Abuse, Neglect, and Mandated Reporting

Today's presentation, by Ethan Seracka M.S., M.H.P, was both informative and disturbing.  We learned in some detail what sorts of abusive situations we may witness as elementary school teachers.  Children are vulnerable to many forms of abuse, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and negligence.  We saw some of the indicators of such abuse and worked through examples to help understand the indications and learn to make decisions about when to report abuse.  He explained that teachers are mandated reporters, due to their training as well as the fact that they are in almost daily contact with their students.  They are in a particularly good position to observe physical signs of abuse and student behavior indicating abuse.  Failure on their part to report suspected abuse is a gross misdemeanor. We were impressed by the gravity of this responsibility we are soon to shoulder.