They should have asked for more, this is absolutely terrible.

Looking at the information provided here rationally rather than emotionally, it seems as if the authorities largely did what they were required to do. If people don't want cases of potential child abuse (remember: as stated above, school staff knew only whatever they heard from the student, and they are required to take certain actions), then get the laws and protocols changed! We got where we today after people who worked with children in the past did *not* automatically report ambiguous injuries, and were vilified for that.

It seems the parents' core complaint is that they weren't fully informed of the rationale when visited by CPS. But whatever the full details, this article is another one of those presenting almost exclusively the parents' and their laywer's telling of the story (a lawyer who'd likely take a substantial fraction of any monetary award as a fee). Good for drumming up reader sympathy; not so good for impartial judgment.

^ meant to say

If people don't want cases of potential child abuse investigated vigorously (remember: ...

When they come in, they only inform you of the general allegation (physical abuse, sexual, etc). Then they ask you if you can think of something that would warrant such alllegations.
I can see how parents could have been dumbfounded by the allegations of sexual abuse, no less.

It sounds like the forced exam was the traumatic event.
The government has gone too far attempting to demonize people without due process.
Thank heavens the press did not get hold of the allegations before the exam was performed. Anyone near the girl would have been accused in the press.

Is the paramedic properly trained to do this exam? If she was having a hard time, maybe she should have called a pediatrician or nurse for backup.

I’d be curious to know what the child actually said to the teacher. It was probably just that she had some wound in the genital area. Which would make the teacher’s assumption of sexual assault and subsequent reporting to CPS way overkill especially without talking to the parents first. That forcible exam would be traumatizing for any child. Shame on CPS and MVPD for subjecting her to that without just cause.

If the child wasn't a victim of abuse, she is now, at the hands of authority no less. If they actually felt she was a victim, this exam was absolutely mishandled. If they didn't, and were simply following procedure, then the procedure needs to change. Generally I prefer to believe in incompetence rather than sinister intent... but as written, this case makes one wonder wth they were thinking.

I am from a law enforcement family, but it is getting where calling the cops is the LAST thing I want to do.

Such cases are a judgment call by officials, who showed extremely poor judgement concerning the considerable trauma they were putting the girl through by their actions at that time. The procedures allow a gentler approach which wasn’t followed.

@Overkill
Yes mandatory reporters are trained to NOT use their discretion and just report anything and everything.
This was the case for me, a young inexperienced mandatory reporter heard my child say something that in her view justified a call. I did have an unpleasant couple evenings explaining myself (cleared eventually but still waiting on the copy of the case from CPS).
It is a scary experience and I wish they made changes to reporting guidelines as a result of this suit, as well as changes to how allegations are handled.

I'm a mandatory reporter in the schools, and I didn't know about this obligatory exam. I once reported a 5-year-old who told me a man was "bothering" her, and I passed it on to CPS. I did not know about this horrendous exam that sounds like child abuse itself inflicted by people of trust. I have to take an annual online course about my responsibility as a mandated reporter, but I will be thinking about consequences of my actions that I never thought about before. I am sorry this incident happened to the family. It sounds traumatic for everyone. I hope they're getting counseling.

Isn't it neat how "standard procedure" for police is behavior that would land any of us in prison? Imagine what would happen if you or I held down a little girl and did a genital examination against her will.

"I was just following orders" did not work in Nuremburg as a defense, and it should not work for people who are allegedly public servants.