School officials failure to report abuse shows training is lacking, some say

<p>The death of a Henry County middle schooler and the firing of a school counselor and ongoing criminal investigation shows more training is needed to help school officials identify abuse cases, educators and child care advocates say.</p><p>Eagles Landing Middle School counselor Patricia White was fired earlier this week for failing to report signs of physical abuse in 11-year-old Joella Reaves, whose parents have been charged with murdering her during the Thanksgiving holiday.</p><p>Two teachers testified at a school board hearing that they reported signs of child abuse to White. But White, a 23-year employee, said Joellas injuries appeared consistent with a fall.</p><p>School officials are required by state law to report possible child abuse to the Department of Family and Children Services. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.</p><p>The laws very clear. They are required by law to report suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect, said attorney Wendy Clifton, interim executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Georgia. This child may be alive today if the law had been followed.</p><p>The state law has been on the books since the late 1960s, required by the federal government, Clifton said.</p><p>Police have charged Joellas father and stepmother, Rodney and Charlott Reaves, with murder and cruelty to children. They are accused of beating, starving and tying up the girl in the garage of their Stockbridge home over seven days during Thanksgiving week. She died Dec. 1.</p><p>White could appeal her firing. Her attorney, David Dunham, did not return a phone message seeking comment.</p><p>With at least one Eagles Landing school official facing criminal indictment, Clifton said the criminal prosecution piece is seldom done. That person has not been named.</p><p>Henry County District Attorney Tommy Floyd was unavailable for comment on the criminal investigation because he was out of the office until Monday, an assistant said.</p><p>Although educators are under the law to report abuse, theyre also given room for judgment, said Tim Callahan, spokesman for the 57,000-member Professional Association of Georgia Educators.</p><p>They cant overrun DFACS with 10,000 calls a week, he said. Its a difficult place that we put educators in.</p><p>Callahan said that more and better training to spot child abuse is necessary.</p><p>But Clifton said her agency, which provides abuse awareness training, has received fewer calls from schools over the last few years.</p><p>Weve really struggled in getting boards of education to recognize that this is something that their staff needs, she said. When we go in to offer training, administrators say we can only give you 10 or 15 minutes. Were very honest with administrators that we cant do it in 15 minutes.</p><p>It also may be time to look at counselors workloads, some say. School counselors are asked to do so many things outside their job, said Jocelyn Whitfield, government relations director for the Georgia Association of Educators.</p><p>It could be were asking school counselors to cover way too many children, Callahan said.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/1/180393