Experts: Child abuse reports may spike when Tarrant County students return to school

Lauren Castle
·8 min read

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, child safety advocates warned about many child abuse incidents going unreported due to schools going virtual, since teachers often flag signs of child abuse through their in-person contact with students.

Experts are bracing for a rise in child abuse reports as the new school year begins and stress from the pandemic continues. Fort Worth Independent School District will be fully in-person on Aug. 16 with no virtual learning option.

Katia Gonzalez, the director of training and team relations at Alliance for Children, said the child advocacy center saw a spike in reports in April and May 2021. Last school year, Fort Worth ISD gradually brought students back to in-person learning starting in October. However, many teachers still did not regularly see some of their students due to chronic absences throughout the year.

“What we anticipate is once school starts full-time in-person and kids build rapport with teachers, we will get an increase in cases again,” Gonzalez said.

The advocacy center saw 1,297 reports for Tarrant County to the Department of Family and Protective Services in April 2020. The amount of reports increased to 2,601 in April 2021. In May 2020, the organization saw 1,620 reports while having 2,561 reports in May 2021.

Lauren Kelly, an educational psychology professor at the University of North Texas, said the overall stress of COVID-19 has put children at risk for child abuse. The pandemic has caused health-related problems, social isolation, school changes and unemployment.

“All of that added stress is just one explanation for why we are seeing parents enact anger and frustration on their children,” Kelly said.

When abuse occurs, the Alliance for Children and a network of law enforcement, healthcare, social service and educational organizations are key in identifying the problems and helping children through the trauma that can have life-long effects.

Tarrant County had the third highest number of confirmed child abuse victims in 2020 in the state after Dallas and Harris counties, according to a March report by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). In 2020, there were 6,203 confirmed child victims of abuse and neglect in Tarrant County.

Rising reports of abuse

Child abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional or neglect. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse in the past year, however, the amount is likely underestimated.

Substance abuse is also a risk factor for child abuse. Six million children in the U.S. live with one parent who abuses alcohol or drugs, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Alliance for Children partners with hospitals, law enforcement and state agencies to serve children who are victims of abuse.

The agencies and Alliance work together to help a child and their protective guardian through the investigation process, which can lead to a criminal trial. Children and protective guardians are able to receive free services from the center such as counseling and access to support groups.

The center’s multidisciplinary team reviews reports made to the DFPS for its partnered law enforcement agencies. The amount of reports doubled in 2021 from 2020.

Even though there were not a lot of reports of child abuse being made at the beginning of the pandemic, there was a rise in children with severe injuries.

“At the start of the pandemic we actually saw a dramatic decrease in that amount of cases overall in people making reports but we also saw an uptick in the severity of cases,” Gonzalez said.

Kelly said going through an investigation can be stressful on a child. They can be conflicted about telling the truth or not know the abuse is not normal.

Schools reporting abuse

Schools in Texas are required to participate in training every year to understand the possible signs of abuse and how to follow the law when reporting. Educators are the top reporter of child abuse, according to Gonzalez.

Michael Steinert, assistant superintendent of student support services at Fort Worth ISD, said the school district’s training is done every year with Cook Children’s and every staff member receives the same information. The school district serves more than 82,000 students.

The school district also partners with Alliance for Children to provide additional training to schools. Steinert said many elementary schools in the district take part in Alliance’s training. If children have extensive needs, the district’s student services department is able to connect them with resources, such as therapy, provided by partner organizations.

A child experiencing abuse may have problems in school. They may not be able to focus on their school work or have behavioral issues. Depending on how an educator responds to the student, it could lead to the child being punished, according to Kelly. Many children who are abused can face disciplinary actions for behavioral problems or other disruptive actions school. This can lead to suspensions and expulsions. Kelly said these children are some of the many who are at-risk of entering the criminal justice system, which is a part of a national trend called the “school-to-prison pipeline.”

Kelly said it is important for adults to look into what is causing children to have issues in school and provide them resources to help. Children may show signs of what is happening at home.

“If they don’t look deeper at what is causing that attention deficit issue or what is causing them to fight their peers,” Kelly said. “That label alone of being labeled a ‘bad kid’ does decrease any motivation to continue to achieve.”

Children involved in domestic violence

Law enforcement and advocacy centers also saw a rise in domestic violence reports in Tarrant County.

Ken Shetter, president of One Safe Place, said domestic violence and child abuse are related. The more incidents of domestic violence, the more likely a child was a witness, he said.

One Safe Place is a crime prevention agency that houses the Family Justice Center, Crime Stoppers, Camp Hope and other services that focus on preventing crime and violence, and serves victims in Tarrant County.

The organization stated in its 2020 Annual Report that 79% of the Family Justice Center’s clients had at least one child under the age of 18; 428 children were connected to direct services; 61% of clients stated their children witnessed physical or verbal abuse; 34% of clients stated seeing behavior changes in children who witnessed abuse.

Abuse can impact a child long into adulthood. Children can become anxious, have trust issues and not understand the concept of healthy relationships.

“When are dad and mom going to hit them next? When are they going to withhold food from them? When are they going to yell at them?” Kelly said. “They are constantly in a hypervigilant state of stress.”

Children who experience abuse can be at risk for diabetes, heart issues, asthma and other medical problems. Victims also have an increased risk for substance abuse and suicide.

Shetter said children witnessing domestic violence experience similar long-term effects as those who are directly abused, such as trauma and health problems.

What needs to be done to help?

Experts warn that reporting child abuse and helping families is not only the responsibility of schools. Texas law requires anyone who suspects child abuse to report it to law enforcement or the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Alliance for Children provides education to children, parents and youth organizations, such as internet and personal body safety.

The child advocacy center recommends families have conversations with children about safety at a young age. Gonzalez said that includes teaching them clearly about what private parts are and boundaries. The organization suggests also talking about situations they may experience, like going to the doctor, to help them understand things, as well as what a perpetrator may do such as convincing them to keep secrets.

Kelly said it is important for people to know there are services available to help parents learn about childhood development and resources that can help them, like SNAP and diapers.

“If you can educate the mothers and young fathers on proper development, it can help decrease some of that stress they may feel,” Kelly said.

One Safe Place conducts an assessment process to understand what resources each child needs. Pathway to Hope provides year-long programming, mentoring and other services for children. The organization also provides counseling and parenting classes. Camp Hope is a week-long summer camp that has a specialized curriculum designed to increase hopefulness in children. Shetter said children thrive when they are outdoors at the camp.

During the pandemic, the organization has pushed to make sure domestic violence victims know help is available. Shetter said abusers may try to use the pandemic as a way to make a victim believe they can’t escape.

“It is the key to resiliency,” Shetter said.

Possible signs of abuse can be:

  • Unexplained injuries.

  • Sleeping or eating problems.

  • Behavioral changes.

  • Developing new fears situations, places or people.

  • Being more distracted.

  • Saying sexualized things or touching themselves.

  • Bullying.

To make a report: