Dave Pelzer, who is currently an advocate for abused children, has written a compelling three book series detailing his own life as an abused child and the aftereffects of his abuse. His case was the third worst case of child abuse on record in the state of California. (Pelzer, 1995, 168) Pelzer's mother was an alcoholic who was both physically and emotionally abusive to him. What made this a terrible situation more unique was that the mother did not abuse her other four children. Only Dave was the target of her hatred. Pelzer's father, also an alcoholic, who ignored his wife's abusive tendencies, even though he secretly indicated to his son that he did not condone it, compounded the abusive behavior. The father's silence served to validate the mother's actions. Pelzer's teachers and administrators also maintained silence, thus compounding his feeling of isolation. These events occurred during the

Compounding our concerns even more are studies that show that teachers, contract workers, and other school employees are also among those who mistreat our children. (Karp, 78) Many states don't administer background checks for teachers or other school employees. This allows those with criminal records to move from one school system to another, often from state to state, in order to continue to teach or work in some capacity within the education system. Missouri currently does not have a requirement for background checks for contract workers. This means that a janitor or person who works in a lunchroom has the capability to be convicted of a sex crime and be hired on at another institution without fear of being recognized by his/her criminal record. This is more than a little alarming. Kansas' laws are even more lenient, not requiring a background check for teachers. (Karp, 81) This puts the onus on us as teachers, administrators, counselors, and parents to carefully evaluate all adults with whom we see our children make contact. There is no such thing as being too careful. Again, we needn't become paranoid and start witch-hunts, but we must remain cognizant of what is going on with those under our care.

Gestiwicki, Carol. Home, School, and Community Relations. New York: Delmar Thomson

Pelzer, Dave. A Man Named Dave: A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness. New York: Penguin

Somers, Suzanne. Wednesday's Children: Adult Survivors of Abuse Speak Out. New York:

Karp, Hal. "Who's Going to School With Your Kids?" Reader's Digest 156 (2000): 76-82.

FL: Health Communications, Inc., 1997.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1164
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)