Kyi Ki

ED 224 - M8 Assignment

Tayan mead

Feb 26, 2021

There are many key legal points that teachers must remember for

their own and their student’s protection as well as their own job security. The

two legal aspects of education that I chose to summarize our Reporting Child

Abuse and Students Records and Privacy Rights.

Reporting Child Abuse: School plays an important role in protecting

students from abuse. In most states, laws require educators to report

suspected cases of child abuse to authorities or designated social service

agencies. There are warning signs that indicate a child is being abused. The

selected physical and behavioral indicators of physical abuse and neglect,

sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Physical indicators - physical abuse

signs as unexplained burns, physical neglect signs as consistent hunger,

sexual abuse signs as pain or swelling, and emotional abuse signs as speech

disorders. The behavior indicators - physical abuse signs complaints of

soreness, physical neglect stealing food, sexual abuse signs of lack of

emotional control, and emotional abuse signs of habit disorders ( sucking,

rocking, biting). This legal aspect is very important for teachers to check

their students almost all the time. If they show any of those warning signs,
you should ask them some questions and report them to people who help

abuse children. I have seen one student who came to the sun program in the

summer school. The teacher found his finger was cut very badly and he

didn’t cover it with anything. The teacher asked him how that happened to

him and he told the teacher what caused that to happen. The teacher takes

him to his office and I think the teacher is figuring out something to do for

him. That was scary and at the same it's sad.

Students' Records and Privacy Rights: Until 1974, students or their

parents could not view most student records kept by schools. Congress

passed the family educational rights and privacy act ( also called either

FERPA or the Buckley amendment) to curb possible abuses in institutions

receiving federal funds. The Buckley amendment requires public-school

districts to develop policies allowing parents access to their children's official

school records. Parents retain rights of access to their child’s school records

until the child reaches age 18 or is enrolled in a postsecondary institution.

Teachers and other staff must consider carefully whether collecting

information on students’ backgrounds or beliefs serves a legitimate goal.

This law does impact me as an educator because my sibling and I have

experienced it. We see that our teacher always asks for parental consent or

permission before going on a field trip or taking a video of us. This is a great

way to check and let parents know what school is doing and planning for

their kids. In the permission, paper parents will have to sign their names
and write down their contact information so that if anything happens it will

be easy for the teacher or school to call them. Basically, parents make

decisions for their kids starting K-12. And all student personal information

that the teacher has or knows cannot be shared with any stranger unless it's

their parents or teachers that are teaching the students.