NCJ Number
128852
Journal
Education and Urban Society Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (May 1990) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
W M Bridgeland,
E A Duane
Date Published
1990
Length
87 pages
Annotation
Most of the professional literature on child abuse has failed to explore the relationship between abuse and schools which are in a sensitive position for possible prevention or intervention. These articles explore a variety of dimensions of child abuse policy related to the elementary school.
Abstract
The first article discusses child abuse policies for schools and their mandate under various types of legislation. The twin motives of child protection and fear of liability are noted. This is followed by a discussion of the relationship between protective service functions and the schools which often includes joint membership on child protection teams. The effectiveness of sexual abuse prevention programs offered in the schools is analyzed in terms of skill learning, modeling, and other behavioral strategies. An extensive debate over the effectiveness of corporal punishment and whether it can be defined as child maltreatment is followed by an article on the role of teachers in child abuse reporting and prevention. The final two articles focus on the role of elementary school principals as conduits through which reports on abuse pass and as secondary enforcers on child abuse. Three themes are echoed in many of the articles: the ambiguities present in many child abuse laws that present policy difficulties to schools; the need to overcome conflicts, gaps, and redundancies in child protection services; and the opportunities provided by the school setting to discover, report, prevent, and treat child abuse. Chapter references