A study that was published in JAMA Pediatrics in December of 2018 took a close look at the association between report cards being released on a Friday and reports of abuse on Saturday. This disturbing finding gives parents and educators plenty to think about.
The study is titled: “Association of Friday School Report Card Release With Saturday Incidence Rates of Agency-Verified Physical Child Abuse”. Authors of the study include Melissa A. Bright, PhD; Sarah D. Lynne, PhD; and Katherine E. Masyn, PhD.
The researchers sought an answer to a troubling question. Are school report cards a precipitant to child physical abuse? From the study:
“Corporal punishment is a leading risk factor for physical abuse. Strong anecdotal evidence from physicians and other professionals working in child protection suggest that punishment-initiated physical abuse for school-aged children increases after release of report cards. However, no empirical examination of this association has occurred.”
For this study, the researchers reviewed calls to a state child abuse hotline and noted report card release dates across a single academic year in Florida. Data was collected in a 265-day window from September 8, 2015, to May 30, 2016, in the 64 of 67 Florida counties with report card release dates available. Participants in the study included all children aged 5 to 11 years for whom calls were made.
The researchers found that state child welfare agency-verified incidents of child physical abuse across an entire state included 1,943 cases of abuse when the report cards were released on Friday.
Release of report cards on Monday through Thursday was not associated with increased incidence rates of child physical abuse the same day or the day after the release. However, a nearly 4-fold increase in the incidence rate of verified child abuse reports was found on Saturdays after a Friday report card release.
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* How-To: Respond To Your Child’s Report Card
* Responding to a Bad Report Card