Children come into a classroom daily with bumps and bruises on
their legs and arms. Of course, kids are active, and falls and
accidents will happen when they are not careful while playing.
But, what do you do when you suspect that a child's markings are
not due to simple childhood activities? If you have a child that
comes to class dirty, with neglected hygiene, multiple fresh and
faded bruises, and complaints of being hungry, chances are you
are dealing with a case of child abuse. This article outlines
the signs of child abuse and the steps for a teacher to take to
report child abuse.
A teacher must be very careful when contemplating a child abuse
report. Schools have administrative policies with regard to these
situations, and a teacher must be careful to strictly follow those
guidelines. There are cases, however, when the policies are unclear.
For instance, some schools would rather a teacher report the suspected
case of child abuse internally before contacting child protective
services, so the administration can determine if the situation
should be reported. This is unlawful according to state and federal
laws, which mandates that teachers are to report suspicions of
child abuse, and not allow administration to determine if the
case should be reported.
One major fear that some teachers have when reporting a possible
child abuse case is that this will anger the perpetrator and cause
the child more abuse. Some teachers also find themselves second-guessing
their suspicions for fear of being wrong about a child's well
being. There are four primary forms of abuse that should be reported,
given any suspicion that a teacher may have. They include:
Physical abuse: This is an intentional injury to a child
given by the caretaker of the child. It may include, but is not
limited to burning, kicking, punching, beating, which leaves external
markings such as burns, bruises, and broken bones. Physical abuse
is not accidental, and sometimes injuries will be noticeable in
not so common places of general childhood accidents (knees, shins,
Child neglect: This is when a child's basic needs are
not being met properly. You may notice a child not being properly
dressed for the weather, comes to class consistently dirty, has
poor dental hygiene, steals food from other children, and gives
you verbal clues that he is not being properly cared for, among
Emotional abuse: This is when a child's emotional needs
are not met, such as not receiving the proper attention they need,
not being shown signs of affection, harsh and consistent verbal
abuse, threats in order to frighten a child, or rejection of the
Sexual abuse: This is simply sexual exploitation of a
A teacher who suspects child abuse must report the following
information to social services:
- The child's name and identifying marks of the child
- All information known about the biological parents or the
caregivers who interact with the child
- The address where the child lives, along with any information
such as the parent's address, if living away from the home where
the child lives
- Dates when incidents were noted of the child and types of
incidents that occurred
- History of previous noted incidents
- History of any contact with the alleged abuser, or other pertinent
Social services will then take on the case and do an investigation
in accordance with the law.
Disturbing statistics about child abuse in the U.S. include:
- An estimated 906,000 children are victims of abuse & neglect
every year. The rate of victimization is 12.3 children per 1,000
- Children ages 0-3 are the most likely to experience abuse.
They are victimized at a rate of 16.4 per 1,000
- 1,500 children die every year from child abuse and neglect.
That is just over 4 fatalities every day.
- 79% of the children killed are younger than 4.
(Child Help - 2006; http://www.childhelp.org/resources/learning-center/statistics)
Children need teachers and other responsible adults to take action.
It could be a life you are saving.