New allegations keep coming in the case of a 14-year-old Upper St. Clair High School freshman charged last winter with sexually assaulting several girls inside the school. The latest disturbing claims -- leveled in a Post-Gazette interview with a 16-year-old girl -- go beyond any criminal acts that may have been committed.

The interview and a federal court lawsuit filed on behalf of one of the girls raise questions about just how the incidents were handled by officials. The 16-year-old, who spoke with reporter Amy McConnell Schaarsmith, said she was assaulted by the boy and then asked school officials to notify police. But she said that did not happen for more than a month, a claim disputed by a lawyer for the district. Likewise, the district has disputed allegations made in the lawsuit, which said physical evidence remained in the school for days before police became involved.

We certainly hope school officials told police everything they knew as soon as they knew it. When abuse is reported by a child, police should be called immediately. Although schools may have internal procedures that direct staff members to go through administrators, that does not mean administrators get to decide whether to contact police.

Dr. Mary Carrasco, an expert in child abuse prevention, said the failure to pass information on to police is not uncommon, even though many agencies, such as the child advocacy center at Mercy Hospital, offer training for school personnel and others.

Likewise, there should be no doubt about what police should do when they get such reports. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has given police departments procedures to follow when investigating a number of crimes, including those in which sexual abuse of children is alleged. His staff, as well as Pittsburgh and Allegheny County police, include experts who can handle such cases if local police feel they cannot.

The district attorney's goals are to provide appropriate care and protection for a child who may have been victimized, to properly preserve evidence for any prosecution and to ensure the rights of defendants. Schools should be committed to that, too.

But no one's interests are served -- and youths can suffer real harm -- when adults, in whose care they are entrusted, try to handle matters internally or keep an ugly situation under wraps.