This guidance applies to all schools and colleges and is for: headteachers, teachers and staff governing bodies, proprietors and management committees It sets out the legal duties that must be followed to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 in schools and colleges. It is divided into five parts: (1)…

Child exploitation and victimization occur in numerous ways and affect young people of all ages, races, backgrounds, socioeconomic situations, and geographic locations. It is a difficult but important subject for educators, who interact with students more directly and for more hours in a week than most other adults in students' lives. But armed…

This statutory guidance should be read and followed by headteachers, teachers and staff governing bodies of schools (including maintained nursery schools) and colleges, proprietors of independent schools and non-maintained special schools, and management committees of pupil referral units (PRUs). This guidance sets out the legal duties that must…

From costly lawsuits on behalf of victims to negative media coverage, districts can face potentially devastating consequences as a result of sexual abuse of their students by district employees. This article offers a few tips on how to battle sexual abuse particularly in school districts. The author stresses that by adopting strong policies that…

It is important for school administrators and teachers to recognize the signs and symptoms of child abuse--physical, sexual, and emotional. Principals need to promote the awareness of child abuse with the faculty, and promptly report all cases to the appropriate agencies. References, lists of films and videocassettes, and information sources are…

A science teacher forgets to remind her students to wear their safety goggles during a chemistry experiment and one student is injured when the caustic chemicals he is working with splash into his eyes. A teacher is late for recess duty and a student falls from the swings and is injured. A principal sends one teacher and one student teacher on a…

This article discusses the nature and extent of the problem of sexual abuse in community programs that serve people with mental retardation, as well as differing judicial approaches in assessing their ability to consent to sexual relations. Potential sources of provider liability for harm caused to program participants are explained. (Author/DB)

Sexual abuse of children in the United States is far more pervasive than most educators realize, with studies estimating up to 500,000 annual occurrences. This revised resource and planning guide for Wisconsin schools should help districts deal with sexual abuse on school premises and suspicion of this behavior off campus. While the guide cannot…

Reviews recent court cases in which students have been victimized by other students. Attempts to determine the application of legal principles to such situations and to develop proposals for administrators to manage their schools in a legally defensible manner. Considers the moral responsibility of administrators as protectors of children. (94…

Analyzes judicial response to employees who had been dismissed for sexual misconduct and objected to their school districts' dismissal processes. Issues tend to fall into three categories: elements of proof; relationship to the judicial evidentiary process; and standard for judicial review. Advises administrators to prepare, publish, and enforce…

This chapter reviews court cases and makes recommendations in light of the rising incidence of campus crimes and increased third-party litigation. There is greater awareness of gang and acquaintance rapes and a general increase in rapes, assaults, and murders. To secure compensation, women are also suing the institution on whose campus the assaut…

Foreseeabililty is defined as the school officials' ability to predict or anticipate that a certain behavior by teachers may prove harmful to students. Once this determination is made, proper steps must be taken to prevent harm to students. Failure to act responsibly may prove costly. Certainly it is foreseeable that a teacher who sexually…

Open records statutes, child abuse reporting laws, and public policy are impediments to confidential settlement agreements with school districts and teachers accused of child abuse. In addition, a school administrator should ask whether the settlement agreement could assist an unsuitable teacher to obtain employment in another school district.…

This book introduces the basic elements necessary to comply with specific state reporting statutes on child abuse. It analyzes the reporting statutes of all 50 states (including the District of Columbia) and outlines those requirements imposed on mandatory reporters employed in public schools and in other professions. Federal court cases are also…

This report is the result of an investigation by the New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled of the Bernard Fineson Developmental Center's policies and practices concerning sexual incidents among residents. It also raises broader issues about the meaning of consent when sexual activity involves persons with severe or…