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After an investigation and safety-plan conditions that require housing, resources, and treatment classes, the children are removed when the plan is not met. The article argues mandatory reporting alone fuels a harmful cycle, proposing “mandated support” in education to keep families intact through prevention, programming changes, and trust-building partnerships.",{"@graph":69,"@context":126},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/mandated-support-in-education-protecting-children-by-assisting-families/576452/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/mandated-support-in-education-protecting-children-by-assisting-families/576452.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Logic","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118,122],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What triggers the report in the case described?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"A fourth-grade teacher becomes increasingly concerned about the student’s hygiene, school absences, and the distinct odor of marijuana when he arrives at class.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What does child protective services require of the family?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"CPS develops a safety plan requiring the other adult to move out, the mother to clean and stock basic health and safety resources, and the mother and adult to complete substance abuse intervention sessions and parenting classes.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Why does the article criticize the current mandatory reporting system?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It argues that poverty is reframed as neglect, leading to many investigations and coercive monitoring, while children may be removed even when families try to comply, and reporting increases have not reduced severe injury or abuse.",{"name":123,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":124},"What alternative does the article propose for education?",{"text":125,"@type":113},"It calls for “mandated support” in education—programming changes and policy commitments that build healthy, trusting connections to prioritize keeping families intact and reducing harm.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":128,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":130,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":132,"site_id":62},576452,1792671167,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":135},{"doc_id":132,"user_id":136,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":137,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":138,"file_id":139,"file_url":140,"file_type":141,"file_size":142,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":29,"language":143,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":144,"faqs":145,"seo_title":146,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":147,"read_time":148},1099513958762,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1000023916a998db790?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1784791008015729253","ILLUSTRAT IONS BY ERIN ROBINSON  \nMandated Support in Education  \nProtecting Children by Assisting Families  \nBy Chelsea Prax  \nM  \ns. Hanover is Miguel’s fourth-grade teacher. Over the past few months, she has become increasingly concerned about him. He often wears the same clothes, usually unwashed. Recently, he missed six  \ndays of school. And when he has come to class, she’s noticed the distinct odor of marijuana.  \nPer the building protocol, Ms. Hanover discussed her concerns with the school social worker, Mrs. Tomas, who had heard about Miguel from another staff person as well. After school, they sat together to make a report to Child Protective Services (CPS) . It was a long process, but Ms. Hanover was hopeful this would get Miguel and his family the help they needed.  \nThe CPS hotline operator accepted the report for an investigation. Two days later, a caseworker arrived at Miguel’s listed address. Miguel’s mother, Carmen, was at work, so the caseworker engaged her brother, Ruben. Ruben was high and giggled as they walked around, pointing to empty beer cans:“Those are all mine, you know. Carmen hates me drinking.”  \nChelsea Prax, MPH, CPH, is a Black mother of two beautiful Black children and leads Children’s Health and Well-Being programs for theAFT. She supports AFT affiliates in developing their own child well-being initiatives, such as around trauma-informed practices, Medicaid in schools, and leveraging the full skills of specialized instructional support personnel.  \nHe did not seem to notice the dirty laundry, mostly bare cupboards, and sparse refrigerator. When asked about his parents, Miguel replied that he missed his father, but he wouldn’t say any more. His younger siblings avoided the caseworker, focused instead on playing in a corner.  \nFollowing the visit, the caseworker developed a safety plan for the family with a few key tenets: Ruben must move out. Carmen needs to clean the house and fill the cupboards. She also needs to show proof that she owns some basic resources for health and safety: a crib and two car seats.  \nOn the second visit, the caseworker found Ruben high again and was not satisfied with Carmen’s attempts to fulfill the safety plan. The caseworker removed Miguel and his siblings to foster care with a CPS-approved provider and agreed to talk to Carmen’s sister about completing the process to become akinship caregiver. The caseworker told Carmen that her kids would be returned on three conditions: First, Carmen must implement the safety plan. Second, Carmen and Ruben must complete at least four sessions of a substance abuse intervention. Third, Carmen was court-ordered to complete at least four sessions of parenting classes.  \nMiguel disappeared from Ms. Hanover’s class because his foster placement was zoned for a different school. She heard nothing more from CPS and still wonders whether her call was helpful.  \n26 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | WINTER 2024–25  \nOur collective failure to support children and families is evident—the nation is riddled with food insecurity, homelessness, discrimination, lead exposure, child labor, and more. Educators are not asked to call the departments of agriculture, housing, civil rights, environmental protection, or labor. But every state requires educators to activate child welfare agencies as mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect.1  \nMandatory reporting is the first step in a troubling and common cascade: Poverty, reframed as “neglect,” precipitates far too many reports, with roughly one-third of children enduring a CPS investigation.2 Investigated families are monitored and coerced to change their parenting (usually without support for alleviating their poverty), with the threat of child removal if they do not comply.3 Often, their children are taken even when they strive to comply. CPS removes thousands of children from their families, so that “on any given day,  \npicky about textures. Carmen shared the short list of foods he eats and clothes he wears.","cbCailJl2nOkzOZE","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCailJl2nOkzOZE","pdf",173488,"English","# Mandated Support in Education\n## Reporting concerns and initiating an investigation\n## Safety plan requirements and foster care outcomes\n## How mandatory reporting escalates investigations\n## Mandated support as an alternative model","[{\"question\":\"What triggers the report in the case described?\",\"answer\":\"A fourth-grade teacher becomes increasingly concerned about the student’s hygiene, school absences, and the distinct odor of marijuana when he arrives at class.\"},{\"question\":\"What does child protective services require of the family?\",\"answer\":\"CPS develops a safety plan requiring the other adult to move out, the mother to clean and stock basic health and safety resources, and the mother and adult to complete substance abuse intervention sessions and parenting classes.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the article criticize the current mandatory reporting system?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that poverty is reframed as neglect, leading to many investigations and coercive monitoring, while children may be removed even when families try to comply, and reporting increases have not reduced severe injury or abuse.\"},{\"question\":\"What alternative does the article propose for education?\",\"answer\":\"It calls for “mandated support” in education—programming changes and policy commitments that build healthy, trusting connections to prioritize keeping families intact and reducing harm.\"}]","Mandated Support in Education - Protecting Children by Assisting Families | PDF",1792029783,15]