Most coaches and officials in the north country weren't talking to us Friday.

They avoided discussing the sex abuse incidents at Penn State as well as the accusations against Bernie Fine.

The longtime Syracuse University men's basketball assistant is accused of molesting two former team ball boys, a charge he denies.

The coaches who did talk say these type of stories affect their coaching.

"You always have to think, sometimes when you want to physically position people, or whatever you're doing, you have to step back and say, 'Is this something that I should be doing,'" said Scott Randall, boys varsity basketball coach at Copenhagen Central School.

He said worrying about what people think has actually made him a better coach.

"If you can verbalize what you want done in stead of physically doing it, I think that's an attribute of a good coach," he said.

If coaches or teachers see something that resembles abuse, they are bound by state law to do something.

"We are as licensed teachers, mandate reporters of any type of child abuse. We must, if we suspect any type of child abuse, report that immediately to the authorities," said Scott Connell, superintendent of the Copenhagen district.

High schools have strict state polices in place to help protect the students, but what about colleges like Jefferson Community College?

They don't abide by those same laws.

However, officials tell us they have their own system of checks and balances.

"It's an open door policy and if they have any situations, then they can come in and talk to the athletic directors, talk to the coaches, or staff," said Jeff Wiley, athletic director at JCC.

No matter the policies and checks and balances, officials we spoke to said when it comes to protecting students, it's simple - if you see something, say something.

See our report about Bernie Fine

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