The number of child abuse and neglect cases that come through the Warren County School District should be troubling to everyone in Warren County.

Gary Weber, county school superintendent, said during his year-end report to the school board last week that nearly 250 child line referrals were received throughout the school year. Here’s a way to put that number into perspective. School is open 180 days a year – which means the district and its staff are dealing with more than one such report every day the school is open. Neglect, physical abuse, domestic violence and substance abuse account for the majority of referrals received.

Is it any wonder, with such a high number of child line referrals, that teachers see attendance issues, behavioral problems, mental health challenges, academic struggles and the need for additional counseling and school support? This isn’t a problem that’s going away any time soon, which means the school district and partners like Children and Youth Services, law enforcement and behavioral health agencies will be dealing with the cumulative effects of these cases for the foreseeable future.

“I think that needs to continue to be at the forefront of what we do each and every day,” Weber said.

Weber is right. There’s no question that dealing with abuse and neglect will be at the forefront of the Warren County School District’s work when school opens again in a couple of months. Now that we have diagnosed a problem, we need to find solutions. Life is far from ideal for too many children in Warren County – and there’s only so much the school district and its partners can do with the resources they have available.