2018 Tennessee Code
Title 37 - Juveniles
Chapter 1 - Juvenile Courts and Proceedings
Part 4 - Mandatory Child Abuse Reports
§ 37-1-408. Development of guidelines for identifying and reporting signs of child abuse, child sexual abuse, and human trafficking of children -- Annual child abuse training program for teachers.
(a) By January 1, 2019, the department of children's services shall develop guidelines on the best practices for identifying and reporting signs of child abuse, child sexual abuse, and human trafficking in which the victim is a child. The department of education shall use the guidelines to identify child abuse training programs appropriate for teachers. The programs identified by the department of education must train teachers on the common signs of child abuse, child sexual abuse, and human trafficking in which the victim is a child; how to identify children at risk of abuse, sexual abuse, or human trafficking; maintenance of professional and appropriate relationships with students; and the requirements for reporting suspected child abuse and sexual misconduct.
(b) Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, each LEA and each public charter school shall ensure its teachers complete a child abuse training program identified by the department of education pursuant to subsection (a), or a training program that meets the guidelines established by the department of children's services pursuant to subsection (a), as part of the teacher's annual in-service training. Each LEA and each public charter school shall annually report its compliance with this section to the department of education.
