Examples of such baggage are neglect, mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and abuse by the child protective system. Therefore the laws designed to protect the child and provide him with the safest possible environment of necessity directly impact the educator. Unfortunately, educators have been caught up in the system. Laws have mandated them to be reporters. Teachers, along with other mandated reporters, have been threatened and intimidated with prosecution for failure to report.
Confusion abounds especially about the definition of abuse.
If educators are to continue, by law, to be mandated reporters, then they must be provided with a more precise definition of child abuse. School employees realize how vulnerable they are to being victims of false allegations by an unhappy student or parent. Even when the report of suspected abuse is labeled as unfounded they find their names have been entered into state registries. Teachers face hearings conducted by the state licensing boards and local school board. Those hearings are in addition to the child protective service, criminal, and possible civil hearings that occur when there has been an accusation of child abuse.