Child Abuse & Neglect
Overview
School personnel must be able to recognize signs of abuse and neglect and also understand their role as mandated reporters. State law requires every person seeking initial licensure or persons seeking licensure renewal as teachers for the first time to complete a study in child abuse recognition and intervention in accordance with curriculum guidelines developed by the Board of Education in consultation with the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS).
- Child Abuse Recognition and Intervention Training (Word) – Individuals seeking initial licensure and license renewal must complete training in child abuse recognition and intervention in accordance with curriculum guidelines approved by the Board of Education.
- VDSS Child Abuse Hotline
- VDSS Mandated Reporter Portal
Interagency Agreement
Each local department of social services and local school division shall adopt a written interagency agreement as a protocol for investigating child abuse and neglect reports pursuant to the Code of Virginia § 63.2-1511. A model local interagency agreement (Word) has been developed collaboratively by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS), with participation from representatives from school divisions and local departments of social services.
Additionally, House Bill 683(2014) also requires school divisions to report to the Board of Education the status of these interagency agreements. Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the status of the agreement between the school division and the local department of services is collected through the Educational Registry Application (ERA) with a field located on the Division > Details page.
Prevention of Sexual Misconduct & Abuse
The Virginia Board of Education developed Guidelines for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and Abuse in Virginia Public Schools to help local school boards create and implement policies and procedures that deter misconduct, provide accountability, and establish clear and reasonable boundaries for interactions among students and teachers, other school board employees, and adult volunteers.