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Back in 1990, the federal government released money for the Children’s Justice Project, which was designed to get law enforcement, county attorneys and child protective services as well as advocates into the schools and daycares to talk about mandated child abuse reporting to teachers and other people required by law to report child abuse.

“Only one in 10 children ever report abuse and it was hoped that teaching about the signs and symptoms to those who care for our children would help increase reports of abuse,” Umphress said.

She explained that historically teachers and other mandated reporters have hesitated to report suspected abuse for fear of being sued by the parents or being wrong and losing their jobs.

Since then Yuma County has had a children’s justice project coordinator who sets up trainings for schools and groups. Yuma County is the only county in the state that still has a CJP coordinator and a multidisciplinary team which goes into the community to train others on this issue.

The center hired Schneider, a retired Kofa High School principal, to fill the position in 2007. The team was having difficulty getting into Yuma schools.

“Principals didn’t think that the time for the training was very valuable and they could have one staff member instead give a brief training on the laws,” Umphress recalled.

Schneider, as a former administrator, understood the liability of a school not reporting abuse as required by law. He had many meetings with his former peers and was able to impress on them the importance of this training.

“When Chip became the CJP coordinator, not only did trainings increase, reports of abuse have increased as well,” Umphress said.

For the last 11 years Schneider has coordinated and headed up this team. “His expertise and compassion for children has made this the most successful CJP program in Arizona. No other coordinator has been able to keep a team together and presenting. Everywhere the team goes people remember Mr. Schneider from Kofa,” she added.

Teachers come to Yuma from all over the country and the laws for reporting abuse are not the same in every state. That’s why “it is imperative that new teachers have this training.”

To show how training makes a difference, she related one teacher’s experience. “One high school teacher reported a student coming in with a black eye one day. When she asked what happened, he laughed and said his mom hit him. She thought he was joking,” Umphress said.

“After the training she realized it was a mandated reporting issue and found out that this young man was being physically abused at home. People just don’t think of abuse happening to older children, and it does.”

Umphress pointed out that Schneider has never stopped being involved in the community and with youth, whether it’s in academics or abuse. For years he has been conducting discipline hearings for District One and Crane District.

“I had three sons go to Kofa, and the first one graduated in the ‘90s and the last in 2002, and Chip was there. When he came to work for Amberly’s Place, I told him he had to stay here working until he has been in my office as many times as I was in his. This has been our standing joke. I guess he finally hit the magic number,” Umphress quipped.

Schneider plans to move to Scottsdale to be closer to his grandkids. Speaking to the Board of Supervisors, he said he was tired of hearing about the things his grandkids do. “I want be to be there to see them do their activities.”

“He has been a huge part of this community for over 36 years,” Umphress said. “This is a huge loss for Yuma County youth. The CJP project will go on but won’t have the same drive behind it.”