No, Teachers Shouldn’t Decrease Referrals to Child-Protective Services

“We’re Not Protecting Children. We’re Recycling Their Trauma.”

That was the title of a recent opinion piece by policy researcher Mathangi Swaminathan on the education news website The74, explaining why teachers should think twice before reporting suspected abuse or neglect to child-protective services. Swaminathan’s suggestion is part of a growing chorus alleging that educators only contribute to the problems of vulnerable children when they contact child-protection agencies.

A paper released earlier this year from the American Federation of Teachers asserts, “Reporting rarely helps protect children from harm.” Based on results of a nonrepresentative survey of more than 1,000 school staff on their experiences reporting suspected abuse and neglect among their students, the authors conclude that teachers be taught about the “harms” of engaging child protective services, which include “trauma and family separation.”