HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Health held a meeting by video call today to discuss child abuse reporting in the Commonwealth ahead of the new school year. A school year, Secretary Teresa Miller says will be difficult.
"This (school year) promises to be different from any before it. They year is on radar because thousands of children are going back to school, but not yet back to the classroom," the secretary said. "Remote learning is a fundamental shift for many families with many implications for small children."
DHS officials reiterated the number of child abuse reports it received had dropped almost in half because, as the Secretary noted, most of the reports came from educators and school staff.
And that brings the point back home, literally, because while some kids are going back to school, some are not going back to the classroom. That means parents, who are already straggled with the burden of child rearing are now going to have to put it on top of an already-busy schedule at home at all hours of the morning and early afternoon.
What's more is kids are adjusting to remote learning, as are teachers, but they're also spending more time on electronic devices and looking at screens now than ever, especially as fall sports appear to be an unresolved issue at this point.
During the meeting, FOX43 asked if the state is concerned about a possible increase in online child predators targeting kids and students, Deputy Secretary John Rubin said the onus is ultimately on parents to be mindful. "It really does come down to parental supervision," Mr. Rubin said. "Knowing who your kids are talking to, knowing who is on the screen with your kids, and doing Internet safety with a heightened sense of alertness and awareness and recognizing the risks."
A spokesperson for DHS said the Department would discuss the topic in greater detail in the near future, though did not specify when that would occur.