ABSTRACT
The teacher’s role in detecting and reporting child abuse is often considered a simple procedural matter located more or less peripherally to the normal work of the school, instead of a complex systemic issue related to the perpetuation of violence. The reporting role not only prevents teachers from full professional involvement in the development and education of abused children; it also serves to mask the full extent of the problem. In this chapter, the focus is on the role of the teacher in reporting child abuse. It is difficult to listen to teachers’ talk about the cases of child abuse they have encountered. The problem is not the sadness of their descriptions, although that is an aspect of it, it is the predictable familiarity of the cases. In a typical scenario, the teacher comes across a case perhaps through a sudden disclosure or another similarly shocking incident, or by way of a nagging suspicion that develops over time. There is usually a period of doubt, often self-doubt, when the teacher carefully considers and reconsiders the case. She scrutinizes the child; she checks on the policies and regulations; she wonders how the principal will handle it; she worries about what will happen to the family if she reports the case and what will happen to the child if she does not. She considers her own life, her childhood, her own children, her job security, her legal liability and her position in the community. Finally, she goes forward (most do) and reports her case, usually to the principal, occasionally directly to child welfare. Sometimes she is told to forget about it, that she is overreacting, that she is overwrought and nervous. Occasionally she is applauded for her sensitivity and steadfastness. Usually, she is thanked for the information and then, in one way or another, dismissed. The case may proceed to an investigation, help may be channeled to the victim, and the offender might be charged and punished. Whatever steps are taken at this stage, however, often remain a mystery to the teacher; she is left to wonder and worry on her own.
