School And Parents' Responsibilities In Light Of Reports Of Abuse

SCHOOL'S ROLE:

The main purpose of school is to educate.  Many parents surrounding the Berndt case, feel Miramonte failed them by not educating or even informing the parents and student body of the massive abuse that occurred at their child’s school.  Parents are outraged that the first time they heard of the abuse was through media reports and not through the school itself. 

If there is a reported suspected child abuse, particularly reports of sexual abuse, school officials MUST do something.  There is no excuse for inaction.  Taking action means:

1.      Inform the parents by at least providing  enough facts that will alert parents that there has been an accusation of abuse (there is no need to fully disclose all facts nor should facts be disclosed that would  jeopardize an investigation)

2.      Provide safe, open means for disclosure including safe people who are equipped to handle reports. 

3.      Encourage reporting to law enforcement and school officials and discourage any investigation done by the parents themselves. 

4.      Provide crisis counseling, therapy for both parents and student

With growing concerns about child sexual assault, people often question what kinds of background checks—if any--are made before hiring a teacher, staff member, or school administrator. 

Like many of the issues we have seen, even the term, “background checks,” is subject to many meanings.  When used in the school setting, a “background check” is the process by which the teacher must get fingerprinted by the school’s local law enforcement agency.  The fingerprinting process reveals any criminal histories that a school or school district can evaluate. 

The criminal background check is a start, but should by no means be the end of the investigations schools should make before hiring faculty or staff.  Criminal history checks are not fool-proof, nor do they give a complete picture of a person.

PARENTS ROLE:

Parents seem to instinctively know that they must pay a lot of attention in hiring nannies and babysitters, but they seem to forget to do a background check of their children’s schools. Yes, parents spend a great deal of energy in choosing their kids’ schools, but they focus on academic offerings, sports focus, and the extra-curricular activities.

Somehow, the really important questions are forgotten and never asked.  And while the parents should not have the burden of managing the school, parents have a right to ask questions about their teachers and a right to demand transparency.   

Questions that parents need to be asking include:

1. What is the student-teacher ratio?
2. Where does your pool of substitute teachers come from?
3. What is your hiring process?
4. Do you conduct background checks?
5. Are substitute teachers put through the same vetting process as full-time teachers and faculty?
6. What types of things would disqualify a candidate from working here?
7. What is your policy about teachers/administrators with substance abuse histories?
8. Are there policies addressing weapons, sexual abuse, child on child abuse, substance abuse, violence, etc.?
9. How do you screen the people who work with the students who are not teachers (i.e. specialists, volunteers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, etc)?
10. Can I visit the school at any time?

Educators are in a unique position to provide valuable support to abused children, their families, and those involved in a community where abuse has occurred.  If anybody has the expertise needed to assess the needs and design programs to fit those needs it is the school.  While schools are a resource, parents cannot simply toss up their hands and hope that schools do the right thing. The only way to insure the school does their job is to insist that schools do theirs.