I'm not sure what laws are state and which are fed, but I know
that - at least in my state - the teacher who suspects the abuse
must notify CPS. The prin, nurse, etc, can't do it for you. Now,
our prin does ask that they be notified before so they are in
the loop, but if you suspect, you by law are supposed to report
it in 48 hours (again, not sure if this si state or fed law).

It doesn't matter what your prin thinks. Do you suspect? If yes,
report it. it could be nothing; it could be something. But that
is for CPS to decide.

The real question: if it IS going on, wouldn't you want to speak
up? We owe it to kids (not just as teachers but as adults)to
speak up for them. I think you know this in your heart. I think
that is why your prin's response isn't sitting well with you.

On 11/02/09, R wrote:
> Your job is to report this to the principal (which you have
> done) AND proceed to the authorities if your gut is telling
> you something. I had a sim situation two years ago and I
> wavered back and forth. When I called, they told me that it
> was their job to determine abuse and confirmed that I was
> doing the right thing. Unfortunately, my gut reaction was
> correct and there was some abuse occuring at home. The
> parents and child went to counseling and have had several
> followup viists since. Isn't that what we want after all,,,,
> something done about a situation that doesn't seem right?
>
> In my case, counseling helped the situation. So, please do
> not waver about whether or not to report, just report and let
> the specialists int his matter follow through.
>
> There is clearly more to the story than meets the eye.
>
> On 11/02/09, anon wrote:
>> Student: 8th grade boy. Not normally disruptive or
>> necessarily a "troublemaker." I had him last year for 7th
>> grade homeroom. Boy is deathly afraid of his dad. He will
>> lie and lie and lie to avoid making his dad mad. I didn't
>> think much about it until recently, because that in itself
>> isn't unusual at this age. Occasionally forgets to turn in
>> homework. I would usually get an email from mom or dad
>> giving me all kinds of reasons saying he turned it in and I
>> should give him credit. Things like, turned it into the
>> wrong turn-in box, sub must have lost it, he stayed in at
>> lunch and did it (not true), but never was it his fault.
>> Every time, I offered to meet with either parent and would
>> get no response from their emails. I've seen both mom and
>> dad at various events, but never had a conversation with
> them.
>>
>> Student missed turning in work the last couple of weeks in 3
>> different classes (mine being 1) and turned in an awful
>> paper to his history class that was given a legitimate F.
>> Again, mom and dad sent an email to me and the other
>> teachers about how it wasn't his fault somehow. I offered
>> to meet, no response. We had conferences on Friday and dad
>> comes in to meet his 8th grade homeroom teacher who is also
>> the history teacher. The man apparently has a horrible
>> anger problem and screaming at the history teacher. The
>> science teacher happened to be sitting in the meeting too
>> and verified that the parent was out of line. When
>> presented with the paper that was turned in, the dad asked,
>> "Where's the paper he turned in? That's not it." Turns
>> out, the kids retyped a new paper and showed that to his dad
>> instead of what he really turned in. Dad just turned to the
>> boy and said, "I'll deal with you at home." Then continued
>> to yell at the teachers about other things he was mad about.
>>
>> I talked to the boys 8th grade homeroom teacher today and he
>> told me about the encounter and how mad the boy's dad was.
>> I mentioned how afraid of his dad the boy was which seemed a
>> more fearful that normal. The other teacher said the
>> Spanish teacher noticed bruises on his arms which he said
>> happened during football. I have never seen evidence of
>> physical abuse myself. However, knowing this man's proven
>> difficulty to contain his anger and the fear the boy has for
>> his father, I took my concerns to my principal. My
>> principal didn't think he was being abused.
>>
>> From your experiences, should I turn this over to the proper
>> authorities or just trust my principal and drop it?

Share This Post | Report This Post

Next Post >>

Posts on this thread, including this one