I found this today, in my memory. An old child abuse report that one of my 7th grade teachers should have made, but it seems they forgot…
Report of Suspected Child Abuse =============================== Date: 16 January 2002 Child name: Adrian Van Buren, 12 May 1991 12 years old Parent Name: Amanda Blalock, 11 Feb 1969 Referrer Name: 7th Grade Teacher, Middle School, USA Complaint: This student has come to class every day this month, sobbing. The crying is unexplained by anything happening in the classroom. He's not being bullied. He just comes in the class, sits down for some minutes, and eventually will burst into tears. I've generally asked him to sit out in the hallway until he calms down, afterward which, he returns to put his head on the desk and naps the remainder of the class. He's not focusing on his work, especially after the crying fits, and when I ask him what's wrong, he refuses to tell me. From all I can tell, he doesn't have any problems here at school. I think there is something going on in his homelife that is causing him to feel this way. Today I'm going to send him to the school counselor to see if she can better understand what is going on; as well as this report in case my fears are true about his homelife. Signed; Mrs. Schoolteacher
There is no consequence for good-faith reports that lead to dead ends.
If you suspect something, just make the report. Children are helpless.