Means, at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.

The current definition includes four categories of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. When a teacher encounters the problem of child abuse, regardless of the state where they teach, they have a legal responsibility to report it to the authorities. This means all teachers need to know the signs of abuse.

These include:

1. Injuries that are seen again and again. These can be bruises, burns, and welts on the body, particularly on the head or abdomen. Children may also wear inappropriately concealing clothing to hide the physical abuse.
2. Child stealing food, having a hard time staying awake, or having poor hygiene and an unclean and neglected physical appearance.
3. A sudden decline in academic performance.

Child abuse is a serious problem that must not be taken lightly. Every state has different laws governing the process of reporting child abuse and following up on cases, but it’s important for teachers to remember that if child abuse goes unreported, the educator with the suspicion is held liable.