Questions to ask your child's school.
The same questions work for the van, the tutor and the coach. These are ordinary questions, and asking them is not an accusation. Start with three, this term.
If a child has told you something, start here: If a child tells you.
Can I ask a school about child safety?
Yes. Asking how a school keeps children safe is as ordinary as asking about fees or bus timings. It is not an accusation. In India, schools must have staff checked by the police and trained in child safety. Start with three questions: the child protection policy, the POCSO committee, and staff checks.
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If you worry how the question will land, ask with other parents, or in writing.
Teaching helps children understand what is not okay and name it, and may make them more likely to tell. It has not been shown to stop abuse. Keeping children safe is the adults’ job.
No answer can make a school safe. Good answers mean fewer chances for harm, and more ways for a child to tell. For the talk at home, see what to say at home.
Most children who are harmed know the person who harms them. What the numbers show.
What should parents ask a school about child safety?
Ask to read the child protection policy. Ask who sits on the school’s POCSO committee, which handles complaints of sexual abuse, and how to reach them. Ask whether every adult is police-verified, and what happens if a staff member is accused. In India, the POCSO Rules require schools to verify all staff and train them. A good school answers plainly.
Could I read the school’s child protection policy?
Why you can ask
POCSO Rules 2020, r.3(5): governments must frame a policy for all institutions working with children to adopt. Law; whether your state has framed one varies.
A good answer
Yes, here it is. It covers how staff behave with children and what happens when someone raises a worry.
A worrying answer
We don’t need one here, or a promise to send it that never arrives.
Who is on the POCSO committee this year, and how do I reach them?
Why you can ask
CBSE schools: Circular 19/2017 asks for committees under POCSO, with contacts displayed. Other boards: the MoE 2021 guidelines ask every school for a committee on child sexual abuse (advice). Who sits on it is good practice. The POCSO Act itself sets up no school committee.
A good answer
Names and contacts on the notice board and website, with parents and women staff on it.
A worrying answer
No one named to hear a worry, or every worry goes to the principal alone.
Is every adult here police-verified, including drivers, guards, ayahs and contract staff?
Why you can ask
POCSO Rules 2020, r.3(4): every staff member, teaching or not, regular or contract, checked periodically (law). All staff: CBSE 19/2017 para 4(c) (CBSE condition). Checks before joining are good practice. A school can tell you how it checks and how often. It should not show you a staff member’s personal papers.
A good answer
Yes, everyone who meets children, before they join and again from time to time, with records kept.
A worrying answer
Only the teachers, or “the agency does that”, with no record the school has seen.
If someone said a staff member had harmed a child, what would the school do?
Why you can ask
POCSO Act s.19(1) and s.21(2): a sexual offence must be reported to the police. Law. POCSO Act s.19(7): no one who reports in good faith can be held liable. Law.
A good answer
Keep that person away from children at once, and report it to the police, as the law requires. We also tell staff that anyone who reports in good faith cannot be sued or prosecuted for it.
A worrying answer
We would look into it ourselves first, or talk of the school’s good name.
When were teachers and other staff last trained on child safety?
Why you can ask
POCSO Rules r.3(4): periodic training (law; no fixed interval). MoE 2021: at least every three years (advice). Supreme Court para 315(x): what it covers.
A good answer
Within the past year or two, for all staff, including what to do when a child tells them something.
A worrying answer
Never, or nobody can say when, or teachers trained but not the other staff.
Who takes the youngest children to the toilet?
Why you can ask
MoE 2021: well-lit toilets with safe and secure access (advice). Who takes the children is good practice.
A good answer
A named woman staff member, with toilets close to classrooms, lit and easy to see.
A worrying answer
Whoever is free at the time, a guard or a watchman included.
Is any adult ever alone with a child behind a closed door?
Why you can ask
Good practice. UK Department for Education guidance for parents treats an adult alone with a child, without the parents’ consent, as a warning sign (an example from abroad).
A good answer
No. Extra classes and counselling happen in rooms where others can see in.
A worrying answer
Extra classes in the staff room after school, with nobody else around.
What will my child be taught about body safety this year?
Why you can ask
Supreme Court, Oct 2026, para 315(i): taught from the primary stage. 315(vii): NCERT and state councils are to build the curriculum, so ask when it starts. The Union is to put these measures into effect (para 317).
A good answer
Lessons from the primary classes on body parts, safe and unsafe touch, consent and telling.
A worrying answer
Nothing until Class 9, or “not at this age”, or “only for girls”.
Where is 1098, the Child Helpline, put up for children to see?
Why you can ask
Supreme Court, Oct 2026, para 315(viii): measures schools must take; the Union is to put them into effect (para 317).
A good answer
In every classroom, the library, the computer lab and any hostel, and on the website.
A worrying answer
Nowhere, or one notice in the office that children never see.
How can a child raise a worry without going through their class teacher?
Why you can ask
Good practice. NCPCR also takes complaints of sexual abuse online through its POCSO e-Box.
A good answer
More than one way: a named counsellor or committee member, a complaint box, the POCSO e-Box.
A worrying answer
Through the class teacher, and there is no other way.
If one child touches another, what does the school do?
Why you can ask
POCSO Act s.19(1): the duty to report applies whoever the offender is (law). Keeping both children safe without shaming either is good practice. See Is this normal? on children and children.
A good answer
Keeps both children safe, tells both families, and follows the law on reporting, without shaming either.
A worrying answer
“Children play like that,” or a punishment and nothing more.
The court’s order is explained in what the Supreme Court ordered. If a school says the lessons are only for girls, show them why boys need this too. For a worry between two children, read when it is another child.
What should I ask about the school van or bus?
Ask whether a woman attendant rides on every trip, and which child is dropped last. Ask whether the route is tracked, and whether the school or a private operator runs the van. In India, drivers and attendants hired by a school must be police-verified. A privately arranged van may sit outside every school rule.
Many vans and autos have no attendant. If yours has none, the questions about the route and the last drop matter more.
Is there a woman attendant on every trip with the young children?
Why you can ask
NCPCR manual 2021, pp.18 to 21: a bus attendant, “preferably female” (advice). Some states set rules for school buses and vans.
A good answer
Yes, the same named, police-verified attendant on every trip, morning and afternoon.
A worrying answer
The driver manages alone, or the attendant comes on some days.
Who is the last child dropped, and is the route tracked?
Why you can ask
Good practice. No national rule sets the drop order.
A good answer
A fixed route and drop order shared with parents, tracked, with no detours.
A worrying answer
The driver decides each day, and one child rides alone at the end.
Does the school run this van, or is it arranged privately?
Why you can ask
POCSO Rules r.3(4) clearly covers staff a school employs. Whether it reaches a private van owner is not settled.
A good answer
The school runs it and answers for it, or says plainly that it does not.
A worrying answer
The school recommends the van but says it is not their responsibility.
If the van is private, ask the driver or owner the same questions.
What should I ask a home tutor or coach?
Ask where lessons will happen, whether the door stays open, and whether you can drop in. Ask how the tutor will contact your child between lessons. No national rule in India requires a home tutor to be police-verified, so these questions are yours to ask. A good tutor will not mind being asked.
Where will the lessons happen, and is it all right if I drop in?
Why you can ask
UK Department for Education guidance for parents (an example from abroad, used with credit).
A good answer
In an open room with the door open, and parents welcome at any time.
A worrying answer
A closed room, or a request that parents stay away during lessons.
How will you contact my child between lessons?
Why you can ask
Advice. No national rule covers home tutors. The Supreme Court’s 2026 order (para 315(x)) asks schools to train staff to spot grooming.
A good answer
Through me, or in a group that includes parents, and never in a private chat.
A worrying answer
“I message the children directly, it is easier,” or gifts, or secrets from you.
Has anyone checked your background, and would you show me?
Why you can ask
POCSO Rules r.3(4) for centres and academies (law). No national rule for home tutors.
A good answer
References, or a police certificate where one can be had, offered without fuss.
A worrying answer
Annoyance at being asked, or a vague answer that changes.
At a centre or academy, who can I go to with a worry about a teacher?
Why you can ask
Good practice from child-safe organisation guidance (advice).
A good answer
A named person above the teacher, such as the head of the academy or centre.
A worrying answer
“Just talk to me,” and no one above the teacher at the centre.
For trips and camps, who looks after the children at night?
Why you can ask
Good practice. No national rule covers trips run by a tutor, coach or class.
A good answer
A written plan, a woman teacher with any group that includes girls, and your consent first.
A worrying answer
No plan, or “the older children keep an eye on the younger ones”.
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Coaching centres, sports academies and other places in regular contact with children are covered by the POCSO Rules on their plain words, and should verify staff. Ask anyway, whoever it is.
Some patterns in an adult’s behaviour are worth noticing early. See when an adult’s behaviour is not okay, and on messages, who is in the online room. Kaaval’s essay on the rules of the tutor’s room looks at lessons at home.
What if an answer worries me?
In India, if a school is not following a child safety rule or guideline, write to the principal and the management first. If nothing changes, you can complain to your State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, or online to the national commission, NCPCR, through eBaalNidaan. If a child may have been harmed, call 1098 or the police.
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A worrying answer means something is missing. Ask about it again; it is no sign that a child has been harmed.
Ask again, in writing, to the principal or the management, and ask for a reply by a date. Raise it at the parent-teacher meeting, or ask the school to share its answer with all parents. If the school still does not act, you can complain to your State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, or online to the national commission, NCPCR, through eBaalNidaan. Choose one. The national commission will not take up a case the state commission already has. Both can look into a school that ignores child safety rules or guidelines. For a CBSE school, you can also write to CBSE, which can act against a school that ignores its circular.
If you think a child has already been harmed, the next step is different. Read If a child tells you, and call 1098. NCPCR takes complaints of sexual abuse online through its POCSO e-Box, not through eBaalNidaan. See what happens when you call 1098.
What does the law require of schools in India?
India’s POCSO Rules 2020 cover schools, creches, sports academies and other places in regular contact with children. Each must have every staff member, teaching or not, regular or contract, checked by the police from time to time. A clean check shows no known record. It cannot show that a person is safe.
| Rule | Who it covers | What it asks for | Law or advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| POCSO Act, sections 19 and 21 (2012) | Everyone; heads of schools and other institutions | The law requires anyone who knows or fears that a child is being sexually abused to tell the police. A head who fails to report a staff member can be punished. | Law |
| POCSO Rules 2020, rule 3(4) | Schools, creches, sports academies and any other institution or facility in regular contact with children | Periodic police verification and background checks of every staff member, teaching or not, regular or contract. Periodic child safety training. | Law |
| POCSO Rules 2020, rule 3(5) | The governments, central and state, then every institution working with children | A child protection policy based on zero tolerance of violence against children, adopted by every institution. | Law; depends on your state framing it |
| CBSE Circular 19/2017 | Schools affiliated to CBSE | Police verification and psychometric checks of all staff, CCTV at vulnerable points, committees under POCSO with contacts displayed, a safety committee with parents. | A condition of CBSE affiliation |
| Supreme Court, Just Rights for Children Alliance, October 2026 | Governments, child rights commissions, schools and educational institutions | Body safety taught from primary classes; helpline numbers, 1098 among them, in every classroom; staff trained on grooming; sessions for parents. | Court measures; the Union must report its progress to the court |
| Ministry of Education, Guidelines on School Safety and Security (2021) | Government, aided and private schools | A committee on child sexual abuse each year, staff training, safe toilets, a safety committee with parents. | Advice, unless your state has made it binding |
| Home tutors, private music or dance teachers, religious classes run by one person | No national rule names them | No national rule. The POCSO Act’s duty to report still applies to them, as to everyone. | No national rule |
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Some of what you can ask for is the law. Some is advice from the government that a school is expected to follow but may not be forced to. Many of these rules were written for CBSE schools. If your school follows a state board, the government advice still applies, and so does the law.
The questions about closed doors, routes and private messages matter as much as any certificate.
What must schools do if a child reports sexual abuse?
Report it to the police. In India, the law requires anyone who knows or fears that a child is being sexually abused to tell the police, and the head of a school can be punished for not reporting a staff member. An inquiry inside the school does not replace a police report. Families can call 1098 directly.
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That duty covers every teacher, counsellor and principal.
The school should keep that person away from children at once, and it should never ask the family to stay quiet.
You do not have to go through the school. You can call 1098 or go to the police yourself. By law, 1098 must pass a report of sexual abuse to the police.
Where this comes from
Can I ask a school about child safety?
- POCSO Rules 2020, rule 3(4) (Gazette copy)
- UK Department for Education, guidance for parents on after-school clubs, tuition and community activities (Open Government Licence v3.0)
What should parents ask a school about child safety?
- POCSO Rules 2020, rules 3(4), 3(5)
- CBSE Circular 19/2017, Safety of children in schools, paras 4(c), 4(h), 5
- Ministry of Education, Guidelines on School Safety and Security, 2021
- Supreme Court, Just Rights for Children Alliance v S. Harish, 2026 INSC 1149, 15 Oct 2026, para 315(i), (vii), (viii), (x), 317, 319
- UK Department for Education, guidance for parents on after-school clubs, tuition and community activities (Open Government Licence v3.0): an adult alone with a child without the parents’ consent as a warning sign
- Arpan, Ask the right questions to know whether your child’s school or daycare is safe (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0; linked and credited, not adapted)
What should I ask about the school van or bus?
- POCSO Rules 2020, rule 3(4)
- NCPCR, Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools, September 2021, pp.18 to 21
What should I ask a home tutor or coach?
- POCSO Rules 2020, rule 3(4), on its plain words
- UK Department for Education, guidance for parents on after-school clubs, tuition and community activities (Open Government Licence v3.0)
What if an answer worries me?
- Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act 2005, ss.13(1)(j), 13(2), 24
- NCPCR, Lodge Complaint (eBaalNidaan and POCSO e-Box), opened 8 Nov 2026
- CBSE Circular 19/2017, para 5
What does the law require of schools in India?
- POCSO Act 2012, ss.19(1), 21(2)
- POCSO Rules 2020, rules 3(4), 3(5) (Gazette copy)
- CBSE Circular 19/2017
- Supreme Court, Just Rights for Children Alliance v S. Harish, 2026 INSC 1149, 15 Oct 2026, para 315
- Ministry of Education, Guidelines on School Safety and Security, 2021
What must schools do if a child reports sexual abuse?
Written by Kaaval, Kochi. Checked against the law in November 2026.