U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) recently requested that new guidance be issued by the U.S. Department of Education to set standards for how America’s school systems might best utilize online learning platforms to ensure children can report abuse.

“This pandemic has created countless challenges for us as a nation, including the fact that children have lost access to environments and services that often provide opportunities to identify abuse and to offer protection,” Rep. Joyce said. “We need to enact additional safeguards to identify children in need of help and give them the guidance and tools necessary to seek that help.”

Since April 28, when schools across the country closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many states have seen significant drops in such reports, including Rep. Joyce’s home state, where Ohio’s Child Protective Services has seen more than a 50 percent drop in child abuse reporting, according to the congressman’s office.

“While necessary to fight the spread of coronavirus, school closures and shelter-in-place orders are having dangerous, unintended consequences on our children,” said Rep. Joyce. “That cannot continue to happen. Immediate action must be taken to overcome this unforeseen challenge.”

The Department of Education previously issued guidance on several topics to help school systems navigate the pandemic and meet students’ needs, according to a May 19 letter sent to the department by Rep. Joyce and dozens of his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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