Some families say that New York City schools are making unfounded reports to child protective services in retaliation against parents of disabled children who advocate for their children's educational needs. According to a new report from the education news organization The 74, their stories are part of a larger pattern in which New York City public school employees make thousands of allegations of abuse or neglect to child protection authorities each year—only a fraction of which are substantiated.
New York City school teachers—like most public school teachers—are subject to mandatory reporting laws which require that school employees report any suspected abuse or neglect to child welfare authorities—called the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) in New York City. While these laws are often hailed as necessary to keep children safe and detect abuse, in fact, school employees are more likely than any other group of mandatory reporters to make an unsubstantiated claim of abuse or neglect.
