Report card day can bring on anxiety and angst among students, but it can also lead to physical abuse, according to a new report.
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Researchers from the University of Florida recently conducted a study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, to determine if report cards precipitate child abuse.
To do so, they examined calls to a Florida child abuse hotline and school report card release dates in most of the state's 67 counties during the 2015-2016 academic year. Overall, there were almost 2,000 cases of physical abuse in kids aged 5 to 11, which were confirmed by child welfare authorities.
After analyzing the results, they found that on the Saturdays following report card Fridays, cases of child abuse verified by the Florida Department of Children and Families were four times higher than other Saturdays. However, there was no increase in abuse cases when report cards were issued earlier in the week.
"It's a pretty astonishing finding," coauthor Melissa Bright said in a statement. "It's sad, but the good news is there's a simple intervention — don't give report cards on Friday."
The scientists also believe schools should consider including messaging during report card day to help prevent corporal punishment that could lead to abuse, although some Florida counties still allow corporal punishment in public schools.
The team does not know the underlying causes of the link between report cards and physical abuse, but suspect that the increase is due to “children being physically punished for their grades, but it might be something else we don't know about.” They also do not understand why there is no increase in child abuse cases when report cards are issued earlier in the week.
The authors now plan to continue their investigations by looking at data in other states. They also hope their findings will encourage school districts to take steps to help combat the issue.
“I have to feel like my research can really make a difference,” Bright said. “That's why I like working with pediatricians and teachers. They're hungry for data to make things better, and I’m excited to use my research knowledge to give them those answers.”
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