Can't stop thinking about children in unsafe homes

[Anonymous]

I am really worried and kind of freaking out about the uptick of abuse going on in households amid the quarantine. Hotline calls for help from children are going up. I read the news story of finding that one child who had been locked up in a shed, in the dark since the start of the quarantine. These kids no longer have life lines and contact with the outside world because they are kept home from school with no protection.

Is there anything being done to address this? Should there be someone from the school checking in on these children?

[Anonymous]

I really hope so. I feel bad because all of the public pools in our city announced that they will be closed for the summer and so many kids went there everyday.

[Anonymous]

No, schools don't have the authority to go into homes to check in on children. Especially when there is a stay at home order. If they are doing online school and the child isn't attending then there should be some oversight, and they are mandated reporters if they suspect abuse or neglect.

[Anonymous]

I worry about this too OP! I made a big donation to SCAN - they do great work if you are located in Northern Virginia. It does weigh on my heart that some children aren’t being cared for the way they so deserve. I try not to dwelling on it too much because it makes me too sad.

[Anonymous]

Schools check in the best they can, with their limited role. They call parents, offer video communication, many districts do drive by "parades" to see the children and drop off supplies Districts are providing food. Staff can call if they have concerns.

That is the most that can be done. Abuse is a criminal matter, not something to be handled by teachers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, schools don't have the authority to go into homes to check in on children. Especially when there is a stay at home order. If they are doing online school and the child isn't attending then there should be some oversight, and they are mandated reporters if they suspect abuse or neglect.

I don't think they've achieved even close to getting every child set up with internet access and computers necessary for online school. 14% still do not have internet access. It's that population I'm worried about.

[Anonymous]

I know, OP. I feel the same way. That is the group I am most worried for.

[Anonymous]

The worst is that the current motto is keep the family intact at all costs. Children basically don't have rights and aren't seen as equal with their parents rights.

Kids can be flagged multiple times, get calls from mandatory reporters, be taken into foster care and their parents take a few classes and the kid is back in their care.

Kids are easy targets because they are easy to blame, easy to overpower, etc. There is still no one to protect them because at the end of the day, the courts/state don't have the funds to house them nor the people available to foster hence the emphasis on parental rights and "keeping the family intact".

Its sickening. I look at my son some days and think how lucky he is, how lucky we are and know there are children who haven't felt love or safety or trust. And that missing those isn't the worst of it. On top of that there are kids who literally get beat and assaulted by family/relatives/etc.

[Anonymous]

I recently read an article that said calls to child protective services have gone down significantly. These calls usually come from school staff or neighbors with concerns or evidence. Those people no longer have access to the children. It is very very concerning. I don't know what the answer is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently read an article that said calls to child protective services have gone down significantly. These calls usually come from school staff or neighbors with concerns or evidence. Those people no longer have access to the children. It is very very concerning. I don't know what the answer is.

Agreed, it's worrying. For many children school is an escape from family abuse. Bad outcome for them, being sequestered with their abusive parents who are more stressed than ever because of COVID. Like you and everyone else, I don't know what can be done, although I think there's a solution out there that can help at least some children.

[Anonymous]

Teacher here. I do worry about a few students who are not joining my online sessions and are not easy to get a hold of. Our social worker is making some limited contact home visits. Stress plus poor parenting is a recipe for disaster.

[Anonymous]

Also a teacher here. There are a few students that haven’t logged on in a while. The same students that missed a lot of days in class and parents never answer or respond to email. I’m not sure what more I can do. We just continue to reach out and pray. I teach 3rd grade and a few students are home all day by themselves or even worse, watching younger siblings.

[Anonymous]

I think the coronavirus shutdown situation is really illuminating the fact that we are expecting schools (and barely anything else) to solve all the problems of poverty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the coronavirus shutdown situation is really illuminating the fact that we are expecting schools (and barely anything else) to solve all the problems of poverty.

I've worked in both very high FARMS schools (my current school is 90+% FARMS) and very wealthy schools (less than 5% FARMS) and poor parenting occurs everywhere. I do agree that the same students who have issues during the school year are also having them now. I have a student who has a train wreck of a family. Her mom never signed her up for kindergarten and nobody knew until the spring when a social worker visited because of chronic absences with the older kids. The student started school and then repeated kindergarten. She has missed at least 50-60 days of school per year every year she has been in school. The older siblings are the same. Lots of discipline issues at school too. Even our social worker cannot get the parents to answer the door after attempting contact via phone, text, etc. Neighbors have seen all of the kids roaming the neighborhood. It is so sad.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately this is just an extension of what homeschooling advocates have already put into place. Homeschooling is already hiding a lot of child abuse, and those children are largely unreachable, thanks to advocacy by HSLDA and other homeschooling and religious groups. It's a travesty, but was a travesty pre-coronavirus.