Local News - September 2003

Teachers often first to report abuse

Published September 3, 2003

By SARAH GRANO, Staff Writer

There are many subtle signs of child abuse such as a child falling asleep in class or stealing food.

It is the law to report all suspected cases of child abuse, and it is most often teachers who do the reporting.

“The teacher has the child virtually all day,” said Kathy Vinzant, the coordinator for Coalition Against Child Abuse.

“They are able to nurture. For some children that may be the only hug or smile that they get during the day, and that’s important for teachers to understand.”

Vinzant goes all over Lincoln County to educate people on the signs of child abuse and how to deal with abuse situations.

Many of the teachers she talks to do not know that it is the law to report suspected abuse.

 “It’s not easy to report, but it is required, and it can be very stressful.” said Vinzant. “It’s the law. Some people just don’t know that.”

If teachers, or anyone else, suspect child abuse and do not report the situation there will be ramifications, said Vinzant.

Adults who suspect abuse should take time to listen to what the child is saying.

Most teachers know that bruises on children are a sign of abuse, but there are other red flags to look out for.

Children who never have nutritious lunches or jackets in the winter could be neglected.

“I don’t know if there’s ever one way of recognizing child abuse because there are so many components to it, physical, emotional,” she said.

“The main thing is just getting to know the child, and getting involved.”

Teachers are encouraged to ask open ended questions if students say they got a whooping or had to go to sleep with out dinner.

Many people who suspect child abuse do not report it because they don’t want to get involved.

“We all have the responsibility to report, but typically people who work with children have that visibility more than some of us do,” Vinzant said.

“Eighty-five percent of prisoners were abused as children. It’s our community that is being affected.”

Between 2001 and 2002 there were 900 reported cases of child abuse in Lincoln County. Nearly 400 of the reports were substantiated, said Vinzant.

Teachers report around 18 percent of all child abuse cases.

She believes that education is the key to stopping abuse.

“We can educate others who have not experienced abuse first hand how to recognize and report child abuse so they can help protect others who are being abused,” she said.

Since January Vinzant has given nine workshops on the subject of identifying child abuse.

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Staff Writer Sarah Grano can be reached at 704-735-3031 or sgrano@ltnews.com

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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