A
Abuse. May be categorized as neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse, or emotional abuse.
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B
Behavior. An abused child may show changes in behavior or school performance.
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C
Child Abuse. Mistreatment or neglect of a child that results in non-accidental harm or injury.
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D
Domestic Violence. Children who witness domestic violence may develop serious emotional, behavioral, developmental, or academic problems. As children, teens, and adults, they may become violent or withdrawn. As teens and adults they have a greater likelihood of choosing a partner who is abusive.
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E
Emotional Abuse. The consistent and systematic act of criticizing, ignoring, isolating, rejecting, or refusing to nurture a child.
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F
Fear. Children who live in constant fear for their own safety and the safety of those they love cannot focus on anything except survival.
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G
Gross Misdemeanor. The charge in Washington State for failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect within 48 hours that may result in a $5000 fine, up to a year in jail, and possible revocation of teaching certification.
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H
Honeymoon Period. The period of relative calm that follows an assault in the cycle of violence when the perpetrator of the violence often apologies, brings gifts, and promises that "it is the last time" the violence will ever happen.
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I
Indirect Disclosure. A child may not come right out and tell you he/she is being abused. Instead, he/she may drop hints and expect you to "read between the lines."
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J
Juvenile, Family, and Criminal Courts. The courts where proceedings of child abuse and neglect can be heard.
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K
Keep Personal Working Notes. Keep personal working notes by authority of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to make you a better educator. Personal working notes can help you document a variety of classroom and student issues, including changes in a child's behavior, marks on a child's body, written and verbal contacts with parents and other professionals, objective observations, and all information related to reporting suspected abuse. Remember your personal working notes are "for your eyes only" and that they can be subpoenaed.
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L
Love. Something all human beings deserve and something we all need to survive.
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M
Mandated Reporting. By law, educators in all 50 states are mandated reporters who must make a report or cause a report to be made when they have reasonable cause to believe that a child is being abused or neglected.
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N
Neglect. Failure of a parent or guardian to provide for a child's basic needs, such as shelter, food, clothing, supervision, and/or medical care. In most states, there must be a pattern of inadequate care of physical, emotional, and/or medical needs for the proper authorities to take action. Cognitively, except for Shaken Baby Syndrome, neglect is the most damaging of all types of abuse.
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O
Oral Report. Shall be made at the first opportunity but no longer than 48 hours after there is reasonable cause.
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P
Physical Abuse. The most visible form of abuse. Physical abuse can be defined as any act that results in a non-accidental trauma or physical injury to a child's body. Physical injuries may include: bruises, burns, cuts, head injuries, broken bones, and internal injuries.
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Q
Quarter. It won't cost a thing to call in a report of suspected child abuse or to ask questions of Child Protective Services. If you suspect abuse, you can call your local child protective agency, law enforcement agency, or the National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).
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R
Relationships. The majority of students who are abused or neglected survive because of the relationships they form with trustworthy and caring adults. Many of those adults are teachers, paraeducators, and others who work in the school system.
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S
Sexual Abuse. Sexual abuse is any misuse of a child for sexual pleasure or gratification. Sexual abuse can include: non-touching, such as voyeurism and obscene phone calls, non-violent touching, such as fondling and mutual masturbation, violent forcible touching, including rape, and exploitation, such as child pornography and child prostitution..
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T
Triggering Event. Within the cycle of violence, this is the event that triggers the violent action on the part of the perpetrator. It may appear to be something minor to those outside the family.
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U
Unexplained Injuries. Injuries to a child's body that appear to have no known cause or that don't match the given explanation.
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V
Verbal and Non-verbal Abuse. Includes psychological abuse, mental abuse, and emotional abuse. Often leave the victim believing that he/she is crazy for thinking there is something wrong with the way they are treated since there are no visible marks or wounds on their body.
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W
Washington State Law. In Washington state, mandatory reporters include educators, childcare workers, health care professionals, social workers, and law enforcement officers; all who must only have reasonable cause to believe a child is being abused or neglected to make a report.
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X
X-rays. Can help to verify physical abuse, including multiple broken bones and to identify information about the break including the age of the break and whether or not the break was treated by a medical professional.
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Y
Youth at Risk. When children are abused or neglected, they are at risk for self-destructive behaviors, such as: dropping out of school, using drugs and alcohol, choosing an abusive partner, and having low self-esteem, all of which can lead to a host of life-long problems.
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Z
Zone of Proximal Development. In education, this is where a child is academically close to a specific peer group. When children feel threatened as a consequence of abuse or neglect, their brain focuses on survival. If this sense of threat persists throughout a child's life, it is more difficult for the child to function socially, emotionally, and academically at age-appropriate levels.
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