Strengthening Schools by Strengthening Families

“ The abuse
cases, we’re
catching,” said
one Bronx
teacher. “But
the neglect
cases we may
be aware of?
We’re not very
successful in
intervening.
22
”
reporting Cases of abuse or neglect
To call or not to call? For teachers, this can be a tough decision.
As a group, New York City’s educators should be well-positioned to spot potential cases of child abuse
or neglect. They see the city’s 1.1 million school-age children nearly every day, and are required by
law to call the state child abuse and neglect hotline if they suspect any such problems in a family.
But many teachers and other school staff say they are poorly equipped to handle this responsibility,
according to interviews with two dozen teachers, guidance counselors and social workers conducted
by the Center for New York City Affairs. Most teachers reported that they have had only minimal
training to deal with possible cases of abuse and neglect. Many yearned for more access to social
services, which they felt could be more helpful than a call to the authorities.
Above all, these interviews and other research done for this report revealed that different schools
have vastly different approaches to dealing with the problem. Some educators are too eager to report
suspected abuse or neglect to the State Central Register (SCR), launching unwarranted investigations.
Others won’t call in a problem they see. “A lot don’t want to take that responsibility,” says Jean
Thomases, a consultant and veteran in the city schools and social work. “They don’t want to interfere,
they don’t see it as their role.”
The result is a schizophrenic system in which schools on the same block, serving the same children,
can have very different responses to potential cases of abuse and neglect. Some schools make many
calls, while others make almost none, according to an analysis by the Center for New York City Affairs.
The analysis of 2007–08 Department of Education (DOE) attendance data shows, for example, that
50 elementary schools made no reports of educational neglect to the State Central Register despite
the fact that more than 15 percent of their students had received at least one “407” attendance alert
automatically issued by the DOE for excessive absences. On the other extreme, staff at P.S. 41, a
school of 760 pupils in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, made 149 calls to the state hotline for
educational neglect, according to DOE data.
The center conducted its interviews with teachers, guidance counselors and social workers in the 18
months following the 2006 murder of Nixzmary Brown. Each interview subject completed a survey
designed by the center. In general, interviewees were granted anonymity.
All reported they had received the mandatory two-hour child abuse training course given to teachers
at the beginning of their careers, and most felt their training was adequate for dealing with the most
serious problems. However, many said they were less certain about how to deal with less urgent, but
far more common problems. “The abuse cases, we’re catching,” said one Bronx elementary school
teacher. “But the neglect cases we may be aware of? We’re not very successful in intervening.”
Some teachers said their principals offer lots of guidance and support in finding social services for
troubled families, while others leave teachers to shift for themselves.
Is It negleCt or Poverty?
Almost all those who responded to the survey reported having students over the years who suffered
from poor care. Some came to school dirty or in filthy clothes. Others were too often ravenously
hungry. Some lacked coats in the cold weather or eyeglasses to see the blackboard. And there were
frequent problems with class attendance, concentration, depression or excessive aggression. All can be
signs that a child may be neglected, abused or in some way poorly treated at home. But they are also
common side effects of poverty, problems that could be helped by the intervention of a community
social services group or an industrious outreach worker.