Who does the law say a child is? What rights do they have? What protections exist for them?

We reviewed messages about who children are and how they behave and can be expected to act, based on research, science, child development, and popular ideas. By now, you have advanced your own ideas about who children are and actions or behaviors that are appropriate to them.

It is time to make a determination of your own stand with respect to ethical and legal expectations in discipline and management. Please peruse the some of the suggested links. Also, please find the applicable state laws that refer to education and youth. It may help you to look for:

Family Laws
Child protections
Status of children and what is legal at different ages
In Arizona, the Department of Economic Security oversees child protection and services

In addition, look at some of the international groups and their guidelines for children - UNICEF, Humane Society, National Education Association.

Please take notes and share pertinent parts of them with the professor on the sites you visit, the impressions you gain or validation from previous experiences and information.

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