These past few weeks have looked very different than normal for everyone. Although the COVID-19 quarantine has provided me with productivity and growth in family relationships, not every student has a safe place at home. By being mandated to stay at home, the risk for child abuse has increased significantly because children are stuck at home with a perpetrator. So, what is the role of the teacher in situations like this? How do teachers document and report child welfare concerns at the state and county levels?
In general, it is important to know the signs of child abuse. The first step to getting the child the help they need is to notice the details and pick up on the signs. Teachers spend hours with their students and should be aware of any physical or emotional changes.
Tennessee has a mandatory reporting law that requires anyone who has reasonable cause to believe a child is being abuses/neglected must immediately report it to the Department of Children’s Services. Reports of these activities can be made via phone at 1-877-54ABUSE or online at https://apps.tn.gov/carat/referral/emergency.html. In order to fully report the situation, the teacher must give the name, address, phone number, and age of the child being affected and the person responsible for the child.
Putnam County has their own set of procedures and rules that align with the TN regulations and go into more detail. Both require immediately reporting the issue and giving the name, address, age, and phone number of the child and guardian. In Putnam County you must also provide the extent of the abuse and any evidence or reasoning for the cause of the injury. The county guidelines state that the person reporting MUST be confidential about the information until a court case for the issue. It also says that the report should be verbally communicated with the guardians of the effected child within 24 hours of the claim. Each individual school should have their own set of procedures on how to report the case and what the main indicators of abuse would look like.
As a future teacher, I know that I will have all kinds of students in my classroom and that could include a child who is being abused. Even as a teenager, it makes me sad to know that such things happen, but I am sure that I will be adequately prepared for the situation when it comes. Assuming I teach at a school within TN, I must follow the law about reporting child abuse cases and be trained and ready for any circumstance. It is my hope that my future classroom will be a safe space for students even when their home life might be tough. I will try my hardest to make every student feel loved, appreciated, and valued no matter their backgrounds.
Positively Primary 