WHETHER SCHOOL IS
ONLINE OR IN-PERSON...
BOTH SCHOOL DISTRICTS
SAY.. SCHOOL RESOURCES
ARE STILL AVAILABLE.
FOR EXAMPLE, SCHOOL
COUNSELORS OR SOCIAL
WORKERS.
BUT HOW DOES THAT
WORK WITH ONLINE
SCHOOLING? WHEN
PARENTS AND STUDENTS
HAVE THE RIGHT TO NOT
TURN ON THEIR
COMPUTER CAMERAS.
TAMRA: IF REPEATEDLY
NOBODY HAS EYES ON
THAT CHILD AND IS NOT
TALKING TO THAT CHILD,
THEN THAT'S WHEN OUR
RED FLAGS GO UP AND WE
REACH OUT TO THE
FAMILY AND TRY TO
CONNECT WITH THE
PARENTS, OFFER SUPPORT
MAKE SURE THE CHILD IS
DOING OKAY, CONNECT
WITH THE CHILD AS WELL
AND IF THAT'S NOT
POSSIBLE, VANEGAS
SAYS... SCHOOL FACULTY
WILL REACH OUT TO
POLICE AND ASK FOR A
WELFARE CHECK.
TAMRA: ONE LOSS OF A
CHILD IS WAY TOO MANY.
OUR JOB IS TO PROTECT
OUR MOST VULNERABLE
AND OUR CHILDREN IS IN
THAT POPULATION OF
OUR MOST VULNERABLE
IT'S HORRIFIC THERE ARE
NO
NO WORDS
NO WORDS TO EXPRESS THE SORROW OF HEARING OF A LOSS OF A CHILD
THE BOISE SCHOOL
DISTRICT SAYS.. THEY ALSO
HAVE
HAVE PARENT EDUCATION CLASSES.. WHICH START NEXT WEEK.
AS WELL AS A SAFE
HOTLINE... WHICH PEOPLE
CAN CALL IF YOU'RE NOT
ABLE TO CONNECT WITH A
SCHOOL COUNSELOR OR
SOCIAL WORKER.
WE'LL HAVE LINKS TO
THOSE RESOURCES IN THIS
STORY AT K-T-V-B-DOT-
COM.
THE WEST ADA SCHOOL
DISTRICT ALSO TELLS ME...
THEY HOLD PERSONAL
SAFETY TRAINING FOR
FIRST, SECOND AND FIFTH
GRADERS TO TEACH THEM
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
WHEN IT COMES TO
SEXUAL ABUSE OR ANY
OTHER INAPPROPRIATE
CONDUCT.
AS FOR THOSE WHO
KNEW EMRIK...WEST ADA
SAYS THEY MADE
COUNSELORS AVAILABLE
TO STUDENTS AND STAFF
AT