Charter schools are once again beginning to reopen for in-person instruction, so we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight the observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month, April 1-30, 2021. We encourage you to take an inventory of your abuse prevention risk management measures and remind your staff about appropriate boundaries with students as the kids return to campus. Unfortunately, schools have found sexual misconduct litigation and damages siphon millions of dollars away from classrooms.
In cooperation with the ReLiEF JPAs and the California School Boards Association (CSBA) Keenan is helping to promote National Child Abuse Prevention Month, encouraging every charter schools to participate along with us. Our Child Abuse Prevention Month web site offers information and resources to promote awareness, downloadable materials available to every school to help make your campus a safer place for students to learn and thrive. Freely-available informational and training resources on Keenan’s Abuse Prevention Center are always available for you as well.
"Sexual misconduct litigation takes millions of dollars out of California classrooms."
It’s especially important to train and reinforce these interpersonal boundary rules to protect children – and staff:
- Individual staff members should never be alone and isolated with any individual child.
- Do not allow staff members to communicate using text, phone or video calls individually with a student.
- Avoid student-to-student abuse and negligent supervision liability by prevent pupils from using isolated rooms or other areas that are difficult to observe.
Reinforce your team’s responsibility as mandated reporters. Review your recordkeeping to ensure your staff is current on their mandated reporter training and remember that any new staff receives their training within the first six weeks of employment as required by state law. Deliver the message that safety and abuse awareness are central to your charter school’s culture: “If you see something, hear something, or sense something that tells you a child is being abused, then say something.” Distribute and post the information for reporting suspected child abuse to the appropriate authorities. This kind of conspicuous consciousness-raising creates an effective deterrent to molestation and abuse.
We all play an important role in preventing physical, emotional and sexual abuse. On behalf of ReLiEF and the CSBA, let’s work together toward the goal of keeping every child safe.
