STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State on Thursday instituted a new policy requiring all employees to report suspected child abuse to state authorities and take part in annual training.

School spokeswoman Jill Shockey said the policy goes beyond current Pennsylvania law, which requires only certain people to make such reports. Any employee who willfully fails to report suspected abuse could face disciplinary action including dismissal, the university said in a statement.

"These and other new policies and adjustments to existing ones are part of a focused and concerted effort by the University to become an academic and research leader nationwide in the protection of children," the statement said.

There were two exceptions to the Penn State reporting policy – for confidential communications made to any school-employed attorney or to clergy. Those exceptions mirror guidelines in state law.

The announcement was made days before opening statements in the child sexual abuse trial of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, scheduled for Monday. Sandusky, 68, is accused of molesting 10 boys but denies the allegations.

In April, Penn State announced a similar training program for employees who work with minors on campus in recognizing and reporting abuse. The university announced minor tweaks Thursday to that policy, covering those employees in medical and legal fields.

Earlier on HuffPost:

Who's Involved In The Scandal?
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  • Jerry Sandusky

    Following a three-year investigation, the former Penn State player and assistant coach was <a href="http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2011/11/07/grand_jury_presentment_story.aspx" target="_hplink">indicted</a> on Nov. 4 on 40 counts of sexual crimes against male minors that occurred over the span of more than a decade -- the first alleged recorded incident of abuse <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/justice/pennsylvania-coach-abuse-timeline/?hpt=ju_c2" target="_hplink">dates back to 1994,</a> and Sandusky was first investigated in 1998.. The allegations have rocked Penn State's storied athletic program to its core, raising questions of who in the program knew what -- and how much -- when.

  • Mike McQueary

    <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/penn_state/133338298.html" target="_hplink">McQueary</a> was a graduate assistant at Penn State when he allegedly witnessed coach Jerry Sandusky sodomizing a 10-year-old boy in a locker room shower. Shocked by what he saw, he reported it to head coach Joe Paterno, who then told Athletic Director Tim Curley and senior vice president Gary Schultz. Ten days after McQueary saw the incident, Curley and Schutlz told him that they were not going to report it to police.

  • Joe Paterno

    The famed Nittany Lions coach was allegedly informed of Sandusky's actions in 2002, after which he reported them to Athletic Director Tim Curley. He claims that he did not know the full extent of Sandusky's actions. In a statement, Paterno said that "the fact that someone we thought we knew might have harmed young people to this extent is deeply troubling." Joe Paterno <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/22/joe-paterno-dead-ex-penn-state-football-coach-obit_n_1221946.html" target="_hplink">passed away from lung cancer </a>on Jan. 22, 2012.

  • Gary Schultz

    The Daily Collegian reports that Penn State senior vice president for finance and business <a href="http://www.collegian.psu.edu/" target="_hplink">Gary Schultz</a> was known for his family values. However, Schultz allegedly lied to authorities about what he knew in regards to Sandusky's actions, and may have been aware of them for years. He has since resigned from his job. A judge ruled in December that<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/tim-curley-gary-schultz-hearing-trial-penn-state_n_1154360.html" target="_hplink"> Schultz and Curley will be tried</a> on charges of lying to a grand jury.

  • Tim Curley

    Penn State's athletic director was informed of Sandusky's misdeeds as early as 2002, but maintains that he was not aware of their explicit nature. He has been charged with failure to report and has been put on administrative leave. He claims he is innocent. A judge ruled in December that<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/tim-curley-gary-schultz-hearing-trial-penn-state_n_1154360.html" target="_hplink">Gary Schultz and Curley will be tried</a> on charges of lying to a grand jury.

  • Graham Spanier

    Penn State President Spanier, left, recently wrote to the Penn State Daily Collegian that he believed he had the best job in American education. Now, students and alumni are <a href="http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2011/11/07/Petition_to_fire_president_spanier.aspx" target="_hplink">calling for him to be fired</a> in the wake of horrific sexual abuse accusations against former coach Jerry Sandusky.

  • The Second Mile

    Sandusky's <a href="http://www.thesecondmile.org/" target="_hplink">charity,</a> founded in 1977, allowed him unfettered access to young boys under the guise of selflessness.

  • More on HuffPost...