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My professional perspective is working as a Social-Emotional Specialist at an elementary campus and as a future school counselor. I received my BS in interdisciplinary studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. This Legal Guide Padlet is a resource guide for teachers and staff members to understand the current legal requirements of reporting suspected abuse or neglect of a child. I chose this pivotal topic since educators frequently experience this difficult situation. I believe that this topic is relevant for educators to understand the full extent of the legal requirements of reporting suspect abuse or neglect of a child. As educators, we are “mandated reporters” (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016, para. 1) in which we are designated to mandatory report child maltreatment. By understanding the significance of reporting suspected abuse or neglect of a student can help educators understand the importance of the duty to protect children.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2016). Mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect.

State Statues. Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/statutes/manda/

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I spoke with Diane Mathis who has been an elementary counselor for six years at Plano ISD. For the 2019-2020 school year, Mrs. Mathis will take on the role as the new assistant principal at an elementary school, but the previous school year she was an elementary school counselor at Mitchell Elementary School.

Why is reporting suspected child abuse or neglect important in school counseling?

Mrs. Mathis explained how, as a counselor, the main priority of her role is to advocate for students and staff members. She shared the importance of how every educator must report child abuse or neglect. Mrs. Mathis described how this topic has a significant impact on educators since the primary responsibility of an educator is the duty to protect. Not only do educators play a vital role in reporting suspected child abuse or neglect, but they are legally bound to report any suspension. To be an effective school counselor, Mrs. Mathis shared how it is essential to recognize and prevent child abuse and neglect. “As a counselor, we need to stay updated on district policies and state laws, so we know how to address various issues properly and to also be able to communicate with our parents and staff members effectively” (D. Mathis, personal communication, July 15, 2019). During our interview, Mrs. Mathis shared the three best practices and emerging issues on the topic for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect.

The three practices in reporting suspected child abuse or neglect

1. The first best practice for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect of a student is to never second guess yourself. Mrs. Mathis explained that if an educator or an adult simply suspect a problem, they must report it. “Reach out to an administrator or a school counselor, if you feel unsure. We never know for sure what happens at home, so it is important to make a call even if you have an ounce of suspicion” (D. Mathis, personal communication, July 15, 2019). She advises if uncertain about the abuse, just let CPS know that that you are not certain, but you have suspicions of abuse.

2. The second best practice is to keep a watchful eye on your students. Mrs. Mathis explained the importance of noticing any changes in a student’s behavior, school work, or their needs. “Be vigilant and be aware of how your students are acting. Teachers know their students the best, if they recognize any changes in the student, ask questions” (D. Mathis, personal communication, July 15, 2019).

3. The third best practice Mrs. Mathis shared in regards to this topic directs more toward school counselors and administrators. “Inform your teachers of any requirements or laws specific to the district and the state. It is important to arm teachers with information on reporting suspected abuse or neglect. This is a legal subject of matter; it is the law to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and teachers need to understand the importance of reporting” (D. Mathis, personal communication, July 15, 2019). She also explained how the district offers a variety of resources when handling this type of situation.

The three best practices listed by Mrs. Mathis helps identify the overall importance with the role of the teacher. As educators, we need to stay vigilant and advocate for our students. Additionally, administrators and school counselors play an essential role in informing teachers of laws and legal requirements relating to reporting child abuse but also the knowledge of how and when to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Thus, teachers can adequately protect their students but also themselves.

Emerging Issues

The issue of the educational practice for reporting suspected abuse or neglect is the unsureness of this topic for new teachers. Mrs. Mathis noticed how new teachers are not fully confident or knowledgeable about this topic. “Since new teachers have never experienced reporting to CPS, they feel uncomfortable and scared to make a report. It is our job to help those new teachers understand what will happen if they do not make that report to CPS. Also, we need to help them understand the very importance of protecting our students by reporting suspected abuse or neglect of a student” (D. Mathis, personal communication, July 15, 2019).  Mrs. Mathis reiterated the importance of supporting teachers who have never reported to CPS. She explained various situations where she assisted teachers in calling CPS so that they could be more comfortable with the process. However, she emphasized the importance of reminding teachers of how they need to make the call since they were the first to suspect the abuse or if the student confided directly to them. “As counselors, we need to empower our teachers with the knowledge of being accountable for the safety of our students” (D, Mathis, personal communication, July 15, 2019).

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Slide #3 ASCA School Counselor Association 

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Slide #3 ASCA School Counselor Association 

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From ASCA School Counselor, “Child Abuse: Who Must Report?”, the blog highlights the importance of understanding the state’s statutes concerning on reporting suspected child abuse and neglect. The blog explains how each state has different statutes regarding a counselor’s role in reporting abuse but also addresses the overall law defined by federal legislation. Interestingly, the blog also states the specifics of Texas school counselor’s obligations. Furthermore, the blog includes stories of various situations involving the arrests of educators due to the failing of notifying authorities of child abuse and neglect (Stone, 2011).

Stone, C. (2011). Child abuse: Who must report?. ASCA School Counselor. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/magazine/blogs/november-december-2011/child-abuse-who-must-report

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You are a school counselor who has built a good working relationship with your principal except for one area. Your principal is adamant that he wants to be in charge of making all child abuse reports to Child Protective Services (CPS). You have doubts that he will call CPS on all suspected abuse cases because of derogatory remarks he has made in passing about CPS and how, "We should handle some cases with families who trust us as CPS will only make matters worse." Up to this point he has called in all suspected abuse cases that you have passed along to him, but you worry it is just a matter of time before he takes matters into his own hands. Your questions are:

If I have reasonable suspicion that child abuse has occurred and turn it over to my principal to report and he or she decides not to call the abuse registry, am I liable for any subsequent harm that comes to the child?

Can I legally leave it to my principal to report if I received the first outcry, or am I mandated to report the abuse myself?

Each state has different statutes regarding these questions. See your state's statutes. In Georgia you wouldn't be liable if your school district has a policy that you must report the suspected abuse to a supervisor or designee. The Georgia statute explains that mandated reporters who comply with their school district's policy to report suspected abuse to a supervisor "shall be deemed to have fully complied" with their legal duties as a mandated reporter. In Massachusetts, school counselors are invited to report to a supervisor, and the responsibility then shifts to the supervisor. "If a mandated reporter is a member of...the staff of a school or facility, the mandated reporter may instead notify the person or designated agent in charge of such institution, school or facility who shall become responsible for notifying the department in the manner required by this section."
However, if you are a practicing school counselor in Kentucky and Texas, passing the information to your supervisor doesn't relieve you of your obligations.

In some states it is enough that you have caused a report to be made. Arizona state statute says, "Any person who reasonably believes that a minor is or has been the victim of physical injury, abuse, child abuse, a reportable offense or neglect...shall immediately report or cause reports to be made."

In Wyoming, both the school counselor and the supervisor must report for added insurance. "If a person reporting child abuse or neglect is a member of the staff of a...school, facility or agency, he shall notify the person in charge or his designated agent as soon as possible, who is thereupon also responsible to make the report or cause the report to be made."

State statutes vary in language, but the meaning is the same in spirit for all 48 states and the District of Colombia. Alaska and Pennsylvania don't specifically encompass school counselors in state statute, instead naming teachers and administrators, but school counselors are ethically bound by virtue of language in their certificate, state's ethical codes for educators, and ASCA's position statement and ethical guidelines.

Certainty isn't required. Forty-four states mention the term "reasonable" in regard to suspicion. (See italics in online chart.) There is nothing in any state statute that implies certainty is required. New York's statute gives typical language found in the 44 statutes. "A report is required when the reporter has reasonable cause that..if correct, would render the child an abused or maltreated child."

States make their own laws, but federal legislation defines a minimum set of acts/behaviors determining abuse or neglect: "Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm" (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention defines child abuse as, "Words or overt actions that cause harm, potential harm or threat of harm to a child. Acts of commission are deliberate and intentional; however, harm to a child may or may not be the intended consequence. Intentionality only applies to the caregiver's acts - not the consequences of those acts. For example, a caregiver may intend to hit a child as punishment but not intend to cause the child to have a concussion."

Do we investigate or ask children to be co-conspirators in documenting their own abuse? A school counselor in a Texas middle school was arrested Nov. 23, 2010, after admitting she suggested to a child who was being sexually assaulted that the child should video record any future assaults. The school counselor was arrested on suspicion of felony abandoning or endangering a child and failure to timely report abuse, a misdemeanor. The victim recorded a sexual assault on Nov. 17 on a school-district-issued laptop.

A truant officer in a school in Laredo Texas Independent School District was arrested and fired after he failed to notify authorities of child abuse and neglect. The school-board-employed truant officer visited the home of Katherine Cardenas just hours before she was found dead in a cabinet outside her home. Perez visited the home and found the children were alone. He waited until the mother came home, notified the principal but not child protective services. In Texas the truant officer could not rely on anyone else to call in an abuse case.

If it is suspected that the abuse is not being inflicted by the parent but by someone who does not have care, custody or control of the minor, the report should be made to the police, sheriff or peace officer depending on where you live. If in doubt call the child protective services office and ask for help as to where to report.

Child abuse and neglect are severely underreported. From 2001-2009, 13,856 children were reported to have died as a result of child abuse, but the number is estimated to be about 7,000 higher. Each year, thousands of abused students walk the halls of America's schools and interact with other students, teachers and school counselors. As school counselors we cannot contribute to the number of unreported cases.

Reporting of child abuse or neglect can be done by calling the police, the National Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 4-A-CHILD or the local child abuse hotline. ASCA's position statement on child abuse and neglect states, "It is the professional school counselor's legal, ethical and moral responsibility to report suspected cases of child abuse/neglect to the proper authorities."

Carolyn Stone, Ed.D., is a professor at the University of North Florida and co-chair of ASCA's Ethics Committee. She can be reached at cstone@unf.edu. Contact the author for references.

To submit your questions for a future column, e-mail them to ethics@schoolcounselor.org.

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Child Abuse: Who Must Report? | American School Counselor Association (ASCA)

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You are a school counselor who has built a good working relationship with your principal except for one area. Your principal is adamant that he wants to be in charge of making all child abuse reports to Child Protective Services (CPS).

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The article, “Teachers Play a Very Important Role in the Reporting of Child Abuse,” discusses the importance of reporting child abuse. Recently, many districts have implemented prevention education through teacher and staff training to increase child abuse prevention and awareness. The article highlights the decrease in the number of victims for confirmed abuse cases in Texas. Furthermore, the article focuses on laws for recognizing and reporting child abuse or neglect. Laws in Texas such as Texas’ Family Code requires any adult to report suspected child abuse or neglect and Jenna’s Law which requires for teachers and school employees to know the signs of the child abuse (Smith, 2017). In addition to the laws, Texas mandates teachers to receive training in child abuse and sexual abuse prevention and recognition. The article highlights how some careers establish employees to be “professional reporters” due to their interactions with children. In conclusion, the article summarizes that prevention needs to become a high focus and “when a child outcries, the response needs to be simple and supportive” (Smith, 2017, p. 4).This article is relevant to the topic since the news article addresses the preventive measures that districts around the Dallas Fort Worth area are taking in regards to reporting child abuse and neglect.

Smith, D. (2017). Teachers play a very important role in the reporting of child abuse. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved from https://www.star-telegram.com/news/special-reports/article154396729.html

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In the article, “Child Abuse Case in California Spotlights Lack of Oversight of Home Schooling,” highlights the issue on the lack of regulations for homeschooling. The article covers situations of abuse and neglect of children who are homeschooled. Child safety advocates raise concerns on the absence of regulations surrounding homeschooling. Their concerns lead to the rising trend on the enabling number of parents to abuse and neglect their children without detection. Even though the article discusses specifics on California’s regulations on homeschooling, the article addresses the concerns on how homeschooling laws vary by state. The most alarming fact raised by the article is how most states do not require parents to notify the state in educating their children at home. This leads to the issue of homeschool children being undetected. The article points out how there is “no real mechanism to check in on a child simply because they are removed from school to be homeschooled after a troubled past” (Silva, 2018, p.4). In conclusion, associations such as The Coalition for Responsible Home Education and The Home School Legal Defense Association are advocating for changes to homeschooling laws. Additional laws that associations are fighting for are “including requiring criminal background checks for parents, student contact with school or medical officials (who must report signs of abuse or neglect) and annual academic assessments” (Silva, 2018, p. 5). This article poses a significant issue on the need to protect all children, including children who are homeschooled.

Silvia, D. (2018). Child abuse case in California spotlights lack of oversight of home schooling. NBC News. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/child-abuse-case-california-spotlights-lack-oversight-home-schooling-n874801

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The arrest of a California couple accused of abusing their 10 children - including waterboarding them, shooting them with crossbows and pouring scalding water on them, prosecutors said - is the latest case to raise questions about the oversight of home schooling.

The couple, Ina Rogers and Jonathan Allen, never sent their children to the local public schools in Fairfield, California, and school officials there said they did not have contact with them. Authorities have said the children lived in squalor and described intentional abuse that led to puncture wounds, burns, bruising and injuries consistent with being shot with a pellet gun. Rogers was charged Wednesday with nine counts of felony child abuse, and Allen, her husband, faces nine counts of felony torture and six counts of felony child abuse. They deny the charges.

The case comes four months after the 13 children of David Allen Turpin and Louise Ann Turpin were found bound, shackled and malnourished at their Perris, California, home in January after one of the children managed to escape and tell authorities that her 12 siblings were being held by their parents.

And it follows the deadly crash in March in which a car believed to be carrying the eight members of the Hart family plunged off a California cliff. Police said Jennifer Hart, who had faced child abuse allegations in three states, was drunk when she pulled off the coastal highway and intentionally drove the GMC Yukon with her wife and six children off the cliff.

The children in all three cases had been taught at home by their parents.

About 1.7 million children ages 5 to 17 were estimated to be home-schooled in the U.S. in 2016, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, and for the vast majority, nothing goes wrong. But child safety advocates say the absence of regulations around home schooling enables a small but alarming number of parents to abuse their children and avoid detection. Children who are taught at home have less contact with mandatory child abuse reporters like teachers and school nurses, advocates note.

"This isn't new - this is the unfortunate consequence of lack of oversight for home schooling," said Rachel Coleman, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, which advocates safe learning environments for home-schooled children.

Home schooling laws vary by state. In California, parents who want to home-school their children can either register with the state as a private school, or they can join an "umbrella school" or charter school, which does not require them to submit their information to the state's database, Coleman said. Some of these umbrella schools have a physical address and offer group activities, while others exist only on paper. Either way, they give parents the ability to educate their children at home without notifying the state.

"They don't want their address or their names on any lists, so by enrolling in an umbrella school you just enroll, sometimes online, pay the annual fee and that's it," said Coleman, who was home-schooled from kindergarten through high school in Indiana.

Efforts to add more oversight in California have faltered after meeting fierce opposition from parents who home school and say such regulations would interfere with their ability to educate their children as they see fit.

Fourteen states have regulations similar to California's, while others require no notification at all for parents to home-school their children. And only about half of states require home-schooled students to take assessment tests to ensure they're learning, according to the Coalition for Responsible Home Education.

Coleman said that while the recent California cases have received a lot of attention, her organization has charted dozens of similar incidents in the state in the past five years.

The California State Department of Education told NBC News that Rogers and Allen had not registered their home as a private school. It remains unclear if they were home-schooling their children within the state's regulations.

The children were never enrolled in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, said Tim Goree, the district's executive director of administrative services and community engagement.

"Until this case broke and we heard about it from the police, we have never had any contact with any of the children," he said.

Goree said it was possible the family had legally home-schooled their children "without ever checking in with a local school district" if they were enrolled in an umbrella school.

"We wish we could have known and done something, but we had no idea," he said.

The state Department of Education said in a statement that it does not oversee how families choose to home-school their children.

"We are sickened by this tragedy and encourage everyone to report incidents of suspected child abuse," the department said. "However, under current California law, private and home schools must register with the state, but the California Department of Education does not approve, monitor, inspect, or oversee them. We will gladly work with legislators to consider ways to change the law."

Rogers said child protection officials visited their home several years ago and interviewed the children, but nothing came of it. The agencies that would be responsible for those types of visits, California's Child Welfare Policy and Program Development Bureau and Child Welfare Services in Solano County, where Fairfield is, did not immediately return requests for comment.

Rogers told reporters this week that she chose to home-school her children after initially enrolling one of her sons and a daughter in a school and being concerned they weren't getting enough attention. She also said that her daughter had been bullied. She did not name the school or comment on how she and Allen home-schooled their children.

In the Turpin case, the family registered with the state to home-school their children, which should have prompted a mandatory inspection by the local fire department. But that never took place. A spokesman for the city said the state failed to notify it that the Turpins were operating a school out of their home.

Christopher Lubienski, a professor of education policy at Indiana University who has written about home schooling, said that while these cases were "obviously unusual and pretty sensational," the lack of oversight nationally means that no one knows "how many kids are being not just physically neglected but also educationally underserved."

A report from Connecticut's Office of the Child Advocate in April found that 36 percent of home-schooled children lived in families that had been subject to at least one prior report of suspected abuse or neglect from the state's Department of Children and Families. The report covered children withdrawn from six school districts from 2013 to 2016.

That report, which was prompted by the death of a home-schooled teenager who had been abused, also found that none of the six districts had protocols to follow up with such families.

"There is no real mechanism to check in on a child simply because they are removed from school to be home-schooled after a troubled past," Coleman said.

In the case of the Harts, whose six children were adopted, authorities in Oregon, Washington and Minnesota all received reports of child welfare concerns before the deadly crash, according to NBC affiliate KGW.

While living in Minnesota in 2011, Sarah Hart pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor domestic assault charge in connection to one of her daughters, court records show. After that case was resolved, the Harts removed all six children from public schools, according to The Oregonian. The family reportedly did not register their children to be home-schooled in Oregon. Search crews have found six bodies after the crash, and two of the children remain missing and are feared dead.

The Coalition for Responsible Home Education advocates changes to home-schooling laws including requiring criminal background checks for parents, student contact with school or medical officials (who must report signs of abuse or neglect) and annual academic assessments. The coalition also calls for funding for government oversight of home schools.

After the Turpin case, lawmakers in California introduced legislation this year that would have mandated more oversight of home schooling. But the bill died after parents who home-school turned out en masse to protest what they see as infringements on their rights.

The Home School Legal Defense Association, a national group that fights additional rules for home schooling, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In January, in response to the Turpin case, it said more regulations were not needed.

"We all agree that abuse is horrible and must never be tolerated," the group said in a statement. "But imposing regulations that treat all home-schooling families like criminals is unjust."

"Home schooling parents around the country have demonstrated a high degree of success in raising and nurturing their children - giving them the tools to grow and flourish," the group added.

Lubienski, the education policy professor, agreed that home schooling was "not the culprit." But he said the lack of regulations had "created a shield that allows this stuff to happen."

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Child abuse case in California spotlights lack of oversight of home schooling

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The arrest of a California couple accused of abusing their 10 children - including waterboarding them, shooting them with crossbows and pouring scalding water on them, prosecutors said - is the latest case to raise questions about the oversight of home schooling.

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Tex. Educ. Code § 38.004 (2017)

Statutory Law

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/SOTWDocs/ED/htm/ED.38.htm

This law addresses how the agency must have policies in handling the reports of child abuse or neglect along with maintaining a child abuse reporting and programs. Additionally, school district must have policies on addressing sexual abuse and other maltreatment of children.

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EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 38. HEALTH AND SAFETY

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Sec. 38.002. IMMUNIZATION RECORDS; REPORTING. (a) Each public school shall keep an individual immunization record during the period of attendance for each student admitted. The records shall be open for inspection at all reasonable times by the Texas Education Agency or by representatives of local health departments or the Texas Department of Health.

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Ohio v. Clark, 576 US ___ (2015)

Judicial Law

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/13-1352_ed9l.pdf

This court case help define the issue concerning the admissibility of the testimony of abused children in abuse court case. The court decided that reliable hearsay statements by child abuse victims are permitted in court. Additionally, the case helped determine whether or not hearsay statements are admissible under the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment.

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Texas Family Code § 261.101 (2017)

Statutory Law

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/FA/htm/FA.261.htm

This law addresses the duty to report if any suspicion of a child being abused or neglected. People who are obliged to report include professionals who are licensed or certified by the state or who are employed at facilities licensed, certified, or operated by the state and who have direct interactions with children. Professionals include teachers, school district employees, daycare employees, nurses, doctors, employees of clinics or health-care facilities, or juvenile officers.

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Texas Family Code §§ 261.01; 261.110 (2017)

Statutory Law

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/FA/htm/FA.261.htm

This law addresses the institutional responsibility to report. Professional may not rely on another person to make the child abuse or neglect report. Also, employers may not suspend, terminate, or discriminate against, a person who is professional and acts in good faith when reporting child abuse or neglect and also when cooperating with an investigation. This law both holds the employees and the employers accountable when needing to report child abuse or neglect.

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Slide #10 Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule

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Slide #10 Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule

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Tex. Admin. Code 40 TAC § 700.409 (a)  (2016)

Administrative Law
https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=40&pt=19&ch=700&rl=409
This law allows Child Protective Services to request that school personnel or volunteers to be absent during the interview or examination of an alleged victim. The reason for this law is so that the presences of school personnel or volunteer may not jeopardize the integrity of the investigation. Additionally, a better interview or examination of the child would result without school personnel or volunteers being present.

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What procedures apply when Child Protective Services conducts an interview or examination during a school investigation?

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American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Ethical Standards

A.   Responsibility To Students

A.11. Bullying, Harassment and Child Abuse

School Counselors:

b. Report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect to the proper authorities and take reasonable precautions to protect the privacy of the student for whom abuse or neglect suspected when alerting the proper authorities (p.5).
This ethical principle not only requires school counselors to report any suspected child abuse and neglect but also requires school counselors to take appropriate precautionary measures in protecting the privacy of the student when notifying to the proper authorities. This principle provides the guidelines for what a school counselor must do as their duty to protect students when suspecting child abuse or neglect.

American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2016). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Ethics/EthicalStandards2016.pdf

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Texas Department of Family and Protective Services offers a wealth of information regarding Child Protective Services. Resources include such as the responsibilities of child protective services, family services, information on when children are in state care, stopping child abuse, data and statistics on CPS, state laws and CPS Policies, and CPS Trainings. Each section provides additional resources for specific topics. This resource will be beneficial for counselors when sharing Child Protective Services information regarding resources and training offered the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Additionally, counselors can utilize this resource for future campus training.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. (n.d.). Child protective services (CPS). Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Retrieved from https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/child_protection/

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DFPS - Texas Child Protective Services (CPS)

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The Child Protective Services Division investigates reports of abuse and neglect of children. It also: provides services to children and families in their own homes; contracts with other agencies to provide clients with specialized services; places children in foster care; provides services to help youth in foster care make the transition to adulthood; and places children in adoptive homes.

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Slide #13 Bulleted List of Recommendations/ Best Practices for Compliance 

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Slide #13 Bulleted List of Recommendations/ Best Practices for Compliance 

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Based on the research and interview done for reporting child abuse and neglect, these are the eight recommendations related to best educational practice and legal compliance for when reporting child abuse or neglect.

When in doubt, always make the call to CPS and specify that you are uncertain but have suspicions of abuse. The report must be made by phone within 48 hours or less as required by law (D. Mathis, personal communication, July 15, 2019).

Stay vigilant and be aware of any behavioral or emotional changes in the student (D. Mathis, personal communication, July 15, 2019).

After making a report of suspected abuse, it is crucial to detach yourself from any further involvement with the case.  Only if another incident with the same child leads you to suspect additional abuse, contact CPS (Plano ISD, 2018).

When making a report of suspected child abuse, document only the student’s name, the date, and the case number for your records (Texas Department of Family and Services, n.d.).

Keep confidentiality and protect the student’s privacy (ASCA, 2016).

Do not take photographs of any child. CPS investigators must personally take the photographs (Texas Department of Family and Services, n.d.).

The Texas Family Code (2017) requires the person first suspecting the abuse to make the report to the CPS Hotline. Reporting suspected child abuse may not be discussed. Additionally, counselors should provide support to staff members making reports.

If a parent contacts you about an investigation or report, respond by replying: I am unable to respond to any inquiries concerning Child Protective Services or law enforcement. I must recommend that you direct your inquiries to either of those agencies (Plano ISD, 2018).

Plano ISD. (2018). Guidelines for Reporting Suspected Child Abuse. Retrieved from https://www.pisd.edu/site/default.aspx?DomainID=2573

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Counseling & Guidance Services / Counseling & Guidance Home

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The elementary guidance program in Plano ISD has a focus on academic success, personal and social growth (including personal safety), and career and college information. A developmental school guidance program includes activities which are organized and implemented by certified school counselors and are based on identified student needs.