Joan Chen is a child-care provider at Kind Kinder Kare, Inc. One of the children in her room is three-year-old Ameer Ican. Like many of the children Joan has cared for over the years, Ameer often comes to school dirty and with scabs and bruises. Ameer has a vivid imagination and often tells some pretty preposterous stories. One day, Joan witnesses Ameer angrily strike another child, but, when she confronted him, he denied that he did so. Joan reports this to his mother when she comes to pick him up.
The mother also has an unkempt appearance and is often late in dropping Ameer off and picking him up. The next day, Ameer seems uncomfortable sitting and reports that his parents hit him for lying the day before. A staff psychologist came to the room that day, and Joan tells her Ameer’s story and asks how to deal with it. The psychologist says Joan should consult her supervisor. The supervisor, Barrie Boss, focuses on the lying aspect and tells Joan that she should give Ameer time out for lying.
When Joan tells the story at dinner that night, her husband argues that the incident should be reported to Child Protective Services. Joan doesn’t want to go above the heads of her supervisor and the psychologist.
Should Joan report the incident? Should the supervisor report the incident? Should the psychologist report the incident? What are the likely consequences of doing so? How might you defend failing to report it?
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