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Principal's Role in Child Abuse

NCJ Number
128857
Journal
Education and Urban Society Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (May 1990) Pages: 307-313
Author(s)
G McClare
Date Published
1990
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Because educators and other professionals having authority over children have been mandated by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect, school principals must work with their school boards to develop effective policies.
Abstract
A principal's major management challenge in child abuse prevention is to design clear procedures for personnel in handling child abuse cases identified by staff or students. These procedures should also be followed when the alleged offender is a teacher or other school employee. Prevention strategies should be presented in training programs for students, parents, and teachers. A model of child abuse prevention training used in Toronto is briefly described. The third task of the principal is to forge linkage mechanisms between the school, child protection services, and law enforcement agencies. Finally, principals should be aware that certain school activities, particularly student fund raising programs, can expose children to potentially dangerous situations. 5 references