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Teacher Legal Responsibilities

Currently, there is a gap in the information a teacher receives about teaching students with certain needs. For instance, teachers are told that if a student says that he or she is going to commit suicide, it must be reported to the counselor or principal of the school. But, what if the teacher only suspects that the student might kill himself/herself? What if the student may have an eating disorder? What are the teacher's responsibilities?

According to the Monroe County Family and Youth Services office, anyone entrusted with a child or teen's care has certain legal responsibilities. This includes teachers, babysitters, etc. A national law requires that a child (defined as anyone under 18) be reported if it is even SUSPECTED that the child is in danger of being hurt, hurting themselves, or hurting others.

Many school districts have particular policies about these situations. In many instances, the teacher needs to report the suspected problem to the school counselor or principal and that person is responsible for contacting child services. Each person in a district should be aware of the specific policy.

Family and Youth Services - which is known by different names in different areas - always has a 24 hour child abuse hotline that any suspected problems can be reported to. A case worker will check out the situation, usually within 24 hours, to determine if further action needs to be taken. In certain circumstances, the case worker will be called out immediately. If it is determined that more needs to be done, the case worker works with the child's family to ensure that the child is treated for his or her problem. For instance, if a child has an eating disorder, the case worker is responsible for ensuring that the child goes to counseling and treatment until the child recovers.

In all cases, child services is concerned with the welfare of the child. They are not interested in blaming anyone or pressing legal charges. They are interested in intervening in harmful situations because "once the damage is done, it cannot be repaired. "

If you suspect a child is in trouble, check with your school district to find out the proper procedure to get the child help. It is both your legal and ethical responsibility.

This document was last updated 8/13/97 by Chandra Hawley.
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