Copied from http://www.counseling.org web site, and intellectual property owned by American Counseling Association. 

1. There are many legal issues in dealing with small children and legal guardian and custody decrease.  Teachers are unaware of legal court documentation, of who is legally able to pick up, take home, or have knowledge of school progress of their student.  The lack of communication and knowledge of the student’s legal guardian and parental rights puts the school and the teachers legally at risk  (Schuette, 2018).

2.  The school counselor made it clear currently the focus on our campus has been abiding the law of reporting child abuse and neglect to our local Child Protective Services, CPS.  The school counselor disclosed there is a gap in communication between parents, teachers, principals, and the school counselors. Confidential documents are not shared with teachers and therefore also put the teacher at risk if needed to testify on the behalf of the student  (Schuette, 2018).

3.  Teachers are required by law to report to Child Protective Services if there is suspicion of abuse or neglect, but she said we are not trained or educated enough on how to report it correctly, where it can be taken into court documentation without fail  (Schuette, 2018).

4.  The school counselor also shared abuse and neglect are more prevalent in a low socio economic society.  Some teachers may fail to notice neglect of a child or the signs they are displaying which suggest neglect. Therefore, the teacher could be held responsible if CPS is brought in to investigate. The counselor suggested more education and training on neglect and abuse is necessary for our legal protection  (Schuette, 2018).

5.  The Special Education population is also a huge legal concern for our district.  Making sure teachers are following Individual Education Plans and service plans are a priority and are mandated by law.  There were out of compliance issues for the emotionally disturbed students which were not being monitored properly.  Those issues have been noted and are now back in compliance with state law saying those students are labeled, receiving counseling by the school counselor every six weeks, and notices sent home with the student’s report card  (Schuette, 2018).

ELLs are the fastest growing demographic in our public schools, but many educators still aren’t adequately prepared to support this population. With that in mind, NEA’s Blended Learning series will support educators through the intentional design, creation, and evaluation of assessment tools that best reflect content knowledge, as well as language ability of ELLs.  
  
  An article on rural community schools was also displayed on the NEA's website.  This article conveyed many schools in rural areas are suffering for being under funded and disadvantaged by location and size. The NEA supports the development of programs to combat these issues in rural school districts. 

American School Counselor Association. (2016). Retrieved from www.schoolcounselor.org: http://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Ethics/EthicalStandards2016.pdf

Long, C. (2018, August 22). http://neatoday.org/2018/08/22/nea-ell-blended-learning-courses/?_ga=2.150727350.1885548404.1535299139-2098618621.1535299139. Retrieved from www.nea.org: http://neatoday.org/2018/08/22/nea-ell-blended-learning-courses/?_ga=2.150727350.1885548404.1535299139-2098618621.1535299139

Schuette, S. (2018, August 21). School Counselor. (M. Mauer, Interviewer)

Walsh, M. (2015). Supreme Court to Hear Case on Abuse Reporting. Education Week, 26-27.

www.atpe.org/en/Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.atpe.org: http://www.atpe.org/en/Home

Zirkle, C. (2016). A Primer on Teacher Liability. Tech Directions, 16-19.

Being aware of our rights and having the peace of mind of protection if a liability issue arises is also important to educators.  ATPE membership gives the educator the ability to have an attorney to answer legal questions related to our job is important when faced with legal issues.  The membership service also comes with eight million in liability insurance to protect your personal assets if faced with a lawsuit.  The ATPE website also confirms your rights for filed grievances and protection and safety on campus and in your classroom (www.atpe.org/en/Resources, n.d.).

There are numerous scenarios which can relate to the topics of teacher liability and our protection in the classroom.  A child is reported to CPS by a teacher for abuse/neglect and the parent decides to visit the teacher at school in order to discuss the circumstances after being contacted by CPS. The parent tries to explain how the child is not neglected and an altercation breaks out, began by the disgruntled parent. Educators need to have knowledge and be aware of the law and how they are protected.  Not only has the teacher been verbally assaulted but maybe the parent has threatened or even physically beaten the teacher.  If any of these occurred instead of spending money out of pocket you can simply call you ATPE attorney and inquire of your rights and protection from the parent.  As teachers we have our student’s best interest as a priority, but it is best to always be knowledgeable and aware of what is expected and what our legal right are as well. 

References
www.atpe.org/en/Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.atpe.org: http://www.atpe.org/en/Home